Multiple, Totally Independent WinXP Installs on the Same HardDrive via Grub

[DrCR]

I decided to rearrange the harddrive before I had too much on it.

hda new partition setup:

    hda1      Boot       Primary   NTFS             [^A]            15726.74 
    hda2                    Primary   NTFS                                22002.63
    hda5                    Logical   Linux swap                        1200.90
    hda6                    Logical   Linux ReiserFS                   8496.72
    hda7                    Logical   Linux ReiserFS                   8496.72
                                Pri/Log   Free Space                         62602.61

Thanks for your comment about still not using an image of hda1. Didn't realize that there would still be an issue.

Will report back in after I get VectorLinux setup, install Grub via VL or another disto, and give the hda3 XP install a second go.


DrCR

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[DrCR]

I installed Grub via Vector's Gslapt simply by adding a temp SW10.1 source. The Grub version is .95 though.

Everything is up and running.

My menu.lst for anyone interested:
# Start GRUB global section
default 0
timeout 5
title WindowsXP (on /dev/hda1)
unhide (hd0,0)
hide (hd0,1)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
# Seperator (Doesn't show in the list. Maybe it's because of the older v.95 used)
tile Other Operation Systems:
root
# XP Testing Installation
title WinTesting (on /dev/hda2)
unhide (hd0,1)
hide (hd0,0)
map (hd0,0) (hd0,1)
map (hd0,1) (hd0,0)
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Thanks again to all here. A particularly big thanks for your pointers saikee!

DrCR

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[saikee]

Glad to hear you have it sorted.

In your booting of the 2nd XP in hda2 there is no need to use the map statement which is for "switching" the disk order on-the-fly. Since both hda1 and hda2 are partitions of hda the map statements are only a confusion to Grub. You can add a "#" character to invalidate the two statements without deleteing them to check my suggestion.

The two map statement are for you to install XP in the first bootable disk hda but subsequently moved down into the bootiong queue as hdb, hdc or hdd (or sda, sdb etc). The map statements swap the XP disk back to the hda(or (hd0) position) status and revert it back when you finish with XP. It is a trick perfected by Linux, as Lilo can do it too, and the sucker XP buys it every time.

[DrCR]

Cool deal, thanks. Thought about commenting them out, but when it worked with it I figured I'd just leave it there and focus on setting up the XP install. I'll go ahead and comment them out then.

Wonder if the tricks like map will still work with Vista. I have no reason to think they won't, just curious. Vista is just WindowsXP-ME2 after all.

Thanks again

DrCR

[saikee]

Not running Vista myself but the map statement is a dealing between a Linux boot loader and the Bios and so it is system-independent.

Basically the Bios information on the disk order is temporarily swapped by the Linux boot loader when it is handed over to the Bios. Other systems would not know the difference or have a mechanism to dispute it.