Putting Linux and Windows on a single hard disk

BOOT POLISHING

Article from Issue 57/2005
Author(s):

When two systems share a single computer, a boot manager handles the prompts that determine which system to boot. We’ll show you several multiple boot scenarios and describe how to set up your system for dual booting Linux with Windows.

If you need applications such as Dreamweaver, Microsoft Office, or some modern games, and you don’t like the idea of using Wine or VMware, you may just have to resort to using a Windows system. And if you run your Windows system along with Linux on a dual boot PC, you need to set up your boot manager to choose which operating system to boot. Luckily, there is no need to purchase commercial software, as more or less any Linux distribution will give you the tools you need for a sucessful dual boot configuration. The Lilo boot manager, which used to be the principal Linux boot management system, has almost completely surrendered its boot monopoly to Grub (Grand Unified Bootloader) [1]. The Gnu/ HURD boot manager has many more features than the simpler Lilo manager. Besides filesystem support, Grub also has an integrated command line, which allow users to boot the installed operating systems even if the menu file is faulty or has been accidentally deleted.

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