Dual boot with Win XP won't work

[Kanelbullen]

Hello!

I've tried to dual boot my machine.
But I can't get it work.

That's my hdd with my partions.
My win is on sda5.

I can't get it work and I've tried many things.

Can someone help me please.




For now I'm stuck in Linux, it's good for now but I need win in some days.

[McLovin]

did you move your WinXP to the back? That may have cause some data corruption. You never want to move the start point of a partition, this moves the data to other areas and causes all kinds of issues as far as I have seen, I tried that once and completely hosed my Windows and had to completely redo my entire system.

[Kanelbullen]

When I installed a person helped me on IRC.
He said that I would install my partions "in the front".

[Guest]

You will have no end of problems if you try to run windows on anything other than the first partition of the first hard drive. Even if you eventually get it to work, problems will continually crop up when you install software or make changes to your windows system. You just have to face the fact that windows will only kinda work Microsoft's way and almost not at all any other way.

I know you don't want to hear this, but your best bet is to use a live cd, (puppy linux is a good choice but there are many others), to make a backup of your data that you have in windows and burn it to a cd or dvd, if you don't have a recent backup. Then partition and reformat the first hard drive, first partition, with enough space for your windows system. The second partition would be your linux swap, and the rest of the disk your /root and if you desire, a /home partition. If you have other hard drives in your system you might want to put your /home partition on another drive.

After partitioning and reformatting, install your windows system. Then install linux and don't try to move the windows install. Mint will pick up the windows install and set the boot up for you, if you let it.

Good luck,
Fred

[Kanelbullen]

Thanks for the answer.

I will make this when I got time.
And I don't think that I need a backup because I've only installed first windows and the same day Linux because i reformed my whole computer that day.

[Guest]

Then partition and reformat the first hard drive, first partition, with enough space for your windows system.

Yes, Windows prefers to be on the first partition...

[Kanelbullen]

Thanks it worked.

Only a fast question..
I'm just wondering of you got Xp ans Vista how do you do then?
And/or Mac.