Linux Mint Forums

okay, here's the senario. I need to install windows for a program that my work uses, and i know that it will over ride my bootloader. how do i reinstall the mint bootloader without reinstalling mint itself? I love this distro and i've got a ton of stuuf on it that i can't do without. Thanks in advance.
-d

1. Boot from a Live CD, like Ubuntu Live, Knoppix, Mepis, or similar.

2. Open a Terminal. Go SuperUser (that is, type "su"). Enter root passwords as necessary.

3. Type "grub" which makes a GRUB prompt appear.

4. Type "find /boot/grub/stage1". You'll get a response like "(hd0)" or in my case "(hd0,3)". Use whatever your computer spits out for the following lines.

5. Type "root (hd0,3)".

6. Type "setup (hd0,3)". This is key. Other instructions say to use "(hd0)", and that's fine if you want to write GRUB to the MBR. If you want to write it to your linux root partition, then you want the number after the comma, such as "(hd0,3)".

7. Type "quit".

8. Restart the system. Remove the bootable CD.

This a is quote from wernst at the ubuntuforums. (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=24113)
This should do the trick.
P.S.: I had to use 'sudo grub'

acithium,

I would recommend you give this some consideration before you start into this. Windows expects to be on the first hard drive, first partition. Windows does not like to be number two. lol

Your problem is not going to be getting the boot fixed back for Linux, that will be a simple matter. Getting Windows to load, boot, and run properly is the problem. I know it can be done. I have seen setups like this but have been told by people that know a lot more than I do about Windows that it isn't a good idea. There will be ongoing issues.

I would consider using Virtual Box or VMware. Either of these two programs will allow you to virtualize Windows on your Linux install. I have used VMware before and it works quite nicely for exactly the situation you describe. I just finished using Virtual Box to put Windows on my machine for a work project. This is the first time using it but it seems to work fine. I know Husse uses it so you might ask him for help if you have problems or questions. I am still learning my way around in it.

Just a different view point.

Fred

I have to agree with what everyone else is saying, Windows does not like being second on the disk, unless it is another Windows in front of it, and even then it gives you issues, I have a small business doing computer repair and have had to go to ppl's houses to fix their computers because they tried to install another version of Windows, (that whole public beta of Vista was very profitable for me), so if I were you, I would backup all my data, install Windows first, and then reinstall Mint, or get a second HDD to install Windows on, (it doesn't really matter what HDD it's on, as long it's first), you will save yourself ALOT of headache and trouble.