/SOLVED/ Windows over grub

[lotofag]

Hi, I know this is more of a newbie question but I fear I wouldnt get as good an answer. I installed linux mint because my windows install was overrun by a virus and I couldnt find the windows installation dvd. Now I want to have a dual boot to keep the linux because I just love the sound of it. I have foobar running in wine and the sound is AWESOME. But I understand that by installing windows I lose the grub. Is there an easy way to repair it thereafter?

[viking777]

This question involves partitioning as well as grub. As it is years since I installed windows, I can't remember if its installer will recognize and more importantly, leave alone, Linux partitions. My guess is that it will probably just overwrite them. In this case you may have to make some free space on your disk to install Windows into. Gparted is the tool for this which you can run from the MInt installation disk.

Once you have created new partitions to put Windows on then you can install Windows to those partitions only (so you don't overwrite Linux). When that is done, as you rightly say you won't be able to boot LInux any more. There are two possible solutions to this. To my mind the first is the best one. Follow the instructions here to install and run boot-repair into your live Mint session and use it to repair grub (ie boot from the live dvd/usb, whatever you have):

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

The second option is to install EasyBCD into windows and then use it to detect and boot your mint partition.

http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

(that site has a lot of 'buy now' buttons all over it, but I promise you there is a free version for non-commercial use, you just have to search around for it). It has some very good documentation too.

A third option would be to install Windows letting it take over everything and then install Linux again (alongside windows) which will take care of both partitioning and installing grub but of course you will lose any modifications you have already made to your Mint installation.

[lotofag]

Thank you. I have partitions on my hdd from the last install so Gparted will not be necessary. Windows install generally recognises the linux partition but I only have the "recovery" dvd so lets see, I hope it is no different. Thanks a lot again and have a nice day

[viking777]

If it is a recovery dvd you downloaded from the internet, they do not allow you to reinstall windows only recover an existing installation. If it is a recovery dvd that came with the computer it will wipe the disk and reset it to factory settings including removing Linux so you will have to start again anyway.

[lotofag]

You were right but the installation needed a cd with a backup of my system that I never found time to make. So I downloaded a pirate ripped version of an original dvd and used the serial of my official one. I dont know if thass 100% legal but it works so far and linux is still there

[viking777]

So I downloaded a pirate ripped version of an original dvd

And you wonder why you get viruses?