how to make a neat quadruple boot?

[thevenerable]

Hi,
my story so far is, i have a net book, it runs xp, and windows 7.
ive also been trying out linux.
ive decided to use mint 12 cinnamon and pingee on it also.
and maybe get rid of one of them after more thorugh usage/testing.

I may have to start over from scratch, installing them all, as i made sum error earlier and wrecked them.

I think know how to get the partitions nicely sized, before installing linux.
but when i have xp, 7, mint and pingee. the boot menu is pretty ugly..
is there any way to get a neat, customiazable boot menu?
thanks

[viking777]

This is what I use:

https://launchpad.net/grub-customizer

BTW never heard of 'pingee' do you mean 'pinguy'?

[thevenerable]

Thanks, I'll check it out

Pingee is a netbook version of pinguy
runs faster apparently, and isnt missing much

[viking777]

Thanks, I'll check it out

Pingee is a netbook version of pinguy
runs faster apparently, and isnt missing much

Ah I see.

Good luck with the installations anyway.

[thevenerable]

thanks
had a total failure tho

I formet my drive, and it still wont accpts windows 7 or xp on it.
it isnt quite formatted right tho
i guess its all mixed up in there.
how to totally blast it empty?

[xenopeek]

I usually recommend this to users having problems with an old Windows RAID installation, but you can also use dban to wipe your hard disk if Windows is having some problem with it. http://www.dban.org/ Just put it on a USB or CD/DVD and boot. Wipe once is enough.

[thevenerable]

I usually recommend this to users having problems with an old Windows RAID installation, but you can also use dban to wipe your hard disk if Windows is having some problem with it. http://www.dban.org/ Just put it on a USB or CD/DVD and boot. Wipe once is enough.

how do i put it it onto usb?
thanks

[xenopeek]

Pendrivelinux has a guide: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/install-db ... g-windows/ And despite the name, it is software for Windows

[thevenerable]

Thanks
I used 'Universal usb Installer' and just slected 'old linux' or something.
then installed it that way.
drive all wiped now.

Am trying to do a neat install of everything from the grouns up.
Starting with windows xp i think.

xp (create the partitions i need b4 installing) > then win7 > then both linux's

[thevenerable]

UPDATE

i cant even install xp...

I've done it many times on a usb stick/
but its not working

can anyone tlel me how to properly prepare my hard drive for this installation please?
its obviously just to much for my brain

[DataMan]

1. Boot to GParted (it may be included in the Live CD/DVD).
2. Select individually each partition on your partition and delete
3. Under Devices, select and execute Install Partition Table
4. Boot to your first Windows Install and complete your installation.
5. Again boot to GParted and adjust the installed Windows partition down.
6. Install your second Windows
7. GParted again. This time create an extended partition (where your Linux stuff will be installed to). Option your can create your swap and first Ext3-4 partition now within the extended partition - just select the manual option when it comes to the installation of your Linux ops).

I ran into this recently when I wiped my 750G ops H/D and started over - Windows 7 Pro and 6 Linux ops partitions and some data storage parttions).

Hope this clears things up.

-DataMan

[viking777]

had a total failure tho
I formet my drive, and it still wont accpts windows 7 or xp on it.

I hope that you have full installation media for win 7 and xp, and not just recovery disks/keys. The reason I say this is that recovery disks/keys as supplied by a computer manufacturer often, or maybe always nowadays, need recovery partitions (usually hidden at the beginning of the hard drive) to make them work. If you have formatted your entire drive you will have removed the recovery partitions and therefore the recover media will no longer work. Clonezilla or qt4-fsarchiver images are different, they are totally self contained, but since you haven't mentioned those I guess you don't have them.

If you only have recovery disks that rely on hidden partitions then your only way to reinstall windows is to buy a new copy - I hope that isn't the case.

[DataMan]

I hope that you have full installation media for win 7 and xp,

Good point Viking... that was the assumption in my response above.

-DataMan

[thevenerable]

Thanks v much.
I do have the proper xp and windows 7 yes.

I went ahead and installed windows 7, and both linux's fine.
I just could not get xp to install.

Thanks very much for the great tutorial, i will bookmark it and it maybe worth givning xp another go after giving my netbook the gparted treatment.