Booting a MS Windows OS using GRUB

Last Updated on Sunday, 12 December 2010 12:24 Sunday, 12 December 2010 12:20

Booting a MS Windows OS using GRUB is a quite simple process. However, we must follow some rules in order to succeed. The first and foremost rule is:

• Windows OS always wants to be installed on a first hard drive and first partition.
• if you have your windows installation on second hard drive you need to use grub's map command to re-map first hardrive as seccond and vice versa

1. Grub's Naming convetion

Grub starts its hard drive and partition numbering system from 0. This means that (hd0,0) refers to a first hard drive and first primary partition. Whereas, (hd2,2) refers to third hard drive and third primary partition. All extended partitions starts from number 4. Therefore, (hd1,5) refers to a second hardrive and second extended partition.

2. Booting a Windows OS with grub

In case you have indeed installed your MS Windows on a first hard drive and first partition the whole process is rather simple. Open up a Grub's menu config file:

 vi  /boot/grub/menu.lst

and add a following code into appropriate boot menu section :

title           Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root    (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader     +1

save file and run command:

# update-grub

and you are done.

• root: the root partition of your MS Windows installation
• title: title name as it will be displayed on grub's boot menu
• makeactive: make this entry bootable
• chainloader: do not boot but let partition's boot loader to boot instead

In case you have a MS Windows installation on a third hard drive, things are little bit more complicated. Here is a /boot/grub/menu.lst code for booting a MS Windows from a third hard drive and first partition.

title           Microsoft Windows XP Professional
rootnoverify    (hd2,0)
map             (hd0) (hd2)
map             (hd2) (hd0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader     +1

• rootnoverify: do not mount but execute another command
• map: this makes a third hard drive a first and first hard drive third

After you have updated /boot/grub/menu.lst run:

# update-grub

and you are done.

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