charles cashion wrote:

> I am trying to read what I can regarding the installation
> of Ubuntu 7.10. I have downloaded the "alternate" version
> and run it live and used it to install. But then I could
> not get to Windows. I found the following statement in the
> following page. The statement is the second bullet down
> about 30 lines.

> http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux...w2k-HOWTO.html

> You want to leave the Windows boot loader (NTLDR) on the MBR
> (Master Boot Record). This allows you to continue to boot
> Windows with no issues.

This is a matter of opinion. (:

> Question 1: I did not see an opportunity to install
> grub while running the ubuntu 7.10 live CD. Is it there?
> Did I miss it? If yes, where did I miss it?

I'm not certain which CD you have. In the first paragraph you mention
downloading the "alternate" version and here you mention the Live CD.
What's the name of the file you downloaded?

ALTERNATE CD:
If you have the alternate CD, go to this page and do a search for grub.
You'll have to hit the "next" button three times to get to the part
you're looking for. Take a look at that screenshot and read a bit
further down from there to see how it works. The author put screenshots
of the whole process up. Warning: I have no idea whether this page has
good instructions or not. I was just looking for screenshots so you
could see what to look for during the installation:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p2.htm

LIVE CD:
If you have the Live CD, check out this page:

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installing

If you scroll down to the section entitled, "Finishing the Actual
Installation," the screenshot just below that one is where you'll
access the Grub settings:

http://img509.imageshack.us/my.php?i...ydual17iv6.png

Warning: This is the final step before install, so don't miss it! It's
the Advanced button on the bottom right.

> Question 2: which might be less important is:
> If the MBR is the first thing read when power is turned
> on and the MBR points to Windows, how does grub work?

I have absolutely no idea, but maybe someone else in here does.

> Question 3: Does grub over write the MBR?

Yes. But that's okay - that's its job. It takes over managing the
booting of the computer for you, and it recognizes the existence of
Windows and will put it in its menu for you on boot-up so you can choose
which operating system to boot into.

To ease your mind, I'm including step-by-step instructions on how to
undo the Ubuntu installation if you change your mind. These will write
restore the master boot record to the way it was before you installed
Ubuntu. Sorry, I don't have the steps for Vista, but I'll bet somebody
in here does, or you can find them on Google:

First you need to get rid of Grub:

01) Boot the computer with your Windows XP CD (this may take quite a while).
02) Once it's finished, Windows 2000 users select r for Recovery. Windows 2000 and Windows XP users choose System Recovery Console.
03) Select your Windows.
04) At the command prompt, Windows 2000 or Windows XP users type this to
over-write Grub with the Windows Master Boot Record:

fixmbr

Windows 98 and Windows ME users, type this instead:

fdisk /mbr

05) Then type:

exit

06) Reboot the machine without the CD in the drive. You should boot into Windows.
07) Right-click My Computer.
08) Select Manage.
09) Choose Disk Management.
10) Highlight the Linux partitition (might show up as unknown - look for the one that's the same size as the partition you created).
11) Delete the partition.
12) If you also created a swap partition or any other partitions for Ubuntu, repeat steps 10 and 11 for those partitions.
13) You can then partition and format it for use with Windows.

> (If this has already been carefully documented, and you
> can point me to that document, I have no objections to
> reading that fine manual. )

It probably has, but it was more fun doing it this way! One last thing:
Remember to back up all data that's irreplaceable or valuable to you
before installing. Usually the install goes very smoothly, but it's
better to be sure you have backups whenever you make a major change
to your computer's configuration. Oh, and welcome to Linux! (:

--
Little Girl

There is no spoon.