How to Install A MultiBoot System With Windows & Linux

This article is about setting up your computer system run Windows and Linux in a multi-boot environment. This article
will give steps on setting up your computer and give tips on to make things easier.

1. Step 1

First thing you have to do is decide how you want the operating systems to be installed. Windows have to be
on a Fat32 or NTFS file system. Linux can reside almost anywhere, but is better being installed on its own
native journal ext2 file system. You may want to have them on 2 separate hard drives if you have more than
one hard drive in your system. May recommendation is that they are at least on separate partitions, be the
partitions are on the same hard drive or separate hard drives.

2. Step 2

Anytime Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 is being included in the multi-boot configuration, it should be
installed first. This is because Windows turns a blind eye to all other OS other than Windows and it writes the
MBR so that only Windows can be booted.

Note: If you already have Linux on the system, you will have to re-install the Linux boot-loader after
installing Windows.

3. Step 3

When installing Linux the Grub boot-loader will be installed in the MBR section of the main hard drive.
Grub allows for multiple entry for different OS and/or different installments of the same OS. Sometimes
Grub miss making an entry for Windows and you will have to do it manually. Grub's boot list is stored in a
file named 'menu.lst' found in the grub directory. By using a text editor you want to add the following to the
'menu.lst' file:

# Windows bootable partition config begins

title Windows (on /dev/sda1)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
# Windows bootable partition config ends

Save the file and reboot and you will see the Windows boot entry.

Tips & Warnings

 Not there is a Windows emulation project going on. the name of the software is
 'Wine' for Win(dows) E(mulator). You will be able to use this program to
 execute Windows programs in a Linux environment, but at present not all Windows
 programs can be ran with 'Wine'.
 Do not attempt to manually write to the MBR unless you are familiar with what
 you are doing. A corrupt MBR will leave the hard drive and the computer with
 inoperable until it is repaired.

How to Install Windows on Linux

Running Windows through the Linux operating system allows you to run Windows-only programs and games without
having to dual boot or make frequent switches between Windows and Linux. The VMware program enables you to
install Windows on Linux.
 1. Step 1

Log onto the VMware official Web site (see Resources below). Click the "Evaluate Now" button located in
the center of the page. After you download the Linux version of VMware, get an evaluation license.

2. Step 2

Unload the packaged VMware files by entering "tar -zxvf Vmware-x.x.x-xxx.tar.gz" in the command prompt.

3. Step 3

Move the VMware files to a new directory. Type "mv vmware-distrib /usr/local/src" into the command
prompt. Open the new directory by typing "cd /usr/local/src/vmware-distrib" and then "ls" in the command
prompt.

4. Step 4

Run the VMware installation process. Type "./vm-wareinstall.pl" and follow the instructions in the
installation guide.

5. Step 5

Change directories to start VMware once installation is complete. Enter "cd /usr/local/vmware" into the
command prompt. Then type "./vmware".

6. Step 6

Change the name of your evaluation license to "license." The program will tell you where to relocate the file.
Choose "Run the Configuration Wizard" and click "Next."

7. Step 7

Select the version of Windows to install based on whatever system disk you have. The wizard will ask you
where you want install it. Choose a location and click "New Virtual Disk."

8. Step 8

Insert your Windows Disc into your CD drive. Click the "Power On" button
located on your virtual machine. The installation guide appears. Follow the
instructions to install. Windows will boot automatically when installation is
finished.

Tips & Warnings

 Download VMware tools to improve the performance of your virtual Windows operating system.
 Partitioning Linux to run Windows will make both operating systems run faster.
 Running Windows and Linux requires a lot of hard drive space. Minimum RAM requirements are at least 64
megabytes.
 Don't expect Windows running as a virtual machine to be as fast as the real thing.

How to Install Windows XP from Linux

Microsoft makes installing Windows XP exceptionally simplistic. Whether installing Windows XP side-by-side with
Linux or installing Windows XP as the only operating system on the computer, Microsoft's automated installer can help
glide you through most of the process.

Installing Windows XP
1. Step 1

Backup all of your sensitive data. Whenever performing a major operation, such as an operating system
install, always backup data you can't afford to lose.

2. Step 2

Insert the Windows XP disc and restart your computer. When the loading screen comes up, enter the BIOS
setup. On some computers this is done by hitting F2 or the Delete key; however, each motherboard is
different.

3. Step 3

Navigate to the boot order dialog in your BIOS settings and make sure that the CD/DVD drive comes before
the hard drive (or HDD) in the boot sequence. If it does, you can just exit the BIOS; otherwise, follow the
instructions for your BIOS to rearrange the boot order and exit the BIOS, saving your changes.

4. Step 4

The computer will reset again and text will come up on the screen that says: "Press any key to boot from
CD." Simply press any key and the Windows XP Setup will begin. Press "Enter" when the first screen loads
and accept the EULA to continue.

5. Step 5

Follow the instructions, and when you get to the hard drive formatting dialog choose either to install on the
entire hard drive (erasing your Linux partition) or to install on a new partition to run alongside Linux. After
you have chosen, click "Next" and follow the rest of the instructions to complete the install. Most everything
will be automated after that except for the input of your personal information.

How to Use a Linux Server to Install Windows XP

Windows XP is a stable and robust platform for workstation installations. Microsoft includes a distribution
called Windows PE for setting up a number of workstation clients across a network. The program is
flexible enough that it allows non-Windows machines, such as Linux, to setup these clients. If you're
running a mixed Linux and Windows environment, it's possible to use a Linux server to install Windows
XP.
1.
Step 1

Install the Linux packages you will need to deploy Windows XP across the network. On the Linux machine
(which we'll call the "host"), the following packages need to be installed: tftpd-hpa, dhcp3-server, samba,
cabextract, syslinux and wget. These can be downloaded and installed by using the command "apt-get install"
and then the package name.

2. Step 2
 Download and install the RIS-Linux package (see Resources). This will setup a BINL server, which you need
for the Windows XP deployment.

3. Step 3

Configure your DHCP server. You will be assigning the IP address 192.168.0.17 to the Linux computer and
192.168.0.18 to the Windows XP client. Edit the configuration file found in /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf.

4. Step 4

Configure TFTP by adding the following lines to /etc/default/tftpd-hpa:

"RUN_DAEMON="yes" OPTIONS="-l -s /tftpboot -m /etc/tftpd-hpa.rules -vvv"

5. Step 5

Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive on your Linux host. Copy the files for the installation by running
the following commands:

# mkdir /tftpboot
# cd /tftpboot
# mount /media/cdrom
# cabextract /media/cdrom/I386/STARTROM.N1_
# ln --sf startrom.n12 startrom.0
# cp /media/cdrom/I386/SETUPLDR.BIN /tftpboot/ntldr
# fixloader.py /tftpboot/ntldr
# cp /media/cdrom/I386/NTDETECT.COM /tftpboot/ntdetect.com

6. Step 6

Eject the Windows CD ROM, as it is no longer required.

7. Step 7

Create a Windows .sif file in the /tftpboot/ directory. Open a text editor and add the following lines to the file
"winnt.sif":

[SetupData]
OsLoadOptions = "/fastdetect /minint"
SetupSourceDevice = "\Device\LanmanRedirector\server\share\path"

[UserData] ComputerName = WindowsPE

The SetupSourceDevice line should contain your server name and the location of the Winpe installation.

8. Step 8

Configure your Samba system file in /etc/samba/samba.cnf. Make sure that the following lines are present:

[global]

oplocks = false level2

oplocks = false
encrypt passwords = true
passdb backend = tdbsam
guest obey pam restrictions = yes
guest account = nobody
invalid users = root
 socket options = TCP_NODELAY
null passwords = true

[RemInst]
path = /tftpboot
browsable = true
read only = Yes
guest ok = Yes

[images]
path = /images
browsable = true
read only = Yes
guest ok = Yes

9. Step 9

Copy the files from the Windows PE CD into your /tftpboot/winpe directory:
:
# mkdir /tftpboot/winpe
# cp --a /media/cdrom/* /tftpboot/winpe

10. Step 10

Start the BINL server. Run the following command:

# /usr/local/bin/binlsrv.py

11. Step 11

Go to the Windows XP client.

12. Step 12

In the BIOS of the Windows XP client, make sure that "nework booting" is enabled. Reboot the machine.

13. Step 13

Click "Next" when you see the OSD Installation Wizard splash screen.

14. Step 14

Choose "Run from another location" on the Installation screen.

15. Step 15

In the "Location" screen, enter the server share name and your password. The system will begin installing.

How to Install an FTP Server on an Apache Web Server in Windows XP

Apache is a web host used to server PHP pages. Even though Apache is used mostly by Linux hosts, it is
also compatible with Windows. Once the HTTP service is installed, Windows hosts have the option to
install the FTP service on the server. Like the HTTP service, the Apache FTP is a free download available
on the corporate website.
1.
Step 1

Download the latest release of Apache server from the official site. The link to the Apache FTP
service is below:
mina.apache.org/ftpserver/downloads.html

2. Step 2

Install the download file by double-clicking the file. Follow the prompts that asks for a location to
place the installation files. This can be any local directory on the server.

3. Step 3

Start the service in Windows as a service. If you don't set Apache as a service, it does not start
when the server is reboot. This means the Apache server does not server FTP pages until it's
manually started. Click the Windows "Start" button and select "Run." Type "cmd" into the text
box and press the "Enter" key.

4. Step 4

Type "bin\service install" into the command prompt. This starts the FTP service in Windows so
host files are served to web browsers.