How do you reinstall Linux in a dual boot scenario?

[Kurt Granroth]

Eh?  What are you talking about?  Anybody who has used Linux for more
than a few years will have re-installed different Linux distros
countless times on dual-boot systems.  It's not like this is some
esoteric task.

Step 1: Start the installation process like you normally would
Step 2: Don't let the installer do an automatic partitioning (if it has
the option)
Step 3: Choose your "old" Linux partitions and make sure they are
re-formatted before setting them for use in your "new" distro
Step 4: Continue and finish the installation process like you normally would

Any sane installer will write out a new grub (or lilo, if it's old
school) to the right sectors and you should be good to go.

The only case I can think of that would cause problems in this setup is
if you choose different locations for grub/lilo.  For instance, if you
chose the master boot sector in your "old" distro but the boot partition
in the "new" distro, then you'll likely have issues.

Now if you want to add a new distro to a system that is already
dual-boot (making it triple-boot, quad-boot, or more), then it gets into
slightly more advanced territory and you have to know your way around a
grub.conf file....

Dazed_75 wrote:
> You guys keepo saying the same thing.  Yes, most/all distros will add
> windows to the grub menu.  What not one of you has clearly stated is
> that you are talking about a reinstall rather than an original install
> of linux to dual boot with XP.  Since few, if any, of you are likely to
> have actually have done this, I will create a dual booting machine and
> then reinstall the linux to test that scenario sometime this week just
> to be sure
> 
> On 9/26/06, *keith smith* <klsmith2020 at yahoo.com
> <mailto:klsmith2020 at yahoo.com>> wrote:
> 
>     I recently installed FC5 and it added "hidden" to the grub config.
>     This cause the menu to not appear.  Commented it out and windows was
>     listed in the menu as "other".
> 
> 
> 
>     * /JT Moree <moreejt at pcxperience.com
>     <mailto:moreejt at pcxperience.com>>/* wrote:
> 
> Patrick C wrote:
>> I think it might depend on the distro (the detection I mean).
> Some can
>> add something to the list as "other," even if they don't know
> what it
>> is. Others might look for an active NTFS partition and assume
> Windows, I
>> don't know. In any case, it's way easier to add it after the
> fact. I'm
>> not sure what management tools Ubuntu uses, but in SuSe, it's
> cake. If
> 
> K/Ubuntu will add the windows bootup to the grub menu. I've not seen
> many installers that WONT add windows to the boot many.