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yes, i still have an XP partition
So. I have a Windows XP partition on my digital audio workstation. It exists to run two things: imgcopy and lightscribe. The machine spends 98% of its time in Ubuntu – but XP support is ending, and 0% is about to be the right amount of time.
However, received wisdom (and every other time I’ve done this) says you have to install Windows first, in a dual-boot configuration, then install clean Linux. A fresh install of Linux is unacceptable, because of reasons. Good reasons, not bullshit/ph33r reasons. Don’t argue with me about that; if you want to, you are wrong.
Now, if I have to, I can just yank the network drivers, not even turn on the external network card YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT EXTERNAL NETWORK CARD AGAIN REASONS and keep running XP, but wow, do I not want to do that. I’d like to turn this into a gaming machine as well – it has l33t specs in many ways, and with graphics card upgrades, could be a tiny goddess.
So. First: is there a way to keep my Linux partitions and still end up with a dual-boot machine? I know I can’t upgrade WinXP in place, but I have enough room in the current XP partitions for Windows 8.1, if the spec sheet isn’t lying. I don’t mind wiping the XP partitions, If there’s a way to accomplish this, that would be awesome; how, specifically, do I do it, and if you’re proposing a method, have you done it?
Keep in mind that given that the supposed XP-and-Vista binary to check your machine for Windows 8 compatibility failed to run because it doesn’t support XP, my confidence in my former employer is not high right now.
Second: Failing that, and I think we can assume failure there, are there reasons of which I’m unaware which would make it insane to install Windows 8 to a USB drive and just boot off that when I need to run Windows? Preferably a flash drive? Obviously I’m not an Enterprise Customer ™ so I don’t have Windows To Go, so only have Windows 8.1 Pro, but does it really matter since I’d be only using it on one computer ever?
Or, again, is that crazytalk? I don’t have USB 3.0, so this might be crazytalk, and honestly, I’d prefer a regular non-USB-drive install. But as a workaround, this would be fine. I’d have a Windows partition on the drive and use that for swap and My Documents and and and.
If neither of these are options, but you have another option that does not involve reinstalling Linux, I’m all ears. Maybe some sort of VM solution, I could see that. Please, tell me. Because right now I’m looking at lol winxp 4eva, or, more accurately, winxp until it decides it really wants to register again and can’t because it has no network, and tells me to DIAF.
I’d rather avoid that outcome. Because reasons.
Anybody?
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If you want to live dangerously, wipe your NTFS partition and install Windows on it. It *should* ignore the rest of the drive. You'll have to re-install your Linux boot loader from a rescue disk.
Alternatively, the safe thing would be to copy your Linux install to an external drive, install Windows, and copy Linux back.
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There are about a billion things calling themselves rescue discs for Linux; is there a way to make a proper rescue disc within Ubuntu? (I'm running 12.04 LTS.)
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I haven't had any problems sharing a drive with Windows 7, but it's true that 8 is different. You'd probably be better off installing 8 on a virtual machine. It would also be easier to back up/uninstall/move around.
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Maybe if VirtualBox lets you go full-screen... that seems kind of intuitive that it should... and if it will let the VM have direct access to a partition to run off, rather than a virtual drive... that could work... I'll have to study the docs.
Couple questions
2) I'm making the rash assumption this is a BIOS system, and not UEFI, since you mention XP. Correct me if I'm mistaken.
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Something going wrong is where the problem is, obviously.
This will require a live or install CD/usb drive for ubuntu. (No, you are not actually reinstalling Ubuntu. Or, well, you might, but not destroying the old install in the process.)
Also, I would suggest creating an image of the license partition and store it on the NTFS or EXT4 archive partition, as a just in case measure.
Basically, boot the Win8 install, nuke the existing XP partition, tell it to create new part there and install to it. reboot through first-run (because, seriously, do not fuck with first-run unless you have 37 virgin dragons to sacrifice, it will only cause headaches), and shut down. Boot from the live/install device, and try this: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair . Don't even bother with any of the options, just try the recommended repair. If you need to touch the options, there are easier ways to do it. That SHOULD do it, you should be golden, and done.
If it doesn't, the easiest thing to do would be nuke the above-noted license partition, and convince ubu to do a BARE MINIMUM INSTALL onto that partition. In the process, the installer will probe for other installed OSen, and fix the bootloader into something workable. Once you got back into the good ubu install, you could nuke that temporary install, and I think all would be gravy.
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*headdesk*
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Boot-Repair-Disk seems to still exist, I'm downloading the ISO now to make a disc, while the image of my current existing drive is running (...finally...).
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Boot-Repair-Disk cannot startx on my system. It segfaults. Ain't life grand?
I should try booting the 10.04 LTS disk (12.04 LTS live also cannot startx on my system, and doesn't have the good graces to give me a character window) and see if I can mount boot-repair-disk and run it that way. Does that sound insane or reasonable?
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Don't bother trying to mount the BRD, the tools you need should already be on the live cd.
I am 80% sure if you boot into live, open a terminal, and run "sudo grub-install /dev/XXX" where XXX is your hard drive's physical device, probably 'sda'. You can be sure of that by running "sudo fdisk -l" and making sure the partitions look right for sda. Yes, you just want "sda", not the number after it for grub-install. If that doesn't work, well.. I'll post this and start writing that bit..
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(It is sda, and I understand the difference between device and partition, so.)
(Note that I haven't started installing Windows yet. I've been testing all the tools to see if they'll even run, first. So far, the answer has been _no_. But grub-install is present on the 10.04 lts live CD so _that_ works.)
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Slightly Longer And More Complete Answer: basically what you need to do is replace the MS master boatloader with the grub one, which is generally easiest to accomplish by forcing grub to (re-)install itself. That is seriously _THE_ thing. In theory, grub-install should scan what's on the system and populate the configs appropriately.
(Understood; is kneejerk, even in my technotes-to-self.)
(And THIS is why you're a supervillan: You THINK beforehand!)
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WAIT I THINK I FOUND IT
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Also, I have to say, 8.1 is still random and weird in UI design, but it treats dual monitors really well. I think dev team had more to say in that. I'm all like "okay tiles on this one, desktop what actually does shit on this one. I can work with that."
(You can also make them both tiles or both desktop.)
Thank you for all the many pointers and help!
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Just sorry RE: false starts and brain not working because of drugs.
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In your shoes there's a few things I'd consider
Add another hard drive, and switch OSes from the bios - this cuts out most of the pain, except on the wallet. This is what I do at the moment, for reasons. Linux sits on its own little drive (40gb, got it for a tenner, new old stock, and it probably fell off the back of a truck)
Install windows 8 *over* windows XP's partition. This will, if you do it correctly, will simply let windows walk over grub with its muddy boots - you can then set up a chainload with unetbootin. I would back up first in case something horrid goes wrong. Its messy but doable
And... you *can* set up windows 8 on a USB drive with professional - http://superuser.com/questions/490362/is-there-an-equivalent-to-windows-to-go-for-personal-use its hacky as hell though.
Its currently deadish, but there was also a tool that would change a running install into a livecd installer - remastersys. The creator ragequit the internet, but system imager is supposed to be a fork coming anytime soon - that would let you create an image of your current install with everything as you like it and install or live-boot it anywhere.
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I wonder if I can get eSata set up, because I don't have USB 3 on this machine. I bought a card full of dedicated USB 2 root devices for best audio device throughput - each port is a dedicated root device - but have no USB 3 ports. Since USB is the weak link in the realtime chain (as in, I've disabled the motherboard USB even) I'd definitely be better off going to eSata.
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