Linux installed on a 2nd HD booted from 1st after the fact?

I was going to try to install Linux from scratch on a spare 3Gb HD I have. If after I succeed, could I then use GRUB on the first windows HD to boot Linux from a 100Mb Linux load partition inside the 1024 limit to the already installed Linux HD?

I'm going to unplug the 30gig HD and set the 3gig HD as master. Then after Linux is on it, I want to reset it as slave and use GRUB to boot from the 30gig and the 100Mb Linux BIOS stepping partition. I'll have over 10gigs of FAT32 secondary file storage partition at the end of the 30gig HD that can be used for shared data file storage for 98,w2k & Linux.

Maybe I'm just too chicken to risk the 30gig windows HD setup by directly installing Linux from it.

I'm counting on you Linux guys to set me straight if this is too screwy.

Audioaficionado said:

I was going to try to install Linux from scratch on a spare 3Gb HD I have. If after I succeed, could I then use GRUB on the first windows HD to boot Linux from a 100Mb Linux load partition inside the 1024 limit to the already installed Linux HD?

I'm going to unplug the 30gig HD and set the 3gig HD as master. Then after Linux is on it, I want to reset it as slave and use GRUB to boot from the 30gig and the 100Mb Linux BIOS stepping partition. I'll have over 10gigs of FAT32 secondary file storage partition at the end of the 30gig HD that can be used for shared data file storage for 98,w2k & Linux.

Maybe I'm just too chicken to risk the 30gig windows HD setup by directly installing Linux from it.

I'm counting on you Linux guys to set me straight if this is too screwy.

Click to expand...

Dude, I don't think all that is necessary, so far as the plugging and unplugging stuff. If you don't want the linux install touching the MBR of the windows drive, then don't opt for it. Just make a lilo boot floppy, and boot to linux from that. And when you get that done, you can then install GRUB to the 30GB drive's MBR.

So:
1. leave the configuration as you want it to stay - 30GB master 3GB slave
2. Install linux to the 3GB, using the boot floppy option for lilo
3. boot Linux with the boot floppy and install GRUB to the master's MBR.

I had lilo working in more my Linux config (root = /dev/hdb2), so GRUB can definitely handle it.

OR
now that I think of it... just use a floppy for when you want to use Linux and leave the MBR alone (I'd recommend a copy or two for this)

I do understand your paranoia...
Hopefully I didn't miss the point ;p

K

Doh! I forgot you can boot Linux from floppies. That's the ticket as I already have the install floppies made. Just light up the install floppies, install to hda2, get it all configured, make a couple of linux boot floppies and install grub in the hd1 mbr whenever I get the guts to gamble.