Is it possible to install WINDOWS 2000 after a linux installation for dual boot?

[Rubben23]

Hello,

I have currently installed Linux Mandrake 9.0 (default installation) , and would like to have my WINDOWS 2000 or WINDOWS 98 OS back for games and internet (cause my network card isnt recognised in Linux Mandrake)

How should i do this?

Is it easier for me to install win98 than win2000 ? or is the procedure the same for both?

Shoul i Just insert windows cd in cdrom and start installing , hoping that it wont mess around with my linux system?

I have following partitions: / ; /home, swap, /usr, and /boot (around 4 giga total used for linux)
I also have a fat32 partition of around 12 gigabytes, where i left all my previous programs and mp3s before i instaleld linux. This parition still exists and i can access it via mount in Mandrake 9.0.

I would like to install this windows 2000 on this fat32 partition, but my concern is, will this work? Will i be able to boot to it, like a dual boot system?

Brecht

 

[TheOmegaCode]

It will probably work, but you need to address the problem at hand, the internet connection. How do you connect to the internet, dial-up or broadband? Has either your modem/nic been detected and configured?

 

[Rubben23]

I know what you mean...why install windows 2000 just because i cant set up internet under linux?


Well, because i cant...I have a special on board LAN controller (Broadcom 440 chip on my Asus A7V8 motherboard) for which i have no linux drivers . I searched everywhere but there are simply no drivers yet.

So i cant use my onboard LAN in linux to connect to my dads computer which has ADSL connection to the internet. I tried to load some generic Ne2000 drivers...but autoprobe didnt detect them....


So thats why i need to install windows 2000..and i like to play some games as well...

So how do i go for it? I mean do i have to install windows 2000 from cdrom? I guess than NTFS partition will destroy the ext3 file system from Linux Mandrake?


Please some help and ideas?
Maybe some hints how to fix the onboard lan? But i do like to have a dual system....just for the transition to linux...

 

[manly]

For games, that's very understandable. For network access, I would just buy and install a $10 NIC & disable the onboard NIC.

I think it's possible to install W2K after Linux. You either need free unpartitioned space on your hard drive, or you could install to a separate drive. W2K will not wipe out your existing partitions unless you instruct it to do so. The only catch would be that W2K *will* install it's own boot loader, overwriting the MBR. So you should understand dual-boot MBR configurations, and plan accordingly (i.e. make a boot disk or pre-prep the boot loader to integrate with NT Boot Loader).

 

[Rubben23]

Okay thanks, i might buy one extra nic card later this month...

Anyone else who has first hand experience of installing windows 2000 on a linux system for dual boot?

 

[bmacd]

i've done it both ways now: installing win2k after linux and installing linux after win2k. Have boot disks ready for both OSes so that you can restore the boot loader. Other than that, it's pretty straight forward after you set the partitions. It's going to be easiest with a second hard drive, btw.

-=bmacd=-

 

[SearchMaster]

You can also boot into Linux using the Windows 2000 boot loader.

See here. I've done it before to have a tri-boot system (Linux, Win98, and Win2K).

 

[AkumaBao]

I've never succeded in installing Win after Linux, but I never really tried either. All I know is that Win hates other OS'es being on a machine b4 it. Why bother really? If you need to play games, go get WineX. They have an RPM of it, and very, very easy to use.