How to dual boot Linux and Windows XP (Linux installed first) -- the step-by-step guide with screenshots

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James Bannan05 June 2008, 1:59 PM

How to dual-boot Windows XP and Linux. (Now updated for XP SP 3 and Ubuntu 8.04.)

Page 1 - Intro


Updated 5 June 2008 - now uses Ubuntu 8.04 as the Linux distribution.

Scenario: You want to install XP on your machine alongside your existing Linux installation on the same physical drive which already has Ubuntu 8.04 installed.

Tutorial Summary: We'll create space on the Linux partition to install Windows XP. XP bootloader is fairly clumsy when it comes to dualbooting and will overwrite GRUB completely. We'll reinstall GRUB to the MBR and configure it to dualboot both Ubuntu and XP.

This tutorial has been tested on a VMWare Workstation 6.0.3 virtual machine.

Continue to page 2: Back up the GRUB boot menu
Page 1 Intro
Page 2 Back up the GRUB boot menu
Page 3 Make space for XP
Page 4 Install Windows XP
Page 5 Restore the GRUB boot loader



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Ubuntu Tutorials:

It has been so long since I've dared install XP. I didn't realize how outdated it looks compared to the Ubuntu installer!

...just an observation.

29 February 2008, 8:30 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ks (New user):

How about a competition where the one who can bag windows the most wins? This really craps me. Just use Linux and be happy - that's enough. Or even better, use them both and use them both well. That's what I try to do, and thanks to this howto now I can do both on my new computer. I'm no expert and I was very grateful for this howto to get XP running. It's a good OS. I would even say there are things I like about it (gasp!).

If you think you can do better, do better. We'll check it out.


16 April 2008, 12:42 AM (8 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ks (New user):

...just an observation

16 April 2008, 12:55 AM (8 months ago)report abuse