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How to dual-boot Fedora 14 and Windows 7

fedwin11

When in the Add New Entry tab, click on the Linux tab as shown. The two entries that we need to tweak here are in the Type and Device dropdown menus. Since Fedora 14 uses GRUB Legacy as the boot loader, select that in the Type menu. Then select the partition you installed GRUB into from the Device menu. In this example, GRUB (Legacy) was installed on the third primary partition, /dev/sda3, which is the /boot partition of the Fedora installation. With those completed, click on Add Entry, then on the Edit Menu tab to see what the new Windows boot menu looks like.

BCD1

Adding an entry

These are the entries after adding Fedora to the boot menu. Notice that Windows 7 is the default and on every reboot, the computer will boot into Windows 7 after 30 seconds has elapsed. You may want to change the Linux entry from NeoSmart Linux to Fedora 14. To do so, highlight it and click Rename.

BCD2

Windows 7 default bootloader

This is the edited boot menu, with NeoSmart Linux changed to Fedora 14, and Fedora 14 set as the default. The default boot time is 30 seconds. You may change that to a value that suits you. “Skip the boot menu” is one option you want to keep disabled. Click Save Settings and reboot the computer.

BCD3

Edited bootloader

Now every time the computer is rebooted, the Windows Boot Manager’s menu will offer the option to boot Fedora 14 or Windows 7. You may now boot into Fedora 14 and complete the second stage of the installation process.

BCD4

Windows bootloader options

Note that while this method of dual-booting Windows and a Linux distribution solves one problem, I think it creates another one. And that problem, for me at least, is that there is no option to password-protect the Windows 7 Boot Manager. It is a trade of, but one I will never have to make, because I do not use Windows.

Resources: Download a Fedora 14 installation image from here, and EasyBCD from here.

I hope this guide has been helpful. If you need further assistance, feel free to ask for help at the forum. It is a better environment for discussing and resolving issues than the commenting system. You can have quality articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader or inbox by subscribing via RSS or email.

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reza
reza
11 years ago

hi
I have install a linux fedora 13 and dual boot it with windows 7, I have receive the congratulation from linux to install it when the instalation proceces complete, but when I want to choose the linux from my OS options(linux&windows)it dose not run and the pc restart!
I have install it exactly from your help(these 4 pages).
what is the problem, and, what should I do?
with kindest regards

Naveen
Naveen
12 years ago

Sir,

This is a good tutorial… but I have a doubt… I had to install Fedora 14 and I formatted my complete PC (Windows was also removed) and used up all 320 GB for Fedora… Now, Since I have Fedora 14 installed… can I somehow install Windows 7?… Please help me…

Naveen
Naveen
Reply to  finid
12 years ago

Sir,

yes thats an alternative… but installing Fedora and setting up the complete environment for my work… Netbeans My SQL and all took a lot of time and I dont want to do it again… plz if u could suggest smthn…

Naveen
Naveen
Reply to  finid
12 years ago

hey,

Thanks for the reply… I think I wud get another disk and install win7… thats the most oblivious choice I shud make 🙂

Andrew
Andrew
12 years ago

Thanks for this usefull tutorial. I install fedora 14 on a Dell Inspiron 1520 with windows 7 and work very well. God bless you !

adithyajones
adithyajones
12 years ago

I am trying to dual boot WindowsXp and Fedora15..For that purpose I partitioned hard disk using Easeus partitioning tool.Here is the partitions from left to right-C drive-primary partition(90GB),unallocated space(11GB),D drive-logical drive(30GB),7GB-primary partition(ESIA),unallocated space-8GB..There are unallocated space of 11GB and 8GB in the system,but when I run the option “Use Free Space” it is showing as no space available..

Sumesh
Sumesh
12 years ago

Excellent article – the most helpful guide I have seen so far. I followed the instructions and was able to get the dual boot configured for Fedora 15 and windows 7.

Siva
Siva
Reply to  Sumesh
12 years ago

I’m still fighting, what kind of disk you have? Raid?

Siva
Siva
Reply to  Siva
12 years ago

Solved, read below 🙂

Siva
Siva
12 years ago

I followed your instructions but didn’t work (I just did not reviewed linux partitions, left as they were), when I boot to fedora I just see a never ending blinking cursor in the top left (but I can boot to Windows 7, of course).

Maybe because the 3rd partition (Fedora /boot with grub at the beginning) begins after 1 TB? (I think this is the reason)

Or maybe because it does not work good on a RAID 1 (2 x 2 TB)?

p1: 100 MB Windows boot
p2: 1 TB Windows C: drive
p3: 500 MB /boot
p4: Fedora LVM

TX

Siva
Siva
Reply to  finid
12 years ago

I had already tried that option 🙁
News: I booted to Fedora 14 install media rescue mode and tried to reinstall grub, this is the problem:

grub> root (hd0,2)
Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS

BIOS is updated, mb is a ASUS P8P67 EVO, problem seems to be the old 1024 cylinders limit (???)

Could it be a grub 1.x problem? And tx for your support…

Siva
Siva
Reply to  finid
12 years ago

SOLVED – well to tell the truth I had to surrend, old error = old method. As I suspected the reason was that linux boot partition started too far, I just moved it before Windows 7 partition and now it works.

– To resume –
Old situation (ERROR 18):
p1: 100 MB Windows boot
p2: 1 TB Windows C: drive
p3: 500 MB /boot
p4: Fedora LVM

New situation (OK)
p1: 100 MB Windows boot
p2: 500 MB /boot
p3: 1 TB Windows C: drive
p4: Fedora LVM

and used your method 🙂
Tx

p.s. it works with Fedora 15 too

sudeb
sudeb
12 years ago

When i try to install fedora 14 to my 34 gb free space at the time of partitioning the message show tha t”could not mount not enough disk space” , i have 320 gb sata hdd and windows7 home basic

Vinayak
12 years ago

i have 500gb hard drive
c drive 100
and d drive rest of the space(containing my data)
i want install fedora 14 by dvd.. (it is not live)
i am confusing in choosing

WHICH TYPE OF INSTALLATION WOULD YOU LIKE?

Please suggest me clearly step by step…
please i tried, i am not getting… please

Brane
Brane
12 years ago

Thanks, you helped me a lot!

Chewy
Chewy
12 years ago

This was VERY helpful. I was able to configure my PC for dual boot (into Windows or Fedora) specifically using these instructions. It worked flawlessly. Thanks.

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