Win 7 and Arch dual boot [SOLVED]

There are other help threads about this, but I didn't want to hijack somebody's elses thread. Sorry for the long post, I just want to provide as much detail as possible:
I am trying to use Grub (not Grub2) to dual boot between Arch Linux and Windows 7. I had this working before using Windows XP, but when I reinstalled Windows 7 over Windows XP, Grub would no longer boot Windows.
1. If I manually choose the hd containing Windows 7 to load first in my BIOS, Windows 7 boots no problem. If I manually choose the hd with Grub and Arch to load first in my BIOS, I get a Grub menu, which boots Arch, but not Windows 7. Ideally, I think, I would like to have the internal drive with Arch ranked first, then the internal drive with Windows second in my BIOS. At least, that's how I had been doing things before blowing away XP and installing Windows 7.
2. Here is the (abbreviated) output of sudo fdisk -l
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 206848 169934847 84864000 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb3 169935570 1953520064 891792247+ 83 Linux
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 1028159 514048+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1028160 3084479 1028160 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda3 3084480 44050229 20482875 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 44050230 488392064 222170917+ 83 Linux
3. From that, I can tell that Arch is installed on sda: sda1 = boot partition; sda2 = swap; sda3 = root partition; sda4 = home partition.
Windows 7 is installed on sdb: sdb1 = system reserved partition (created automatically by Windows 7 during install); sdb2 = Windows; sdb3 = separate ext3 partition
4. I am comfortable editing Grub menus. This is an excerpt of mine:
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/blah-blah-blah ro
initrd /kernel26.img
# (2) Windows
title Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
savedefault
makeactive
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
chainloader +1
5. The error I get is "error 15: file not found" If I change the line reading "rootnoverify" to "root", I get the same error plus the bit about "filesystem unknown, partition type 0x7" so I think I'm pointing at the right partition/drive. That is, I know that partition type 0x7 is an NTFS filesystem/Windows.
6. I messed around with the Grub entry for Windows. I modified the root line to read "rootnoverify (hd1,1)", but things still did not work. I wasn't sure if I needed to bypass the "system reserved" partition created by Windows, or not. I also flip-flopped the two map lines, so they read:
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
That did not work either. I tried these combinations together, but Windows still would not boot. Always the same error message: "filesystem unknown, partition type 0x7"
7. I think I have a mapping problem given that Arch boots fine and Windows boots fine from the BIOS. However, I'm not sure how to fix this. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Culley
Edit:
Okay, so I fixed things. I just removed a bunch of stuff from my Grub entry. Even though Windows is not on the same drive as Grub, it does not need the map sections like I thought. I also removed the savedefault and makeactive entries, not sure if that made a difference or not. My new grub entry looks like this
# (2) Windows
title Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
Last edited by CulleyS (2010-09-24 15:45:12)

This is exactly why I have chosen to use windows MBR and syslinux
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wi … oot-loader
Last edited by ackt1c (2012-10-14 02:32:55)

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OS X and Arch dual-boot on MBP - bootloader error

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When I attempt to boot into OS X, I am asked for my password to decrypt the partition, but then I get the following error message:
efiboot loaded from device: Acpi (PNP0A03,0)/Pci(1F12)/SATA(0,0)/HD(Part3.Sig698A
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boot file path: \System\Library\CoreServices\boot.efi
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Error loading kernel cache (0x6)
Error: Aborted returned from boot.efi
*Hit any key to continue*
Starting boot.efi
Using load options ''
efiboot loaded from device: Acpi (PNP0A03,0)/Pci(1F12)/SATA(0,0)/HD(Part3.Sig698A
48BA-88E6-471C-9359-AD63C7EEBE74
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*Hit any key to continue*
When I hit a key, I get taken back to the refind menu. If I choose OS X again, I get the same error. This cycle can be repeated ad nauseam. Booting into my Arch partition, on the other hand, works just fine, with one hiccup. While usability does not seem to be reduced, after I input my password to decrypt the Arch partition, and before I see the tty1 login, I (since Sunday) occasionally get the following error message that I have never had before:
19.636262] [drm:crypt_set_fifo_underrun_reporting] *ERROR* uncleared pch fifo underrun on pch transcoder
19.636264] [drm:crypt_serr_int_handler] *ERROR* PCH transcoder A FIFO underrun
19.331860] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x50 SAct 0x1100 SErr 0x280900 action 0x6 frozen
19.331927] ata1.00: irq_stat 0x08000000, interface fatal error
19.331974] ata1: SError: {UnrecovData HostInt 10B8B BadCRC }
19.332821] ata1.00: failed command: READ FPDMA QUEUED
19.332866] ata1.00: cmd 60/00:40:70:c1:01/01:00:24:00:00/40 tag 8 ncq 131072 in
19.332866] res 40/00:60:b0:55:2a/00:00:24:00:00/40 Emask 0x50 (ATA bus error)
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The "READ FPDMA QUEUED" line and those below it repeat a few time with different numbers following "cmd" and "res," but then after a few moments the messages clear off the screen and I arrive at my tty1 login screen and from there everything in Arch (including my now-upgraded DE) works normally. This error does not occur during all boots, but I cannot discern any pattern behind when I see it and when I do not. The OS X error and failure to boot occurs every time I try to boot into OS X.
I have learned a lot as an Arch user, but this problem is beyond me. Google has not been particularly friendly, understandably so given the peculiarity of the problem and my setup. I have not yet tried undoing the update I did on Sunday because (a) it would be a pain since there were >30 packages that were upgraded, and (b) I have no evidence that the upgrade was actually causative of this issue, though I may eventually attempt the downgrade out of desperation if I cannot find a solution. Note that the update I keep referencing did not including a kernel update.
I appreciate any advice or insight that you can offer.

I don't have much in the way of a solution for your problem, but to start with, what were the > 30 packages? In particular, was grub/refind updated (or anything else that would likely touch your efi partition? I know from my own messing with refind, that you can potentially 'damage' your partition layout with certain commands which maybe causing osx not to boot...
Then again, the errors may have nothing to do with your arch installation and maybe indicative of a different problem all together. Normal procedure is at this point is to backup your complete disk (clone/mirror it, read up on how to do that especially with regards to the encryption systems used), and try to diagnose for any problems the mbp maybe having.
You could use an apple rescue cd (that may no longer be available with newer mbp , I have no idea..) or maybe use a different harddisk and install osx there and see if you can get everything running 'normally' thus ruling out any funky errors with the hw. check apple's recovery options if need be.
I guess you'll just have to fiddle about a bit and try to more closely determine what the actual problem is. and again, backup your stuff!

[Solved] Windows 7 and Arch Dual boot- unable to boot into Windows7

Had to reformat computer and reinstall windows and Arch on two separate hard drives (Dual boot) .
Windows 7 was the first install on SDA: (/dev/sda1 - system reserved 100mb, /dev/sda2 - 20gb)
Arch on SDB: (/dev/sdb1- boot 94mb, /dev/sdb2- swap, /dev/sdb3 - root, /dev/sdb4 - /home)
Installed grub2 on /dev/sda. now grub bootloader loads Arch fine. Also shows Windows 7 (on /dev/sda1).
But when chosen Windows 7, it does not load and loops back again to boot loader screen.
In BIOS i have set disk drive SDB as first boot option.
If i choose SDA as first boot option in BIOS, same scenario is repeated.
I have gone through mostly all the pages related to the topic but i can not co-relate the solution
to my exact situation due to limited knowledge.
Can somebody pls help me as to how to edit grub.cfg so as to point it to load windows 7?
the entry related to windows 7 reads as follows:-
quote
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry 'Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)' --class windows --class os $menue$
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='hd0,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1 --hint$
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root F010D97410D941F0
fi
chainloader +1
unquote
for Arch set root value is hd1,msdos1 and working fine.
Thanks and regards.
Last edited by commsanjay (2012-10-14 08:08:54)

This is exactly why I have chosen to use windows MBR and syslinux
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wi … oot-loader
Last edited by ackt1c (2012-10-14 02:32:55)

Question about the "Windows and Arch Dual Boot" wiki

I've been reading this wiki http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Win … _Dual_Boot to get a better understanding of what I need to do to install Arch along side of my XP installation and there's one point that I don't understand. Here it is
It is important to note that there is a 1024 cylinder limit with some older BIOSs. This means that the BIOS cannot access things beyond the 1024th cylinder (about 8.5GB), so the /boot partition should be in the first 8.5GB (space before Windows partition).
How does one go about getting the /boot partition created during the installation of Arch to install in the first 8.5g? I have installed Arch in Virtualbox twice so far just so that I'm familiar with the procedure and I can't see anything in the installation where I can do this.
There's one other item that is not clear to me as I've seen conflicting information on it. If I do create a seperate "/boot" partition for Arch, do I need to make it "bootable"during the installation? At this point I don't think that I do.
My understanding of installing to be able to dual boot is that I only need to install Grub to "Sda" and of course edit the grub menu to add the information needed for XP. Is this enough?
Thanks for any help.

Yes, you install grub to sda (master boot record), and add the entry for Windows. In the step where you partition the harddrive, you can choose where to create it. Actually it may not be that much of a problem anymore, my boot is on the third partition, after ~15 GB. You can forget about the bootable flag when using grub, it does not care.

Help - How to install Win XP in dual boot with Win 7 (first installed)?

Hi everybody!
I'm having some difficult in install a win xp in dual boot with win 7 (which came with the G550 notebook).
I modified the D: (Lenovo) partition to a primary partition to install the XP. Also I installed the EasyBCD to manange the boots and both S.O. load fine.
The problem is that Win XP is seeing a partition (the first partition on disk) with 200MB that is hidden for Win 7 ! So this partition takes the C: letter in XP and mess all the configuration once that many programs uses the C: as a default letter.
The disk is divided in (aprox):
200 MB hidden partition (from factory)
160GB with Win 7 installed
40GB with Win XP installed
19GB hidden partition (Recovery - from factory)
Is anyone has some idea who to solve this problem or make install XP from the beginning without problems?
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jay4baps wrote:
Are you sure VMWare Fusion 6 is Launched??? give me link then i download it...
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Win XP (in dual boot) is seeing a hidden partition

Hi everybody!
I'm having some difficult in install a win xp in dual boot with win 7 (which came with the G550 notebook).
I modified the D: (Lenovo) partition to a primary partition to install the XP. Also I installed the EasyBCD to manage the boots and both S.O. load fine.
The problem is that Win XP is seeing a boot partition (the first partition on disk) with 200MB that is hidden for Win 7 ! So this partition takes the C: letter in XP and mess all the configuration once that many programs uses the C: as a default letter.
The disk is divided in (approx):
200 MB hidden partition (from factory)
160GB with Win 7 installed
40GB with Win XP installed
19GB hidden partition (Recovery - from factory)
Someone has any idea who to solve this problem or to do a XP installation from the beginning without problems?
Thanks a lot!

first of all, i'm not sure windows xp works on your system.
secondly, you need to install previous operation system before. you can not install xp on windows 7 or vista.
if you do that, you may need to change boot volume or make changes on volumes. but one key recover will stop working.
so, i suggest you not.

ATI display driver lost with Linux and XP dual boot os

I brought ThinkPad W500 with windows vista. I want to get rid of the hidden boot system reserved partition and downgrade to windows xp and install OpenSuse os. Following some sourses found on the web, I first set the bios sata ahci mode to compatable mode. Then install windows xp and update the sata driver. Restart and reset the bios sata back to ahci mode. It works fine with windows xp and I install back all driver. Finally I install OpenSuse and create dual boot with Grub.
But a serious problem come up with me. Everytime after restart from the linux os and back to windows xp, xp doesn't regonize the ATI display divice and tell me no driver installed with low screen resolution. And I have to restart the machine and boot direct into xp for the second time and the problem gone. But it is so annoying of doing this everytime. Anyone can help? Many thanks.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi stanleyimko,
I don't have an answer, just a couple of questions:
Does your W500 have switchable graphics? If so, you may have to turn off "let the OS detect" or permanently select one or the other in BIOS. XP isn't switchable aware, so I don't know why that would make a difference.
Do you see the problem on cold (re) boot to XP, or only on warm reboot from Linux to XP?
Seems like something is leaving your BIOS in an odd state (I guess that's obvious) and maybe a cold reboot would sort it.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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Partitioning Hard drive ubuntu arch dual boot

Hello I am running on Ubuntu 11.10, and I'd like to try out Arch Linux. I'm pretty much a complete beginner, and would like to know exactly how to manually configure my hard disc partitions to allow for a ubuntu/arch dual boot.
I have read the beginner's guide and have tried searching for existing documentation on how to configure the partitions. I have not been able to find anything helpful and I apologise if there are already clear instructions aimed at beginners floating around. In this case, could someone point out this documentation to me?
Thank you
Last edited by Goatfluff (2012-01-14 03:28:42)

Hi there and welcome to arch.
First off, Google offers a plethora of information as to how to go about it.
Our wiki has also quite a few hints.
Just have a browse around. There's plenty of info out there.

Uninstall Linux and Grub dual boot from Win7 HP dm4..

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When I reboot with the recovery disk there is no choice for Startup Repair.
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Blue Jacket

Hello bluecape. I understand you'd like to uninstall Grub/Linux. Is your recovery disc a Windows Recovery disc or the HP System Recovery disc?
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Boot the notebook with your Recovery Disc.
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Select your Windows version once the dialog box populates.
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I hope this is helpful. If you have further questions just let me know. Have a great day!
Please click the white star under my name to give me Kudos as a way to say "Thanks!"
Click the "Accept as Solution" button if I resolve your issue.

[SOLVED]New Win 7 + Arch Dual on UEFI and GPT SSD

Sorry for asking this question but i am very confused by reading the wiki. But i don't know what exactly i have to do.
There are alternatives for using GRUB2 and UEFI's booting capabilities. Which one should i choose? If i choose GRUB2, i don't need to create a seperate partition for GRUB2? I can install Windows 7 and Arch directly on their own partition without any steps?
And if i choose UEFI way, the wiki says you have to create a partition => 400 MiB. Should i create this for Windows 7 too? Two seperate 400 MiB partitions or one 800 MiB partition?
I will install Windows 7 first.
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My SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB
Last edited by Paingiver (2012-03-13 19:19:49)

@Paingiver: That 400 MB EF00 FAT32 partition is a requirement of UEFI (UEFI System Partition), not of GRUB2 or Windows itself. Any UEFI system requires it. The UEFI bootloaders of both Archlinux (GRUB2) and Windows (bootmgfw.efi) are installed to this FAT32 partition, but they won't overwrite each other. Do not confuse UEFISYS partition with /boot partition where bios bootloaders and the kernel and initramfs files are stored.
You can have a single rootfs partition (i.e. no separate /boot partition) as that is not related to UEFISYS. UEFISYS partition is required for any UEFI system.

Downgrade HP ENVY 15-u010dx to win 7, or duala boot win 7 and wind 8

i have brand new HP ENVY 15-u010dx with windows 8.1 installed.
Because of my needs (worrk related) i need win 7 installed.
Is it possible to install win 7 dual boot with win 8.1 ?
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Hello @bigheadx,
I understand that your notebook computer takes a long time to reach the Windows log in screen after you power it on, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!
To ensure there are no background programs or services that are slowing the booting process of your operating system, I recommend following the steps in this document on Windows 8 Safe Mode. I also suggest following this resource on Resolving slow system performance (Windows 8) to increase the speed and efficiency of your operating system.
Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!
Regards
MechPilot
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[SOLVED] Mac OS X/Arch dual boot Missing Operating System GRUB problem

I am attempting to dual boot Mac OS X.5 and Arch on my "unibody" macbook pro.
I am getting the "Missing Operating System" error over and over. I have followed the Macbook install guide in the wiki and the Beginners install guide. I've also read all the threads I could find on the subject. The common fix seems to be changing the root path on the grub menu.lst... I've tried that. twice. with no luck.
I have EFI on sda1, Mac OS X on sda2 and Arch root on sda3.
My menu.lst is pretty much standard with
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda3 ro
for both Arch and the Arcch fallback.
I'm not sure what else to try. I can give more information, but I'm not sure what else to give.
Thanks in advance .
Last edited by Weird Fishes (2009-06-14 15:34:31)

I know exactly what the problem is.
If you're using rEFIt, sync your partition tables (should be the menu item called 'Partitioning Tool'). The problem is that GRUB has been installed, but doesn't know where to find the Arch partition.
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N.B. You will need to do a partition table sync every time you change your hard drive's layout.

Win XP / 7 dual boot activation problem...

Here's the scene:
1/ Have Xp installed and CS4 running fine... (used to have CS3 as well but there was a mobo problem and CS3 now gives an activation error message. Too much of a hassle to reformat and reinstall... yada, yada, yada.)
2/ Just installed Win 7 to test as a dual boot option and installed CS4 fresh. PS and AI both give me a "Licensing for the product has expired" message with no options. There are no other activations, meaning no alternative on another system or laptop, etc.
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Kz
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Prhaps this will help
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Logical Partition Only? Windows Arch Dual Boot

ASUS Eee PC
I want to dual boot for the present time and my hard drive is currently partitioned as:
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Hidden - Fat32 - Primary partition - 15 GB
Unknown - Other - Primary partition - 20 MB
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There's also usually an option to make a set of recovery disks. I think I had a 12GB recovery partition and the "set" of discs was going to be 21CDs but it would free up that space and a primary partition.

Recommended partition layout for Ubuntu/Arch dual boot?

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Right now, my plan is to have three logical partitions - one for Xubuntu, one for Arch, and one that contains the common and swap partitions. So, I'm asking (A) are there any better ideas for partitioning, (B) does Arch still need a /boot partition, and (C) how should I handle the bootloader situation? (i.e. should I install Xubuntu's to the MBR and have it chainload to Arch's on a separate partition, or what?)
*The reason I'm not using a common /home partition is because my config files and the like will probably be different between the two OSes.

A) Probably -- partitioning is always a relative subject
B) no...and it never did
C) Whatever you prefer.
Basic tips :
Having a separate /home helps in re-installing(if you ever have to) and it saves your config files.
Having a separate /var allows you to put a different filesystem on it which may be more suitable to the type of files in /var
You can use a separate /boot, if you are going to use the same /boot for both Xubuntu and Arch. That way 1 partition handles both. If not, I think there is no need to create a separate partition. If you do create one and plan to use it for Xubuntu and Arch, make sure that you install a filesystem that is acceptable to both distros. For eg. Arch grub is patched so it can read from ext4. I do not know if Xubuntu's grub is patched or not.
Last edited by Inxsible (2010-06-24 03:55:20)

Win 7 and Arch dual boot [SOLVED]

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