[SOLVED] Dual boot with 2 HDD's

[Garthhh]

Yes when I restarted open as admin is there
referring back to you post from a couple of pages ago

Windblows "expect" that are installed in the first bootable hard disk and in the first partition of that disk.
Since you have Windows installed on a separate disk (that is the 2nd disk in the boot order, in BIOS), you need to perform a "virtual swap" between hard disks.
It worked for me, some long time ago, when I had win xp in my machine.
As I can remember, in mageia's /boot/grub/menu.lst file, you need to add (as root) these lines:

title windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader (hd1,0)+1

I think it's worth trying.

EDIT
It might also work these lines, instead of the above:

title Windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot

where would I add them?
or does it matter?
ok I'm supposed to save a copy of the original 1st
& possibly substitute the revised section?

[John66]

You put each one of them at the end of the menu.lst file, in the place of the windows entry that you are having now.

Nautilus, (if I remember correctly) keeps a backup of the old menu.lst, naming it: menu.lst.old.
But, since I could always be wrong, just copy the contents of your current menu.lst file, open gedit again (you don't have to root)
paste it there, save the file (with a name of your choice, the contents are important in case you need them back), somewhere in /home.

Another option, is:
Don't even delete your current entry for windows in menu.lst.
Just add the other entries below that, all of them, so you don't have to always go to menu.lst file and change the entry for windows,
every time you can't boot. In every boot, choose another one.

So, leave an empty line from the end of your current window entry in menu.lst and paste this:

Code: Select all

title windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader (hd1,0)+1

title windows
root (hd1,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

title Windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot

title windows
root (hd1,0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Press ENTER, so there is an empty line at the end (I read somewhere that is important)

The third one, is one I found in the internet (I posted it also here in this thread). The 4th is the same with the second, I changed place between the 3rd & 4th line of it.
The solution, generally, is in one of these entries. If my memory is still OK, in my machine the 1st & 2nd worked, but it doesn't mean that the others won't for you.
I can't help more, I don't have this "alternative operating system" in my PC anymore (at the end of September, it's the first happy anniversary, without "windblows").

So in your GRUB, you will see 5 entries for windows. Check them, one in every boot, until you find -hopefully- the correct for your machine.
The you can delete the rest (now you now the way to do it).

Good Luck
John66

[Garthhh]

yes there is an
menu.lst.old
I remember from ubuntu I think the method was putting ** in front of a line kept it from being read
I have chat from a music player project somewhere that explains some gedit stuff
I have to do some real work for a few hours

[John66]

No, you put # in front of a line to keep it from being read (=make it a comment, not active).
But this is not the case here.
Do as I wrote before, and if one of the windows entries works, you can delete the other entries later,
the same way as you added them.
Well, do the job you have to do, also manage your Guayadeque problem.
Windblows can wait.

[barjac]

The boot command is never required in menu.lst - it is only used for manual booting at the grub prompt.

[Garthhh]

I added both the entries
trial & error until I found the one that worked
went to MCC
deleted the 2 entries that didn't work
booted windows up
rebooted to Mageia
checked the menu 1st file
the winning entry is

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

thanks John66

I'm getting closer to switching over to Magiea full time
down to
remote desktop
https://forums.mageia.org/en/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=729 [any suggestion would be most welcome]
sharing across my home network