[Solved] How to install windows beside mageia "easily"

[Spinnifex]

Hello

My experience from past tells me that it works if I first install windows and then install linux because grub automatically recognize windows.
Now I have mageia already installed. How should I proceed?

So my setup of disks looks

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sda : mageia
sdb: windows


Regards

Spinnifex

[JoesCat]

to avoid issues, I would clonezilla or dd sda, then pull-out sda == {your mageia drive} and park it aside.
then make microsoft windows as sda, install it, ensure it runs.
add mageia drive as sdb.
You will need to reinstall grub on sda using an install disk or a live distro.
You'll probably be fighting with UEFI as well to get it working right.

The main point is, try to make windows as sda to avoid problems, because mageia will easily live on sdb.

[benmc]

to expand on JoesCat reply.

it would be helpful to provide make and model of your machine.

be sure both are installed in the same mode (UEFI or bios MBR),
check the drive partitioning with say Gparted or diskdrake, to determine where, if installed in UEFI mode, the /boot/efi partition resides.
you can have more than one in a machine, however, the booted system boot/efi partition is the only active one.
if the Mageia drive has one (if the system is booted in UEFI mode) all well and good.
if there is none on any drive, that means the system was installed in bios MBR.
remove the windows drive and check to see that the system still boots to Mageia.
if all good, then as JoesCat suggest, remove the Mageia drive and refit the windows drive
now install windows. reboot and be sure all is working ok ( wifi, video card etc)
refit Mageia drive.
see if system boots to windows or Mageia.
if Windows, reboot and enter into the bios. change the drive boot order and reboot.
it should now boot into Mageia. if so, run as root

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update-grub2

this will add the Windows entry to your grub boot menu

[Spinnifex]

Hello JoesCat and benmc

Thank you for your advice.
I will try this and tell you if I stuck.
Currently on

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sda

my old fedora disk reside. So i will format this disk and
install windows on.
Later I try to boot from

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sdb

where mageia reside.
and run

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update-grub2


I hope for best result.

Thanks much
Spinnifex

[Spinnifex]

Hello

I have installed windows via UEFI. Then two boot options appear in BIOS.
When I choose mageia I get no windows entry.
I run

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update-grub2


Nothing changed.

After delving through the very good doc of Grub2-efi I tried
grub-customizer which did not do anything. Even modifing existing entries failed when try to write them to disk.
Later I remembered that there is a boot menu tool in the mcc.
There I checked "probe foreign os".

Then I get the windows entry.

So the important point was to add this option.

best regards
Spinnifex

[ictiosis]

I run

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update-grub2


Nothing changed.

For another time you can also try:

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# os-prober

and later

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# grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

reboot.