Question About: Mbr And Win2003 Ent can be short yes-no :)

Hi...Right now I'm windoze free and happy Linux user, but in few months I need to install Windows becouse of study - damn - only Visual C++... so I decided to install it and take a closer look at it... I downloaded my copy of Windows 2003 Enterprise from MSDNAA (Microsoft Development Network Academic Aliance or something like that...) and burned iso to cd (of course I would install it only once then I would destroy the cd... strange rules )... I prepared place for it (10gb is I hope enougth - I have 140 but I don't want to loose too much from real OS for some toys...) so I made free space at begining of hard drive and repartition and reconfigured linux to have hda1 free, also formated it to ntfs and everything worked... Now I have free ntfs partition at begin of hard disk, working Slackware and need to ask one question to proceed:Is Windows 2003 Enterprise cleaning mbr while installing to install some of it's trash? I have lilo in mbr, so I don't want to loose it - of course the only thing would be instering disk into floppy and running lilo to get it back, but I don't like this way... If it would left mbr or if there is a way to make it not touch it it would be great...any advice would be apreciate...I'm sorry - if you are Stcky Windows user my words may hit you - but I can't change my soul...

hI Giniu,

re: your question

Is Windows 2003 Enterprise cleaning mbr while installing to install some of it's trash?

Yup!! Yes !! Si !! your lilo will most likely be "messed with"

The "accepted" setup sequence for installing a dual boot system is to install Windows XP first ...
then...
Install Linux.

You can thank B Gates

Fore more info check out "dual boot" How To's on the net. THATS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO !
Hope this helps
RGPHNX

Windows will mess up your MBR.Did you create the NTFS partiton with linux ? if so, you will need to un-do it, then re-do it again (windows uses a non standard partiton table, but dont worry, linux can use windows partiton tables too)Im speaking from experiance with windowsXP, but im sure win2003 will be similar.upon attempting to install windows to a partiton greated for it buy linux, it refused.i then selected to delete the partiton, then create a new partiton, exactly the same as the origonal linux created one.. then all worked well.unfortunatly, you will need to re-install your MBR, but this is a painlesss experiance.

Thanks... that is what I thougth it would be... :/How-to's you say you know how it is with dual-booting... you can find 100 of them, and 50 would say: "install bm to mbr!!!" and 50 others would say: "never install bm to mbr!!!" and I choose to install into mbr, but to keep all files on separate partition - so reverting lilo would be one command... the only thing...would Win2k3 be working when I would remove the "winthing mbr"? I don't want to loose time if it wont be working... :)Oh... Qwijibow... when I started to write it I didn't saw your post... wonder why :)If I created partition for Windows with Linux? yes... but only becouse I didn't want to format wrong partition while installing windows ... as I remember it see that it is ntfs? don't it? anyway - this is only to not see 10 unrecognized partitions... thanks for your answer...