# Dual Boot question. Vista and Ubuntu



## adthrawn (May 15, 2007)

I currently have Vista installed on my comp and have been thinking about doing a dual boot after VirtualPC didn't work. Can I install Ubuntu after Vista? And how will this affect my booting up?


----------



## otzi (Nov 8, 2006)

yes you can install ubuntu after Vista .

http://apcmag.com/5046/how_to_dual_boot_vista_with_linux_vista_installed_first


----------



## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

Actually this is not an well understood topic.

In reality every Linux theoretically will dual boot a MS system, including Vista, on completion of an installation. In practice I would say 95% of the current versions do.

Many may not realise that it is the installer´s duty to search every partition in every hard disk and include it for booting if a boot loader has been found inside the partition´s boot sector.

Every MS system by default places its boot loader inside its boot sector. Therefore this will automatically picked up by the installer.

What Linux can´t do is that it may know the OS is a MS system but cannot tell the difference between a Dos, Win9x, Win2k, XP or Vista. Most installers therefore settle for the name as "Windows".

To dual with Linux it is necessary to permit a Linux boot loader to over write Vista´s MBR or the first sector of 512 bytes of the first boot disk. There is no harm in it as Vista´s MBR can be re-generated any time with a Vista installation CD.


----------



## newbie455 (May 31, 2007)

You will need to install Vista, then resize the vista partition on your hard drive and create a new partition to install ubuntu on. The partitioning can be done with the partitioning tool on the ubuntu live cd. Once you repartition and install ubuntu, you can use GRUB as the boot loader to load either windows or linux at bootup.


----------



## adthrawn (May 15, 2007)

Ah ok...Will test this out and get back to you.


----------

