OpenSuse DualBoot

[Alboguy]

Hi!
I've downloaded OpenSuse and I'm planing to install it. I have Win 7 pre-installed. Can you dual boot OpenSuse with Win 7?

[hellnoire]

You can, but I think you'll have to manually configure your GRUB file. I don't think it automatically sees Windows 7.

I've noticed that a lot of GRUB Legacy operating systems can't always detect Windows 7. You can try, and report back. If you can't see Windows 7 in GRUB (or it might be LILO), let me know, I'll walk you though the configuration of GRUB so you can boot both of them.

[Alboguy]

Well...It's the latest OpenSuse (11.2) actually & I think (according to what u just said) the GRUB file might be able to detect Windows automatically...Anyways I'll let you know what happens and thanks for offering me help bro...

[hellnoire]

GRUB Legacy (that is, when it's not 1.99 beta or something like that) doesn't always detect it. Ubuntu's is the newest, hence why it detects it.

[kv777]

Any other distro other than ubuntu derivatives detects windows?

[hellnoire]

Most of them do. Windows 7 is tricky, because it's the newest one on the block.

[brayden]

Yeah but Hellnoire, windows 7 uses basically the exact same bootloader as vista, so it shouldn't technically have any problems. On my old GRUB config from when i had vista it used basically all the same info that was used to boot vista and worked fine on windows 7.

[hellnoire]

Pretty much the same... but I've still have some issues in the past.

It's not to say that there's any flawless solution, just more as a general warning. SilTaz is a prime example of it.. it uses Grub and it doesn't detect 7 but apparently detects Vista.

[kv777]

if the windows dissappears from bootloader how should i get back windows and to restore windows bootloader.

[hellnoire]

If Windows disappears from the bootloader?

Don't you mean if it's not detected? Depends on what Linux OS you're using is how I can give you a solution. I need to know which version of GRUB or LILO it uses.

However, to restore the Windows boot loader, here's the how-to for XP and Vista, and here's the how-to for 7.