Re: My Acronis experience - dual boot, more free backup programs

[Paul Lagasse pglagasse@xxxxxxxx]

On 10/19/2013 05:16 AM, Kari Eveli wrote:
> Dual-booting has become more difficult with Win7. I would prefer not
> to dual-boot at all. Use virtualization instead. You can virtualize
> everything you need using Win7 (XP mode, or other third-party
> solutions, Linux, even DOS, etc.).
>
>
> You can dual-boot, but with the advent of Win7, using Linux GRUB,
> which worked well in a XP setup, it is more difficult. GRUB and Win7
> bootmanager do not like each other.
>
>
> There are basically two working options, either Win7 boot manager:
>
> An excellent introduction on the subject can be found here:
> http://www.optimizingpc.com/install/multiboot_bootmanager.html


This is not pertinent to a Win/Win dual boot setup, but I can clarify,
should someone decide to choose Linux at some point, some issues
relating to a Win 7/Linux dual boot setup.


On an existing Windows 7 desktop from Dell, I created partitions for
several Linux distributions and my data, then installed my
distributions. In the installation process, I chose to install Grub2 to
the partition, not the MBR. Despite what the literature tells you, and
despite the fact that the Grub setup process does complain if you do
this on the command line, Grub2 installs to the partition and works fine
in my experience (Grub1 did so too). After the first Linux distribution
(Ubuntu; originally 10.04, now 12.04) was installed, I then rebooted
into Win 7 and used EasyBCD to setup the booting of that Linux partition
from the Windows Boot Manager. All subsequent Linux distributions
(Ubuntu and Debian variants) that I installed have Grub2 installed on
the partition the distro is installed on; boot of these partitions is
controlled through the Grub menu of the first Linux partition, which
also can return you to the Windows Boot Manager directly.


It is my understanding that many folks have had little trouble
dual-booting Windows 7 and Linux using Grub (Grub2) installed to the
MBR, but I did not go that route, so I really can't speak to it.
However, based on my experience of using Grub to launch the Windows Boot
Manager (on the second partition) without rebooting, I assume Grub could
do the same thing easily enough if it were installed to the MBR
(depending on the setup).


The real hassles seem to start with Win 8 and Secure Boot.

Paul Lagasse