How to tripple-boot Ubuntu 10.10 with Win XP / Win 7

In this tutorial,I assume that you already installedWindows XP, and thenWindows 7 .So the fact is,you need to install Ubuntu, which is a free,robust and remarkable Operating system based on Linux kernel,and you want to use same Windows 7 boot-loader to boot any of these three operating systems.

Here's a step-by-step guide to installing Ubuntu and getting it to be nice to Windows 7's bootloader.

Installing Ubuntu...

Step 1.

To install Ubuntu,you need Ubuntu bootable CD.Although you can order free CD from Ubuntu developers (which take two-three weeks to arrive..),the best way is to download Ubuntu bootable CD ISO image from ubuntu.com (http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download) and burn it to a blank CD.

Step 2.

Ubuntu need two hard disk partitions to install - root partion (This is where Ubuntu OS files installed.) and Swap partition (Ubuntu swap file create here.) To create these two partitions,first create a unformatted space about 6GB on your hard disk using win 7's "Shrink " command (Right-click desired hard disk from Win 7, and select "shrink") or use any other partition program.(You can use free MiniToolPartition Wizard Home Edition 5.2 ) Then using this unformatted space, create 5GB partition for root partition and 1GB for swap partition using MiniToolPartition wizard Home Edition.

Step 3.

The Ubuntu installation procedure uses some special terms to identify hard disc partitions.The MBR is called /dev/sda . Your first partition is treated as /dev/sda1 ; the second one will be /dev/sda2 , and it goes on like that.The root partition represent by " / ".(without quotes)

Step 4.

Insert your Ubuntu CD or DVD in the drive, and boot from it to begin setup. You can usually do this by either pressing F8/F12 to select the boot device or by changing the order of boot devices in the BIOS, depending on your motherboard manufacturer:

Step 5.

From the installation screen,select "specify partitions manually" and then select above root partition ( / ) .click forward.(You may also need to specify swap partition.) Now follow the instructions to install Ubuntu.Finally restart the computer.You will see Ubuntu bootloader,which called as "GRUB 2 "

Step 6.

When your PC reboots, you'll see Ubuntu's GRUB2 menu with a multitude of (pretty confusing) choices. You want to select the "Windows 7 (Loader)" as shown in the screen-shot, to boot back into Windows.This is annoyance, because we have to go through two- menus to get back windows.

Step 7.

So,what we really need is to get back our good old Windows 7 boot loader as soon as the computer starts,and select Windows 7, windows XP or Ubuntu from that menu.At this point,we can use another free program called EasyBCD. Google and download it.

Step 8.

Boot back into Windows 7, so we can use EasyBCD. Install the program and run it.

Step 9.

Click "Add New Entry" button.

Step 10.

select "Linux," and then select "GRUB2" from the drop-down menu. Give it a descriptive name if you so desire:(Eg."Ubuntu 10.10")

Step 11.

Go to the "Bootloader Setup" page in EasyBCD, and select "Install the Windows Vista/7 Bootloader to the MBR" then press "Write MBR":

Step 12.

Now restart PC and then select Ubuntu 10.10. GRUB 2 menu will displayed.Select first option to boot Ubuntu.

Step 13.

In the terminal, type in "sudo gedit /etc/default/grub" and enter your password. In the window that opens, change "GRUB_TIMEOUT=10" to "GRUB_TIMEOUT=0", then save and exit:

Step 14.

Back in the terminal, type in "sudo update-grub" and hit enter:

Step 15.

From now on,whenever you start your computer,you will see familiar Windows 7 bootloader !.