Before installing Linux, I installed a multi-boot from Windows. When installing Linux, he specifically asked what to install. I said him to install Grub, and to do it in the first sector of "the" disk. I've read you better not choose MBR there. Now, installation was OK, but I still have the multi-boot I had earlier. So, no Grub. I know where Grub is, but why does "Google" tell me to install Grub NOT in the MBR ? Is it because they want you to not use it ? Or is it because you have to switch your HD in the BIOS, forcing to TRY and boot from my Linux disk (where Grub is). Thing is, if I have a multi-boot, why would I change the disk order in BIOS ? Multi-boot was invented for that, no ?

The advantage is, that you can further use your Windows Boot Manager. You simply have to add a line at the end of your boot.ini file, to add the option to start linux. Here is, how to do this. 1. Start your Linux System. You only need to start it in text mode, boot option, init 3. 2. login as user root 3. cd /tmp 4. create a file vmlinuz from the linux boot sector dd if=/dev/hdaX of=vmlinuz bs=512 count=1 5. copy the file vmlinuz to a floppy disk, usb stick or something like that, to be able, to copy it to your windows c: drive later. 6. reboot and start your windows 7. copy the file vmlinuz to your C drive to the root directory 8. open explore file manager and goto the root of drive C. Find the file BOOT.INI, rightclick to the file and change the attributes system and read only. 9. open the BOOT.INI in notepad and add the following line to the end: C:\vmlinuz="Linux System" 10. Save the file and restart your system.

Did the above, including changing boot.ini, but he is still booting like before. I soft of found how Grub is working: when I decide to boot into Linux, I get the Grub menu (if I press a key at the correct moment), and this menu allows me to boot to Linux ... or to Windows! Problem is the regular, standard MS boot manager. It actually was never ebabled, not before, not now. This is my boot.ini [boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect C:\linux="Linux"

Ok, did your Windows Boot Manager ever worked before? (Before your installed Linux.) If so, there might be a problem of another activated partition. Linux sometimes sets e.g. an extended partition to active, to boot from such partition. Check out, which partition is activated by using fdisk.

No, the Windows boot manager was never active before. I don't have partitions, I have another disk for Linux only. I can boot to Linux from Grub (duh), from OSL2000, but not from the MS boot manager. It shows me the selection, but then immediately returs to the same menu. OSL2000 is the bootmanager in the MBR of my primary disk.

In this case of using an alternative boot manager, it makes no sense to edit your boot.ini from the windows boot manager. You have to add the things described above to your alternative boot manager.

You are right, but I am experimenting with bootloaders now. At the moment, I have 3 : Grub, OSL2000 and the Windows XP bootloader. I made a mistake in the DD command above, I was extracting from /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdd1 Anyway, I'm going to start removing some bootloaders. Issue solved, but it must be said: Grub is the only bootloader you have to force being showed. If you don't press a key at the correct moment, you don't see any menu. The other bootloaders show their menu by default