I am about to install Ubuntu and duel boot with Windows 7. I do have experience with Ubuntu, but i have never done the following, so I am asking for a bit of advice. Originally I had XP (hda1), then installed Win7 (hda2). Now I would like to overwrite XP with Ubuntu and duel boot Ubuntu and Windows 7. My question is that on the Ubuntu install wizard it shows the boot partition as hda1. this makes sense since XP was installed first. However, if I delete hda1 and install linux will the MBR be completely overwritten by grub? The windows 7 boot menu is installed on the XP partition best i can tell, so is grub smart enough to figure out how to boot into windows 7 (hda2)? if grub does not see windows 7 and i manually add a grub entry will that be enough? any advice is appreciated.

I would not re-install anything on the MBR of disk 1, before I can boot to the non-primary OS (in casu Windows 7) from another method. This can be via USB, CD or even floppy, or install a bootloader in your BIOS. It cannot hurt to have too many bootloaders on your system, but it can hurt having none. Each disk can have one, only primary must have one, and the BIOS can have one as well. Ex. : OSL2000

Grub should be smart enough to provide you with a loader for both W7 and Ubuntu. Before you begin be sure to make a backup of any important data on the W7 system with ntbackup or other. If you have any trouble you can then fix your boot loader either using Grub or bcd. (might have to put lilo on ubuntu.) Can save all the trouble and get a Virtual machine and not worry. Playing to the angels Les Paul (1915-2009)

sudo update-grub worked for me when I installed ubuntu on a drive that already contained windows 7 & linux mint. Intially grub did not pick up the previous 2 OS's but , after I did this they were in the menu on the next boot. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto larry

"Now I would like to overwrite XP with Ubuntu and duel boot Ubuntu and Windows 7" You will loose Win7 till you repair Win7 boot loader to hda2.

Yes, but you should be aware that you can fix that problem, BEFORE you start messing with the bootloader on your main disk. Disregarding of the fact you are going to re-install the OS of the main disk, you should ALWAYS be able to boot to a disk which is not the master disk, and not passing that master disk itself. Bootloaders are just pointers to disks, and bootloaders can be on floppies, USB, CD, etc etc Any disk can break at any moment (well, not that they are fragile, but in theory it all is possible). Don't let the main disk be the only bootable disk, unless you only have 1 OS on your system of couse.

I've been dual booting with GRUB for months with no problems. I have Win 2K, PCLinuxOS, Win XP Pro, Linux Mint (Gloria) and Ubuntu 9.04 all on the same laptop (100GB drive). The only advice I was given was to install Win 2K first, then the rest in any order I want, as long as XP Pro is not last, as it will not install a Linux bootloader. You can even shrink partitions and keep what you have and install Ubuntu and your bootloader will be solved. I love Linux and you may too, if you are willing to learn. That's what's Linux is about, exercising your mind and learning, whereas Windows is a "one size fits all". The more you use Linux, one thing or the other will happen. If you love to learn and play, you'll keep it, if not, you'll dump it. It's as simple as that. Good luck with your adventure in the real computing world.