Author Topic: Anyone know how to configue GRUB bootloader for Windows?  (Read 825 times)

So I downloaded a Windows 10 Disk ISO. I tried installing it to a partition on another hard drive and it worked, so I know the ISO is valid.

Second, from that other hard drive, I ran gparted and got my primary hard drive split in two, with the first partition being the one I'm using now.

What I now need to do is get that ISO onto that second partition in such a way as I can launch the windows installer and install windows on that partition.

I tried formatting the second partition as NFTS and just copying the ISO's files onto it as I had done before when testing the ISO. I then ran the update-grub command. It found a windows **7** option and a windows recovery option. When I restarted and selected either option the select screen would simply freeze for a bit. After pressing a key when it was frozen the select screen would disappear and all I saw were a bunch of randomly coloured lines that just stayed there.

I just tried running update-grub again and now there's only one entry in my grub.cfg file:

Code: [Select]
    ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
    menuentry 'Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda2)' --class windows --class os $menuentry_id_option 'osprober-chain-00C7FFBD4C4600A8' {
    insmod part_msdos
    insmod ntfs
    set root='hd0,msdos2'
    if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
      search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos2 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos2  00C7FFBD4C4600A8
    else
      search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 00C7FFBD4C4600A8
    fi
    parttool ${root} hidden-
    drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
    chainloader +1
    }
    set timeout_style=menu   
    if [ "${timeout}" = 0 ]; then
      set timeout=10
    fi
    ### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

I feel like if I set the "boot" flag for the partition I could get it to work, but then I might end up losing the ability to boot back into my primary Ubuntu partition.

tl;dr If I want to boot to a partition with a Windows 10 ISO burned to it, what should my grub.cfg entry look like?

when you use lsblk -f in a terminal, what is the UUID of 10's partition?

grub is hell by the way

EDIT:
Quote
I tried formatting the second partition as NFTS and just copying the ISO's files onto it as I had done before when testing the ISO.
what do you mean by just copying the files?
« Last Edit: February 24, 2016, 03:39:42 PM by TheBlackParrot »

UUID: 00C7FFBD4C4600A8   (Which is odd, as it is a different format from the first partition)
I labeled it "FINALLY" and its mountpoint is /media/syerjchep/FINALLY/

EDIT:what do you mean by just copying the files?
I got it to work yesterday just by formatting a NFTS partition on a second hard drive, mounting the ISO, copying the files from the virtual drive to a partition, and setting that partition as the boot partition of the new hard drive.

I don't want to use that hard drive though, as its quite old and has files I don't want to overwrite. But yeah, I literally just copied the files inside the ISO to the second partition.

Also, if it helps the ISO (and thus my second partition) look like this:
>boot
>>en-us
>>>*Many files
>>fonts
>>>*Many files
>>resources
>>>*Many files
>>bcd
>>boot.sdi
>>bootfix.bin
>>bootsect.exe
>>etfsboot.com
>>memtest.exe
>efi
>>boot
>>>bootx64.efi
>>microsoft
>>>boot
>>>>bcd
>>>>cdboot.efi
>>>>cdboot_nopromt.efi
>>>>efisys.bin
>>>>efisys_noprompt.bin
>>>>memtest.efi
>>>>fonts
>>>>>*Many files
>>>>resources
>>>>>bootres.dll
>sources
>>*Many files
>support
>>logging
>>>*Many files
>autorun.inf
>bootmgr
>bootmgr.efi
>setup.exe
« Last Edit: February 24, 2016, 03:51:32 PM by DrenDran »


I'm going to bump this one last time because I really need help.

I don't even know where to ask a question like this.

My brain when I can't understand a single thing going g on.

you discombobulate the whatchamacallits

im trying to figure out why you're copying installation media to a hard drive anyways
why not just use a USB stick or something, or hell, boot from the ISO directly. doesn't work with windows, figures.

just from seeing
What I now need to do is get that ISO onto that second partition in such a way as I can launch the windows installer and install windows on that partition.
i know it won't work even if you do get it to boot from the install ISO, considering you'd just overwrite the installation data once you start installing.

Bruh.

Are you able to load into a functional OS, aside from the fact that 10 won't boot normally?
edit: oh ubuntu damn im high

also,
uefi / legacy / more info

I have this weird feeling like, it will conflict unless Windows 10 is the main OS controlling boot, therefore get into windows ten, and make a subboot entry for the Ubuntu partition. Easy BCD and Easy UEFI are tools that may help. They may have support articles covering this.

I dual boot Windows 10 and Remix OS on a touch screen latitude.
I use UEFI, and SecureBoot depending on my situation.

I have to load into the windows ten GUI boot OS select and pick Remix OS, initiating a restart into another boot where it knows which to go to.
I have to turn secure boot off in BIOS for the option to come up at boot.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2016, 07:47:07 PM by Tokerovin »


I don't think windows is STRONG enough to play SGRUB

I think you'd be best off asking people who are qualified to answer this type of question

What's going on here
Quote from: https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/
Briefly, a boot loader is the first software program that runs when a computer starts. It is responsible for loading and transferring control to the operating system kernel software (such as the Hurd or Linux). The kernel, in turn, initializes the rest of the operating system (e.g. GNU).



I think you'd be best off asking people who are qualified to answer this type of question

grub isn't some obscure thing you know. mostly everyone who uses linux as a desktop OS uses grub



grub isn't some obscure thing you know. mostly everyone who uses linux as a desktop OS uses grub
Fairly sure you'd find many more people that are familiar with grub in a Linux support board. That would be the ideal place for this problem.

I've always really hated how bootloaders work. I've managed to totally screw up the bootloader configuration on my computer to the point where I don't want to touch it anymore now that it somehow manages to boot windows at the very least. Very early on though I had some success with GRUB by having Windows installed on my empty system, and then allowing the distro installer for Debian or whatever I was using at the time automatically configure GRUB to make boot options for Windows alongside Debian. All my attempts to do anything slightly more advanced since then have all been pretty catastrophic. Beware.