Botched linux install

[ajdroidx]

Took a 2TB drive, unplugged all but the SSD in my PC, installed linux on the new drive, partitioned it to about 300mb for linux, left 1.7tb for other stuff. Booted up the PC, was not asked which OS to load. Windows 7 booted, right after an update, gave me a strange screen. Rebooted and loaded windows 7 again. Not asking me which OS to load.

Windows only sees 300mb of the massive 2tb drive. The only file on the drive is a dat file.

What the!?

EDIT:

I got it running. I pulled the drive, stuffed it in a USB dock and set my PC to boot from USB HDD. Not ideal but better then nothing.

 

[nigsy]

Sounds like you didn't install grub.

You were lucky not to have hosed the Windows boot record - that would have left you in a world of hurt!!

Have a look here:

The definitive dual-booting guide: Windows 7, Linux, Vista and XP step-by-step

Select the page that meets your needs and you should be good to go!

 

[ajdroidx]

This is why I opted for a clean install on a clean hard drive. I think I realize my mistake with out going to that page you listed.

I opted to do a side by side install with windows, but placed Mint on the new drive, as the linux installer did not see the SSD, probably because of partition and format issues. When I did this, the bios booted off the first drive it found, the SSD. The software probably seen the SSD as more of a USB stick.

I should have just done a clean install of Linux on the drive instead of trying to install it along side of windows 7 which, was not on that particular drive.

I can either leave it as is, and boot (and select) from the USB drive, or format the drive (including the partitions and try again.

 

[nigsy]

Personally I would back up my info...reformat the drives and do clean installs of both Mint and Windows...but I am a neat freak and selecting bios options a bootup would probably freak me out!!

 

[Prinny]

Personally I would back up my info...reformat the drives and do clean installs of both Mint and Windows...but I am a neat freak and selecting bios options a bootup would probably freak me out!!

With this, you'd need to install Windows FIRST. (Or use Gparted or something to make partitions that windows will recognize...)

To me, it's easier to install Windows, take a nap while it does it, then come back and do Linux. As I can use a Live Install to make the partitions (Windows usually if its on my laptop gets only 20GB, the rest of the HDD goes to linux, since that's where I'm primarily on.)

 

[argedion]

Personally I would back up my info...reformat the drives and do clean installs of both Mint and Windows...but I am a neat freak and selecting bios options a bootup would probably freak me out!!

yeah i had to do it for a year and it freaked me out so bad that I told Winblows to take a hike I have been Winblows free ever since. Best damn decision I've made for this laptop.