How do I switch operating systems?

[Fasauceome]

I'm dual booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu on my server project, I can't access partitions from the BIOS because it's too rudimentary. Is there software that allows me to swap from Windows to any other OS installed?

[Enderman]

So, you see, this thing called the 'OS', it runs the software.

Maybe think about how you will run software when there is no OS running during a switchover.

 

Using virtual machines is the closest you'll get.

[Fasauceome]

2 minutes ago, Enderman said:

So, you see, this thing called the 'OS', it runs the software.

Maybe think about how you will run software when there is no OS running during a switchover.

Ubuntu has an OS choosing feature on startup, software can be used to select an operating system. If my PC decided Ubuntu was a good default OS instead of windows, I wouldn't have this issue.

 

I read a post on an old forum that mentioned software called "OSS" but I can't find that program.

[Enderman]

3 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Ubuntu has an OS choosing feature on startup, software can be used to select an operating system. If my PC decided Ubuntu was a good default OS instead of windows, I wouldn't have this issue.

 

I read a post on an old forum that mentioned software called "OSS" but I can't find that program.

A 'system' cannot 'operate' without an 'operating system'.

 

Choosing an OS at startup is not the same thing as just switching from one OS to another.

This 'os choosing feature' is not software.

[Fasauceome]

9 minutes ago, Enderman said:

A 'system' cannot 'operate' without an 'operating system'.

 

Choosing an OS at startup is not the same thing as just switching from one OS to another.

This 'os choosing feature' is not software.

Gonna need a second opinion on that one.

[badreg]

25 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Ubuntu has an OS choosing feature on startup

Can you elaborate on this? Are you talking about GRUB? If so, this is not the OS. GRUB is a bootloader, like Windows Boot Manager.

[Electronics Wizardy]

54 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

I'm dual booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu on my server project, I can't access partitions from the BIOS because it's too rudimentary. Is there software that allows me to swap from Windows to any other OS installed?

You can do it with the impi if your board has that. You can remote access to the bios basically.

[Fasauceome]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

You can do it with the impi if your board has that. You can remote access to the bios basically.

The motherboard is so basic, I doubt I'd be able to do that.

 

3 minutes ago, badreg said:

Can you elaborate on this? Are you talking about GRUB? If so, this is not the OS. GRUB is a boot manager, like Windows Boot Manager.

This may be it then.

[Windows7ge]

So if I'm understanding you correctly you want a way to choose which OS loads upon startup? That's a piece of software that's pre-included in both OSs. Linux (or maybe just Ubuntu) calls it Grub. Windows calls it (I believe) the Boot Loader.

 

If the system just just booting into windows without giving you a Linux option you should be able to go into the menu (that I've forgotten what it's called so I'm being incredibly helpful aren't I) and set it to boot to the Linux partition. Restart the system and you'll be greeted by Grub which will continue to Linux automatically or let you chose the partition Windows is on.

[Fasauceome]

2 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

If the system just just booting into windows without giving you a Linux option you should be able to go into the menu (that I've forgotten what it's called so I'm being incredibly helpful aren't I) and set it to boot to the Linux partition. Restart the system and you'll be greeted by Grub which will continue to Linux automatically or let you chose the partition Windows is on.

I'd have to know how to access the boot loader, but that's easier to look for than a program that switches operating systems.

[Electronics Wizardy]

8 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

I'd have to know how to access the boot loader, but that's easier to look for than a program that switches operating systems.

I mean you could edit grub or windows boot manager default options in the os, but just picking the option at boot is a lot easier.

[Windows7ge]

1 minute ago, fasauceome said:

I'd have to know how to access the boot loader, but that's easier to look for than a program that switches operating systems.

Is your goal just to be able to switch between the OS's at boot? There's no need to get into the boot loader. Just tell it from within windows. There's a menu option that I can't remember the name. "System"...something. It has a tab labeled boot which let's you pick the default partition (or volume) to load on startup.

 

You can enable the boot loader menu so instead of grub you boot to windows by default but receive the option to go to grub before you reach the desktop.

[Fasauceome]

2 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

Just tell it from within windows. There's a menu option that I can't remember the name. "System"...something. It has a tab labeled boot which let's you pick the default partition (or volume) to load on startup.

Ok, this is what I was looking for. Although, it has to work both ways (kinda), with the ability to restart and come out of Ubuntu back to windows.

[Windows7ge]

1 minute ago, fasauceome said:

Ok, this is what I was looking for. Although, it has to work both ways (kinda), with the ability to restart and come out of Ubuntu back to windows.

Yes. That's how dual-booting works. You can choose if you want to boot to Windows by default or Linux by default and as a result you'll be greeted by either the Boot Loader or GRUB. Both of these will give you the option to continue to the default partition or boot to another available partition. You'll see it every time the computers started so you can pick which one you want.

[Fasauceome]

Just now, Windows7ge said:

Yes. That's how dual-booting works. You can choose if you want to boot to Windows by default or Linux by default and as a result you'll be greeted by either the Boot Loader or GRUB. Both of these will give you the option to continue to the default partition or boot to another available partition. You'll see it every time the computers started so you can pick which one you want.

Is this the menu you meant? I don't see the Linux partition, would I have to enable something for it to be recognized?

[Windows7ge]

13 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Is this the menu you meant? I don't see the Linux partition, would I have to enable something for it to be recognized?

System Configuration that's what it was called but uh...I decided to check my laptop to explain this to you and as it turns out there's no Linux option there for me either...

 

What I did was install Windows first, then I shrunk the partition, then installed Ubuntu to the empty space. From there GRUB just took over I didn't do anything but I expected it to be there..

[Fasauceome]

3 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

What I did was install Windows first, then I shrunk the partition, then installed Ubuntu to the empty space. From there GRUB just took over I didn't do anything but I expected it to be there..

I'll just do that then, I'm not picky about reinstalling because the point of the system is to mess around and see what works. If this doesn't quite make it happen, I'll have to assume my BIOS is too basic for more than one OS. 

[Windows7ge]

7 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

I'll just do that then, I'm not picky about reinstalling because the point of the system is to mess around and see what works. If this doesn't quite make it happen, I'll have to assume my BIOS is too basic for more than one OS. 

I'm still thinking though. Something about setting that Linux partition as the primary partition. Maybe via Disk Manager.

[Enderman]

44 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Ok, this is what I was looking for. Although, it has to work both ways (kinda), with the ability to restart and come out of Ubuntu back to windows.

That's called dual booting.

There are thousands of posts on the internet of how to do it.

 

That's not using software to switch OS, dual booting requires a restart where the OS is completely shut down, not "swap from one OS to another".

There is not any software running when the OS is not booted, aka during the restart.

[Fasauceome]

8 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

I'm still thinking though. Something about setting that Linux partition as the primary partition. Maybe via Disk Manager.

If I wasn't working with SATA 2 bandwidth and spinning disks for everything, I'd likely have gone through a few different methods of getting boot orders I'd like. Feel free to suggest anything and I'll probably get around to it later.

 

Edit: works now, that's all I needed.