VMware Advice Needed for 10.4.3 Install on Multi-boot (grub) Drive

[jrrjrr]

I need some advice from people who are up to speed on VMware installs.

 

Right now, my hard drive is set up to triple boot as follows:

 

MBR: Grub, for booting all systems

 

Partition 1: Primary, with WinXP installed

Partition 2: Primary/Active, with OSX 10.4.1 installed (dd'd from deadmoo image)

Partition 3: Primary, extra HPF+ space for OSX stuff

 

Partition 4: Extended, see below

--Partition 5: Logical, with Linux /Boot

--Partition 6: Logical, with Linux /

--Partition 7: Logical, with Linux swap

 

When I boot the machine, grub comes up, and I can select any of the 3 operating systems to boot into.

 

I want to now combine Partitions 2 and 3 into a single larger one, and then install 10.4.3 into it using VMware. (Native install just doesn't work for me -- it hangs. VMware install looks like it will complete fine,). I do not want the grub bootloader in the MBR touched at all. I will still want to use grub to boot into WinXP, OSX or Linux.

 

If I give VMware the ENTIRE DRIVE, and then grab the enlarged Partition 2/3 in the OSX Disk Utility (from the installer) and tell it to set up that partition, will I still be ok to boot everything with grub from the MBR when I'm done, or will this way mess with the MBR and install the Darwin bootloader there?

 

If I give VMware ONLY THE ENLARGED PARTITION 2/3, and let the OSX Disk Utility (from the installer) set up that partition, will I still be able to boot with grub from the MBR, or will this not boot into OSX any way at all?

 

If it matters any, I can make the enlarged partition, assign it type AF, make it Active, and maybe even bless it, before doing anything with it through VMware.