Grub boot order

[Bings]

You could try this software http://tipsonubuntu.com/2018/03/11/i...ntu-18-04-lts/

[JoHubb]

Success!

I had to install a root file editor in Mint. It was a simple task then to change the Default=x value in /etc/default/grub.cfg and run update-grub.

The actual order of the grub boot list is the same, but the boot default is now (K)ubuntu!

Thanks again to all, especially Qqmike, for advice and interest!

P.S. The PC in question started off in around 2010 I guess and has gone through so many iterations that none of the original now exists. I upgraded the mobo/CPU (i5 6600K 3.9 GHz)/cooling fan first, then RAM, then PS and case, then graphics card, adding HDDs as I went, and more lately an SSD. It is hooked into a network with four other PCs (W10, W7, Linux Mint, Kubuntu), a Macbook converted to Manjaro xfce as the sole OS, and another laptop running Kubuntu. I could go on, but it would bore everyone to death...

[chimak111]

Success!

I had to install a root file editor in Mint.

What's "a root file editor"?

[JoHubb]

What's "a root file editor"?

In Mint, /etc/default/grub.cfg is designated as a root file. Although it can be read, it cannot be modified by the default text editor, or Kate.

To modify this file in Mint Mate, an editor called gedit can be used. This is opened directly by sudo gedit. Although gedit can also be used as a standard text editor, in Mint Mate it is more than this.

This is different from Kubuntu, where Kate can be used to modify /etc/default/grub.cfg - in fact I have done it myself.

[Qqmike]

Great success JoHubb! (Whew ... ! ) And we didn't have to blow up your PC to do it (I use the pronoun "we" rather loosely here ... that would be you who got this done).

The actual order of the grub boot list is the same, but the boot default is now (K)ubuntu!

Yes, same order but a new default OS. Usually, the OS listed first is the OS residing on the partition to which GRUB was installed to control the booting for the (entire) PC -- and THAT is something we definitely do NOT want to mess with here (because of the possible complexity involved, like your Kubuntu GPT drive not having a BIOS Boot Partition and other considerations). In essence, your sdc8 Mint has the GRUB installed that controls the booting of your PC; and then that Mint GRUB file /boot/grub/grub.cfg passes control to your new sdd Kubuntu.

I upgraded the mobo/CPU

Ah, yes. Motherboards after approximately 2010-2011 or 2012 usually have the newer "BIOS"-firmware, called UEFI (see Wikipedia). I see that UEFI in your system because of the ESP: the EFI System Partition listed in your fdisk output.

[FONT=Monospace]/dev/sdc8  *    1931360256 1932410879    1050624   513M ef [B]EFI[/B] (FAT-12/16/32)[/FONT]

When you installed Kubuntu, GRUB automatically went to your functioning ESP (which is on sdc8). Then the actual Mint OS is on sdc9:

[FONT=Monospace]/dev/sdc9       1932412928 2393122815  460709888 219.7G 83 Linux[/FONT]

Thus, the ESP on sdc8 is controlling (via the UEFI firmware of your "new-ish" motherboard) the booting of your PC.

Glad you got this done.

[jglen490]

Good that you discovered gedit and use it with sudo! There are many command line text editors (nano is my favorite) that will work in the sudo environment. But, we all live and learn. Once you poke around a bit, you will find a lot of similarities between Mint and the *buntu family - they are the same under the hood. But the respective developer teams have made packaging, or presentation, and other decisions that emphasize some features over others. But it is all good.

Again, glad you came to success!

[JoHubb]

Good that you discovered gedit and use it with sudo! There are many command line text editors (nano is my favorite) that will work in the sudo environment. But, we all live and learn. Once you poke around a bit, you will find a lot of similarities between Mint and the *buntu family - they are the same under the hood. But the respective developer teams have made packaging, or presentation, and other decisions that emphasize some features over others. But it is all good.

Again, glad you came to success!

Thanks for the encouragement. Since switching to Linux about 6 months ago, I have found that with a little help, every problem can be solved.

Mint Mate was a great place to start because it can be used via the GUI. Terminal commands can be learned or picked up gradually as needed.

I moved to Kubuntu because I contribute to websites and prepare things in HTML. The Kate plugin for HTML previewing requires a KDE platform. Mint KDE is being phased out, and I found its current 18.3 KDE offering very buggy.
I still use Mint Mate on an even older machine because it is resource light.

I like Kubuntu the more I use it, and the support provided on these boards is simply amazing!

[jglen490]

I have an older Toshiba laptop, in addition to my main desktop PC. The laptop is a perfectly useful 32 bit machine, and so I installed Mint 18.3 with the Mate DE onto it. It works great and had zero problems when I recently did a clean install of Mint 19 Mate. It went quickly, no data loss, it dropped right in and the laptop runs better than it ever did with Windows. I saw where Mint decided to drop KDE as a DE option, but that's O.K., they do a fine job with Cinnamon, Mate, and others already.

Kubuntu on my desktop, is a smooth runner also. I recently did a clean install of 18.04.1 LTS after using 16.04 LTS for the past couple of years. I've made a conscious decision to stick with the LTS versions from here on out. Last night I installed an Nvidia video card in the desktop unit. Shutdown the machine, installed the video card, and fired it up again. I went to the Driver Manager, saw that it found the Nvidia card, and I selected the 390 driver which Kubuntu downloaded and installed. After moving the video cable over, and a restart, it came right up and works with no problems. I'm loving it

[JoHubb]

Great stuff! Glad you got the new video card installed so easily.

As a sort of inveterate tweaker, I get a lot of fun making things work just right. In the old days it was pre-WW2 car engines, now it is computers (I got fed up with skinned knuckles and freezing garages).
Starting into Linux and HTML coding, plus a few other bits and bobs, is keeping my 72 year-old grey matter functioning fairly well, I think!

[jglen490]

We're the same generation - just turned 71 this past June!

[JoHubb]

Mine's 20th.

[Qqmike]

I suspect there's quite a cluster of folks here around that age, mine is 69.5 (though I feel young and crazy still).

[jglen490]

4th for me!

[Bings]

In Mint, /etc/default/grub.cfg is designated as a root file. Although it can be read, it cannot be modified by the default text editor, or Kate.

To modify this file in Mint Mate, an editor called gedit can be used. This is opened directly by sudo gedit. Although gedit can also be used as a standard text editor, in Mint Mate it is more than this.

This is different from Kubuntu, where Kate can be used to modify /etc/default/grub.cfg - in fact I have done it myself.

It is not generally a good idea to open GUI programs with sudo. It can cause problems over file ownership. Kubuntu has the ability to save these files with a prompt, which is fine. For OS that doesn't, then it is better practice to use a terminal editor like nano. So the command would be sudo nano "location of file"

[JoHubb]

Kubuntu has the ability to save these files with a prompt,

Which files?

I did not need to 'save' /etc/default/grub.cfg in Kubuntu.