booting through bios

[johngbeach]

Can I install Kubuntu on a clean drive without grub?
I am running winxpsp2 and windows vista on separate drives which I boot to through changing the drives order in the bios.
Can Kbuntu be done the same way?

thanks,
johngbeach

[IndyTim]

Re: booting through bios

Why not put Grub in? That way you won't have to "futz" with the bios each time you want to switch ops?

IndyTim

[Qqmike]

Re: booting through bios

Indy's right -- but he and I are GRUB fanatics

Or:

You can try your way, and do so in a way that won’t cause any harm to your two Windows drives.

I haven’t done this, but here’s how I’d (safely) try it:

Let’s say your two Windows drives are seen in BIOS (and also by GRUB) as (hd0) and (hd1).
Your third drive would then be (hd2), and that’s where your Kubuntu will be installed.
(NOTE: In GRUB, numbering of drives and partitions starts at zero.)

When you install Kubuntu, you will want to indicate to the installer exactly where you want Kubuntu installed AND where you want GRUB installed.

If Kubuntu (and its root partition and files) is to be on the first partition of drive three, that would be called (hd2,0).
Then, you will be asked where to install GRUB.
My answer would be in the same partition, ie, (hd2,0).
That way, GRUB will NOT be overwriting your MBRs of your two Windows drives in any way whatsoever.

Now, here’s the issue:
When you turn on the PC, get into BIOS setup, select that third hard drive to be first in boot sequence, then . . .
What will happen?
I’m not sure.

Here’s what may be necessary (and not at all be a big deal to do):
You MAY (probably) need to install GRUB to the MBR of that third hard drive (hd2).
To do so, you must boot into Kubuntu (and you can use the Kubuntu live CD to do that if you can’t otherwise boot into it), open Konsole, get a grub prompt (by typing sudo grub), and type these commands:

grub> root (hd2,0) # and press Enter
grub> setup (hd2) # and press Enter
grub> quit # and press Enter
$: quit

(“grub>” is the GRUB prompt.)

That would install GRUB to the MBR of the third hard drive using the GRUB root files you installed in (hd2,0)

All this is in the How-To here at:
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

One other issue we need to check:
Can you do all this with regular Kubuntu Live CD installer?
Or, will you need to do it with the Alternate Installer?

Frankly, I can’t quite recall some details right now, but you could always download both, just to be prepared, and the Alternate installer does have some automatic rescue tools you might use someday. (You may need the regular Live CD to boot into Kubuntu to get the grub> prompt, as we said above.)
NOTE: I believe you can specify all this using the regular Live CD, by using the Manual install option; toward the end, Step 5 or 6, there should be an Advanced button, and there you will be asked to specify where to put GRUB, which will be (hd2,0). Maybe someone will chime in here, but fact is, you can experiment with either/both and not harm anything. Just stay away from your 2 Windows drives!

That’s exactly how I would try it, and that would NOT harm anything – not your two Windows, not your Kubuntu.