Multi-OS Boot

[CWBillow]

I have a machine that has Win-XP on it; I installed both Ubuntu and Kubuntu on the drive, and all went fine. Startup showed a menu with all distros and Windows to choose at startup.

Then I installed SUSE, and the startup got completely disrupted.

Now I get the SUSE startup menu, with a Windows choice, but no Ubuntu or Kubuntu.

How can I get GRUB back, and then get it to also show SUSE and Windows along with the Ubuntu and Kubuntu?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

[dibl]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

"Last Linux Wins"

In the battle for Grub dominance, the last Linux that you permit to write to the MBR gets to be the boot menu master. So, you'll have to edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst file in SUSE to reinstate your *buntus to the boot menu.

[CWBillow]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

"Last Linux Wins"

In the battle for Grub dominance, the last Linux that you permit to write to the MBR gets to be the boot menu master. So, you'll have to edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst file in SUSE to reinstate your *buntus to the boot menu.

I got the edit part... but what do I put there? I mean, I understand "startup sequence for each O/S, but where do I get those?

CB

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

It’s here:

How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

You get the SUSE boot stanza entry from . . . SUSE! Get into SUSE and find the /boot/grub/menu.lst and copy the SUSE “title” stanza lines into the /boot/grub/menu.lst of the Linux that USED TO control the booting.

First, though, you must re-install GRUB (from that same Linux that USED TO control the booting), to the MBR of the drive (hd0)). (That’s the root - setup – quit in the How-To.) It’s all in the How-To -- it will get you on the right track.

[dibl]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

Yay -- Qqmike, I was just about to paste in the link to your Grub tutorial.

Thanks!

[CWBillow]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

OK, thanks guys... I'm off to it!

CB

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

Gee, I thought maybe you forgot me . . . ( )

[dibl]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

We'll never forget old What's-his-name!

[CWBillow]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

Uh, guy?!

How do I get into menu.lst of an O/S that won't start / doesn't show up on the menu?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

Keep reading through the How-To.

(Use the Live Kubuntu CD, open Konsole, type sudo grub to begin to re-install GRUB using root (hdx,y)--setup (hdz)--quit method; then the How-To shows you how to mount the partition from a live CD so you can open menu.lst and edit it.)

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

Of course, after you re-install GRUB, you'll be able to boot into Kubuntu again, just as before, but will not yet be able to boot into SUSE until fixing the menu.lst, but at least the urgency will be off somewhat.

You'll need to know where things are at:
Windows, Ubuntu, Kubuntu
all on the same hard drive?
on what partitions? Windows is on the first partition? Then . ..

grub> root (hdx,y)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
exit
re-boot to test it

where (hdx,y) = the partition of the Linux distro that USED TO control the GRUB menu;
and I'm assuming this is all on the one hard drive and so (hd0) refers to the Master Boot Record of that hard drive.

(Counting starts at zero on hard drives and partitions. So, e.g., (hd0,2) = the first hard drive hd0, the 3rd partition (that's the "2', and the counting would be partition 0, partition 1, partition 2 to get to the third partition).)

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

In case I flicker out here for awhile, one more thing.
The hard part sometimes is figuring out what’s on what partition.
In the How-To, the keys are
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
(although that will return more than one answer and you want the answer where the menu.lst used to be before installing SUSE).

grub> geometry (hd0)
will tell you what’s on that hard drive.

And at a regular terminal (not a grub>),
sudo fdisk –lu
tells you what’s on your drives.
(-lu is “l” as in “list” and “u” as in “units”)

If you installed in this order: Windows, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, SUSE, then before SUSE, the boot menu (/boot/grub/menu.lst) would probably have been controlled by the GRUB on the Kubuntu partition (where the root “/” files are for Kubuntu). (But, it may have been controlled by Ubuntu if you made it that way.)

[CWBillow]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

I have to figger how to get to GRUB ... from the live CD (boot from same and select KDE/live -- I'm having issues finding the file which seems to be playing hide /seek...

I know (set up using Acronis' Disk Director) what order the partitions are, so that part's Ok...

I gotta get to the SUSE menu.lst ( duck and run on that one) to get the info there, and then I'll have most pieces, I hope...

Regards,
Chuck Billow

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

If you re-boot with the Kubuntu Live CD in the CD tray, you’ll boot into the Kubuntu Live session and see the Desktop, right? (It’s all very slow, from the Live CD – takes awhile, like a few minutes)

Then get a terminal by K > System > Konsole (I think)
Type
sudo grub
Get that grub prompt,
grub>

and then enter all the :
root (hdx,y)
setup (hd0)
quit
exit
and re-boot to test it

(You need to figger out the x and y, as you say you can)

[Qqmike]

Re: Multi-OS Boot

. . . oh, and when you re-boot to test it, you'll have to get that CD out of the tray (just a reminder)