[RESOLVED] Grub and Android

[verduz]

I want to install Kubuntu Netbook Edition on my netbook (Acer Aspire One D255).
I want to keep Android and Windows 7.

The problem is that I don't know how to install Grub. This netbook doesn't have a "usual" bootloader: using Windows 7 the user can enable/disable android. Choosing to enable Android, this OS starts every time you turn on your computer (unless you press F9, in this case Windows 7 starts) and inside Android there is a button to switch off Android and launch Windows 7.
Here's an fdisk output:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3bf1c4d2

  Device Boot   Start     End   Blocks  Id System
/dev/sdb1        1    1698  13631488  27 Unknown
/dev/sdb2      1698    2220   4194304  c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sdb3  *    2220    2233   102400  7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb4      2233    30402  226267137  f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5      2233    16317  113132544  7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb6      16317    30019  110061568  83 Linux
/dev/sdb7      30019    30402   3070976  82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sda: 3881 MB, 3881828352 bytes
120 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1019 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 7440 * 512 = 3809280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0008f3e5

  Device Boot   Start     End   Blocks  Id System
/dev/sda1  *      1    1019   3790649  c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

/dev/sda1 is the USB key with Kubuntu Live.
/dev/sdb7 is the swap partition (I created it by resizing /dev/sdb5).
/dev/sdb6, created by resizing /dev/sdb5 is where I have installed both kubuntu and Grub (obviously it doesn't boot).

How can I solve this problem?

Thanks

[oshunluvr]

Re: Grub and Android

Either go to a windows forum and ask how to use the windows boot loader or install grub and let go of the windows boot loader. I'd do some research on dual-booting win7 with linux before I started.

The kubuntu installer will install grub, but of course will remove the windows boot loader.

You might consider backing up your master boot record before you attempt anything.

[verduz]

Re: Grub and Android

The main problem is that I want to keep Windows 7 and Android. Changing the Windows Boot Loader with Grub is not a problem.

You might consider backing up your master boot record before you attempt anything.

How can I do this? Is it safe to back-up the MBR and use the "try and restore" strategy till I succeed?

[oshunluvr]

Re: Grub and Android

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3113670.0

See my post about four down.

I would do some serious web searching about grub and win7 and your android setup. I don't know anyone who's doen that.

[verduz]

Re: Grub and Android

I used fdisk and found out that my HD was /dev/sda (this time /dev/sdb was the USB I used for the live kubuntu).

I mounted /dev/sda6 in /media/disk (the disk with Kubuntu and Grub).
I used Konsole to open that folder (cd /media/disk).

Then I used:

sudo dd if=dev/sda of=mbrsave.bin bs=512 count=1

And the output was:

1+0 records in
1+0 records out
512 bytes (512 B) copied, 0,00013032 s, 3,9 MB/s

Now in that folder I see a file called "mbrsave.bin". I haven't used chown because I don't know how to use it (I'm from a live USB).

Is it all OK? Can I now safely restore the MBR (in case of mistakes)? Do I have to install Grub in sda?

I did some research but nobody seems to know where is the right place for Grub.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Grub and Android

Since you only have one hard drive, grub has to go on the MBR = /dev/sda not to be confused with /dev/sda1 which is the first partition. This really only installs a very small poiter to the rest of the grub fies, which will be located in your install directory under /boot/grub.

I believe windows7 has a boot loader which can multi-boot. If you wish to attempt using that boot manager , you would then install grub to the same partition as your main root install. Which, based on your earlier post would be /dev/sda6

Make sure you copy mbrsave.bin somewhere off the hard drive, your usb drive is perfect. You don't need to use it unless you mess up and want to restore the old MBR.

chown is just sudo chown username:groupname mbrsave.bin

[verduz]

Re: [RESOLVED] Grub and Android

I have installed Grub in /dev/sda (/dev/sdb based on the fdisk of my first post) and it works fine.
Android boot first (as it did with Windows 7), then I can choose between Kubuntu and Windows 7.

[oshunluvr]

Re: [RESOLVED] Grub and Android

Sweet!