Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

[Snowhog]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

Should I bite the bullet, wipe out everything and start from scratch? At least that way, the first entry will be the right one.

No.

Add the following just after the
## END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
line:

title Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

It isn't elegant - you are just placing a copy of the very last entry at the top of the main list - but this makes it default 0 as far as GRUB is concerned. If you leave the #hiddenmenu uncommented (so no menu is displayed) and set the timeout value to your liking, this should give you what you want.

Make a backup copy of the /boot/grub/menu.lst file first (goes without saying).

[sbradley07]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

I will try this, but one clarification before I do -

Shouldn't the kernel line be:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=/dev/sda2 ro quiet splash

instead of:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash

?

[Snowhog]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

No. Look at the very last entry in your /boot/grub/menu.lst file, the first three lines of which are:

title Ubuntu 7.10 (7.10) (on /dev/sda1)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=/dev/sda1

[sbradley07]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

I have success! Snowhog and Qqmike - your numerous suggestions all gave me clues to the eventual solution. Here's what happened:

After noodling on Snowhog's last suggestion, I was still confused because it seemed to be pointing me to boot into one that had root=/dev/sda1, when all along the one I wanted to be using was sda2. I tried the the suggestion however, saw that the boot menu (highlighted choice) was still pointing me to the first entry...but I let it load anyway.

When it came up, I saw that it wasn't the one I wanted (no desktop icons, network config, etc.) but, just for grins, I took a look at menu.lst. Low and behold, the menu.lst file on /dev/sda1 showed ALL the entries that I am seeing on my boot menu! That explans why the output I posted earlier didn't reflect what I was actually seeing.

So I went back to earlier suggestions in this thread and changed the default num parameter to 4, and restarted. Low and behold (again!), the highlighted bar was now halfway down the list of boot options! Interestingly, it was not on "Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (on /dev/sda2)", but rather on "Ubuntu 7.10 (7.10) (on /dev/sda1)", which is the one above it. I changed default num to 5, restarted, and it worked!! The highlighted bar was on the right choice, I let the timer count down and it booted automatically.

I'm still not sure why default num=4 didn't work...maybe the value expresses the line number of the boot menu and not the number of the operating system choice. Because the line "other operating systems:" appears in the boot menu, that might explain why 5 worked and 4 didn't.

Oh well...I found my answer...and learned a lot along the way. Thanks for all the help!

[Snowhog]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

Excellent.

Here's an explanation as to why '5' works. Starting after ## ## End Default Options ## line, you have five stanzas that begin with title The fourth one only has only two lines, and isn't actually a boot stanza:

title
root

But, it is counted.

By the way, how's it feel to 'figure it out' your self? I know when I do it, I'm up out of my chair dancing a jig!!

[sbradley07]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

Feels great to have figured it out, though it was this thread that pointed me in the right direction. I'm not ready to leave the "help the new guy" forum just yet I still have some networking issues and would really like to clean up the botched installs...but those are for another day, in another post.

[Snowhog]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

I'm glad that your first 'question' posted on this Forum resulted in the result you were looking for. Always a good 'first impression.'

Welcome to the Kubuntu Forums!

[MoonRise]

Re: Multiple installs - cleaning up boot menu

I'm glad that your first 'question' posted on this Forum resulted in the result you were looking for. Always a good 'first impression.'

Welcome to the Kubuntu Forums!

Dito!