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**MoonRise** · Jan 29, 2008, 06:36 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

Hey. Below is taken from my Menu file. Notice the Deafult = 4. That is because XP is fourth in the list (based on the fact that GRUB starts counting at 0). Don't copy all information here as it is specific to mine, but it should give an idea how to make XP boot by default with no interaction from your wife. Just let her know when that comes up it will already be at XP and will boot in 5 secs (timeout). You on the other hand will know to move the cursor up to the top choice and Kubuntu! Look for more from Qqmike, he has an excellent How TO for GRUB..

Code:

default		4
timeout		5


title		Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=535434535355345 ro quiet splash
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

title		Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=34534534534534534 ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic

title		Ubuntu 7.10, memtest86+
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

title		Other operating systems:
root

title		M$ Window$ XP Media
root		(hd0,1)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader	+1

**monte48lowes** · Jan 29, 2008, 06:37 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

grub needs to be installed on the master boot record (MBR) of the first drive. Meaning the drive the computer will try to boot from first. The linux kernel and menu.lst will be installed on the drive with kubuntu on it. When the computer attempts to boot the first drive it should find grub installed on the MBR which will have directions to the menu.lst entry on the kubuntu drive. You have two options if I understand what you are trying to do.

1. Change menu.lst to have winXP boot as default

2. Install grub on the second drive and change the drive order in the BIOS to boot into kubuntu.

Of course there is always 3.... erase winXP and have the wife make the switch. You can blame me when she gets mad... lol

Mike

**MoonRise** · Jan 29, 2008, 06:38 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

Originally posted by monte48lowes

Of course there is always 3.... erase winXP and have the wife make the switch. You can blame me when she gets mad... lol

Mike

Can we all do that!

**monte48lowes** · Jan 29, 2008, 06:52 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

That's what I did at my house... only I didn't have anyone else to blame. So yes it came back to me then.. why not!

Mike

**dwneylonsr** · Jan 29, 2008, 06:53 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

What if I wanted to remove the win/xp drive entirely? Or put the the linux drive in a different machine by itself? Can't I make the linux drive bootable on its own?

**dibl** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:01 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

You can certainly make your new hard drive a bootable Linux drive. You need to run "grub install" and point it at the mbr of the new drive. Check out Qqmike's Grub Toolkit for the ins and outs of Grub:

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

or, if you want to do it cheap 'n sleazy like I would, just disconnect the first (old) hdd, leave the new hard drive connected, and install Kubuntu on it again, and finish by telling it to install Grub on the mbr of the "first hard drive".

Of course, you realize that the video display on some other computer that we haven't identified at this point may or may not display the boot menu and login splash screen correctly .... :P It would probably be best to configure a VESA display using a non-challenging 1024 x 768 resolution or something like that, to make that hard drive as widely usable as possible.

**Qqmike** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:25 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

Hi dwneylonsr,

You said at the start that:
I then tried to setup GRUB on HD1 using:
grub> root (hd1,0)
grub> setup (hd1)
That does bring up a GRUB menu when selecting HD1 as the boot drive, however does not allow me to boot either KUBUNTU on WIN/XP.
Am I correct that I need something beside GRUB setup on HD1?

Answer:
You did it right. No you don't need something beside GRUB setup on HD1.

- - - - -

I'm not clear on what you are trying to do, but I have a feeling that you know.
What you did above (root (hd1,0) and setup (hd1) did install GRUB to the MBR of that drive (hd1).
You can boot Windows from that menu.lst by including a boot entry for Windows on the /boot/grub/menu.lst located on (hd1,0). It should look like this:

title Windows booted from my Kubuntu drive
map (hd0) (hd1) # Map hd1 to hd0
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0) # rootnoverify ensures no attempt is made to mount windows
makeactive
chainloader +1

(Logic: when you boot from the Kubuntu drive, BIOS and GRUB sees that drive as hd0 (not hd1) – ANY boot drive that the PC boots from NOW is seen as hd0.
So Windows looks like it is on hd1.
But Windows likes to be on hd0.
So we fool Windows into thinking it is on hd0 by doing that map dance.)

NOW, this goes into the menu.lst on the Kubuntu drive.
BUT if you boot normally from the regular Windows drive, and you want to choose Windows to boot into, you must use your old existing Windows boot stanza:

title Windows booted as usual
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

(Instead of all this, you can do as Moonrise said and just make Windows the default under your current setup.)

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

--- HOW To: Change the Default Operating System (Also: Changing the timeout, boot menu, and other tips) Reply #1

(See also Reply #12 for the map dance, if you are interested.)

**Qqmike** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:34 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

and so, to be clear,

you have GRUB installed to two MBRs – one on each drive.
and each points at your Kubuntu menu.lst on the Kubuntu drive;
the /boot/grub/menu.lst on that Kubuntu drive will have two boot stanza entries for Windows—the two I listed above; one is used in case you boot from the Windows drive and wish to boot into Windows; the other is used to boot Windows in case you boot from the Kubuntu drive.

**dwneylonsr** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:42 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

So as I understand the problem is now that the menu.lst is no longer correct to boot to either system since I've in effect swapped the drives.

Ok, think I'm getting the idea. So do I now need menu.lst entries for win/xp on hd0 and hd1? And the same for linux?

**monte48lowes** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:45 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

One thought I have with the configuration as Qqmike has suggested. If only the first drive is installed in the computer the computer will not boot. If the MBR of the first drive is looking for menu.lst on the second drive (which in this instance would be removed from the computer) grub errors will occur. It might be better then to use the grub super disk to remove grub from the MBR of drive number one. Then use the BIOS settings to change the drive order.

Mike

**monte48lowes** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:47 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

You only need a menu.lst if grub is installed to the MBR of the windows drive. It must be installed on the kubuntu drive.

Mike

**dwneylonsr** · Jan 29, 2008, 07:57 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

Grub IS currently installed to the MBR of the windows drive. I haven't found unstall instructions for it though.

What happens if I don't use Grub at all? The linux drive should be bootable, right?

**Qqmike** · Jan 29, 2008, 08:02 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

Yes, the Linux drive is bootable (if you set a boot flag on it, say by using GParted Live CD to do so).

I think the problem here is that we are not clear on what you want to happen exactly.
One thing for sure – what mike Monte48lowes said is right: the second drive must be connected if the GRUB in (Edit

[the MBR of the Windows drive] points at the menu.lst on the Kubuntu drive!

**monte48lowes** · Jan 29, 2008, 09:41 PM

Re: Dual boot and GRUB

To remove grub from the MBR of the windowsXP drive either the install CD for windows can be used

Code:

fdisk /mbr

or the grub super disk which can be found here:

http://supergrub.forjamari.linex.org/?section=download

it would be a good idea to have the grub super disk handy at all times, just in case.

Mike

PS. Here is some additional information regarding the super grub disk

http://www.linux.com/articles/57240

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