Kubuntu 8.04 on External HD

[Guest]

Hello!

I'm on a Dell Vostro Laptop. I wanted to try Kubuntu without risking anything (I need my laptop for work) so I created 2 linux partitions (Ext3 and swap) on my WD external hardrive. I booted on the LiveCD, then I installed Kubuntu on the external harddrive (sdb).

If the drive is plugged when I boot, I can use WinXP or Linux without any problem. However, if I try to boot without the USB drive, I got a GRUB error 5 or 21 (depending on my Bios boot order)...

Any solution? All I want to do is to select my OS at the boot, understanding that before choosing Kubuntu I need to plug my harddrive. I don't want to be dependant of this external drive to use my laptop.

Thanks,

JF

[dibl]

Re: Kubuntu 8.04 on External HD

Well, unfortunately your plan to avoid writing anything to your laptop hard drive ran off the tracks when the final step of the Kubuntu installer didn't warn you that it was putting Grub on the master boot record, unless you pointed it elsewhere.

It's not a serious problem -- there are several ways to go about fixing it, and Qqmike is far more expert than yours truly. Here's more than you probably wanted to know:

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

But if I were uncomfortable with the Linux command line, probably I would just boot a Windows installation CD, choose "recovery console" or whatever that utility is called, and issue a "fixmbr" command to restore the Windows bootloader.

Then the next time you install Kubuntu, when you get to the final step of the installation, click the obscure alternate choice to the default Grub location, and there you can indicate that you want Grub installed on the root partition of the installed Linux OS, and then it won't write on the mbr of your laptop drive.

[Qqmike]

Re: Kubuntu 8.04 on External HD

Yep, what dibl said.

(1) Use your Windows CD to fix the MBR of your internal drive (i.e., re-install the Windows bootloader to that MBR).
Then:
(2) Use the how-to to re-install GRUB * to the MBR of the external drive *.
No need to re-install Kubuntu (to the external drive).


btw, future reference:
You don't really need it at this point, but here's another how-to, on Kubuntu to external USB HDD:
How To Make GRUB Thumb Drive
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081748.0
See Reply #1:
How to install K/Ubuntu 7.04 to an external USB hard disk drive (HDD), Reply #1

[Guest]

Re: Kubuntu 8.04 on External HD

Thanks a lot guys, I'll try this soon.

JF