Dummy post

(Sorry about previous post, but apparently need 3 posts before I can post a URL)

I don't know how similar our setups are, but I'm running FC5 x86_64 on an AMD46 with 2 Maxtor 300G SATAs

After trying default installation with grub into the MBR (and a couple of Windows reinstalls), I used:

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/16...e-hard-drives/

as a template.

Note that I changed:

title Start Windows
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

to:

title Start Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

(moved rootnoverify up and changed drive)

as the former version simply didn't work.

To do this, I had to boot from the rescue disc, edit /etc/grub.conf (with the text above) and reinstall grub with

Make sure that you have the correct drive designation for the linux kernel.

grub-install hdb

Check the drive to install to (I think it was actually grub-install sd1, but I did it last night and don't have my notes here). In any case, you want the install on your FC5 disc.


Good luck


Bill

had to take out ur link b/c of the 3 post rule.

thanks. that clears things up.
no MBR for GRUB.
so since i'm putting GRUB in the 1 sector of /boot i wont have to worry about GRUB screwing with my MBR, right?
and how did u know to move rootnoverify?

oh, and i'm trying to put FC5 on:
2.8gHz Pentium 4 Prescott
80gb Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm (WinXP)
40gb Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm (FC5)

Your comment on the MBR should be correct (ie won't screw it up on hd0), but no guarantees. Make sure you put it on the correct drive and any stuff-ups should only mean an FC re-install whic his way simpler.


On the noverify part, it was trial and error. When it was trying to boot Windows from from hd1, I'd get error 18 (to do with 1024 sector problem), so I figured the mappings weren't working for rootnoverify and gave it a go. There was quite a bit of trial and error I'm afraid (hence the Windows re-installs)

I'll post my grub.conf this evening Syd time if I remember.

Are your drives SATA or IDE do you know?

Rgds


Bill

they're IDE.
i have both jumpers set to Master (i think, i'll dbl check), but the 40gb is on the slave slot for the IDE cable.

i opened my case and my 80gb hdd is the master and the 40gb is set to "Cable Select" and my BIOS sees it as Slave.

anyway, i tried to install FC5 and it didnt work! it seemed like everything was goin good. such is Linux, i guess. heres what happened...
i set it to install on hdb (the 40gb). it didnt even ask me anything about how to set up GRUB. i let it do the default partitions, i chose a few programs here and there. went through total installation smoothly. then came the reboot. it rebooted and only showed me 2 choices for OS:

1. Windows XP Home Edition(Bootscreen)
2. Windows XP Home Edition

i think i should explain that "Bootscreen" comes from a program called StyleXP that i use for a custom bootscreen. ever since i installed StyleXP it gave me those choices.
the point is that FC5 is not a choice. so i rebooted again and pressed F12 so that it gave me choices of where to boot from. somethin like...

1. Master Hard Drive
2. Master Slave Hard Drive
3. CD-ROM
4. USB
etc.

so i select to boot from the slave drive. then a screen pops up that says...

Loaded PBR...
Bad PBR
<press F1 to continue reboot, F2 for BIOS>

so i go to BIOS and i see that i can't choose the Slave drive as a default boot drive. my BIOS only lets me choose between the Master drive or CD-ROM. which really isnt that important b/c i can press F12 and choose to boot from the Slave drive like i mentioned earlier.
so what i'm thinking is that i need to reinstall and manually tell GRUB to save itself in /boot. but somehow i missed the GRUB screen that was mentioned in the install documentation here.
any other suggestions?
i'm most likely not gonna try this again tonight b/c i have to study for skool. but plz reply with any help.

edit: i thought i should mention that i'm trying to install Fedora Core 5 i386.
oh, and its a good thing it didnt screw up WinXP!

Did you do a clean install by wiping all partitions on the drive and reformatting? Don't worry about changing the bios until it works, and hopefully you'll be able to swap the drives after the fact.

Have a search and see if there is a linux version of fixmbr, that may help. You could then boot from a rescuse CD and grub-install.

When I installed, even trying to overwrite the MBR there was no option to fire up Fedora - ie used the original Windows bootloader unmodified.

Bill

yes, i did do a clean install. i saved this hdd just for linux.
i didnt find a linux version of fixmbr. all that came up was for Windows.
i do have the FC5 Rescue CD. but the bad thing about it is that i have no idea how to use it or what exactly it does.
and thanks for ur help, btw. i really appreciate it.

Here's my grub.conf

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sdb1
default=0
timeout=15
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.2054_FC5)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.img
title Windows XP Pro
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

and the grub-install drive was hd1 (that's a one, not an "L")

I searched Google with "rebuilding mbr linux" and it comes up with lots of solutions, but it would probably be easier to reinstall, since from you're ealier post it sounds like somethin was amis if it didn't ask about installing grub.

Good luck - you'll get there

well, i only googled "fixmrb" and only saw Windows stuff. guess i shoulda used a better search term.
i think i might just reinstall and see what happens.
if that doesnt work, i need to find out how to use the rescue cd. i googled "how to use a linux rescue cd" and not many things came up that i found helped. i'll do more searches and see what i can come up with.
and i'm thinkin somethin is wrong with the install disc, too. but when i did the disc check i didnt get any errors. so, i dont know what to make of GRUB not asking to be installed.

Just download the rescue CD ISO (it's around 100M) from wherever you got FC5 and burn it to a CD. Then boot from CD and follow instructions - gets you to shell and you're off (I hope you can use shell).

When you do a clean install, make sure you use the option to wipe all partitions, etc and that it reformats.


Good luck again.

see, thats the problem. i dont know shell commands.

ok, so i reinstalled FC5. it still didnt ask where to put GRUB. and the bootscreen still didnt let me choose FC5. so what i did was i went to "Updata Fedora Core" on CD1. then it took me to the screen described here.
so i told GRUB to install under /boot. but when it went to install i got a message that said:

Warning
No kernel packages were installed on your system.
Your boot loader configuration will not be changed.

so does that mean it didnt install the Linux kernel?
i know it installed cuz i sat there and watched it install the linux kernel 2.6.x (w/e it is) during the install.
what if i try installing GRUB in the MBR? i wonder would that change anything.
i'm hesitant to try that b/c i dont have a WinXP disc (didnt come with my computer) to restore the mbr.

Sorry, that loses me. it may be worth starting a new thread with what sounds like a new issue.

On the MBR side, if you don't have the XP disk, you could get really stuck really quikly if it goes wrong.

Actually - a dumb thought - try formatting the second disk from Windows and then reinstall FC. Then you'll know the installer has to reformt the drive because it can't install on ntfs

about the fixmbr thing. all i had to do was run "c:\i386\winnt32 /cmdcons" in Windows and it gave the option to copy the Recovery Console onto my OS select screen. so now when i boot i get 3 options from Windows:

1. Windows XP Home Edition(bootscreen)
2. Windows XP Home Edition
3. Windows XP Recovery Console

and i could just run the recovery console and run fixmbr from there if need be.

now back to FC. all i needed to do was create a /home partition. i went through the installer again and instead of letting FC continue with the default partitions, i went in and added a /home partition. after i did that, it went to the GRUB install screen. i set it to install under /boot.
after the end of installation, i saw a msg box that said:

"Installing GRUB"

or somethin to that effect. which i had never seen in my other installs. unfortunately i have a new problem.
when i rebooted, it still took me to the regular old Windows OS selection. i rebooted again and chose to boot from the Slave drive instead of Master which i thought worked. this is the screen i saw:

Loading PBR for descriptor 1...done.
GRUB _

and it got stuck there. it just hangs. i didn't even hear my hdd spinning. so i booted again. same thing.
what could cause it to hang like that?
so close yet so far.....