I'm not sure this thread is in the right forum...couldn't find an installation forum.

My problem is that when grub loads "chainloader +1" to load Vista (which is located in a logical partition), everything hangs.

This is my partition table setup:


|<-----------------------DISK: /dev/sda (hd0)------------------------->|
|<DELL UTILITY>|
................FAT16 100MB|
.............................|EXTENDED=================================|
.............................|NTFS 4GB|SWAP|/ (root)|VISTA|/home/|FAT32|


Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device,,Boot,,,,,,Start,,,,,,,,,End,,,,,,Blocks,,,Id,,System
/dev/sda1,,,*,,,,,,,,,,,1,,,,,,,,,,13,,,,,,104391,,,de,,Dell Utility
/dev/sda2,,,,,,,,,,,,,,14,,,,,,,,,,26,,,,,,104422+,,,6,,FAT16
/dev/sda3,,,,,,,,,,,,,,27,,,,,,,19457,,,156079507+,,,f,,W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5,,,,,,,,,,,,4489,,,,,,,13794,,,,74750445,,,,7,,HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6,,,,,,,,,,,,,,27,,,,,,,,,663,,,,,5116639+,,,7,,HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7,,,,,,,,,,,,,664,,,,,,,,1045,,,,,3068383+,,82,,Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda8,,,,,,,,,,,,1046,,,,,,,,4488,,,,27655866,,,83,,Linux
/dev/sda9,,,,,,,,,,,13795,,,,,,,16981,,,,25599546,,,83,,Linux
/dev/sda10,,,,,,,,,,16982,,,,,,,19457,,,,19888438+,,,b,,W95 FAT32


DELL UTILITY is required for dell warranty (i think)
FAT16 100MB is to put grub in, and this is where grub "a" is installed (more in a sec).
NTFS 4GB is for Windows Vista Virtual Memory
(closer to the front of the disk for faster transfer rate)
SWAP is for SUSE, same reason as Windows Virtual Memory
/root is for SUSE grub "b" is installed here
VISTA is windblows
home is home
FAT32 is interOS storage.

the partitions in the extended parition are arranged for performance (i only have a 5400 RPM disk, this arragement lets SUSE fly)

ok: I did not want to change the dell factory MBR, so this is what i tried to do:

the windows mbr will automatically boot the active parition, which must be primary, so I made the FAT16 100MB as the active and installed grub "a" there, using this guide (http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showt...hreadid=130715).

then, I pointed that grub to grub "b", which is on the SUSE / root. (I have the main grub there, because when SUSE does kernel updates it can automatically change the grub loader there).

grub "b" has an entry:

title Windows Vista
root (hd0,4)
chainloader +1

however, this doesn't work. when it boots, the system hangs, just showing the root and chainloader entries.

can someone tell me how to make grub boot into Windows Vista installed on a logical partition?

(yes, I did try reinstalling Vista, because it might have stopped booting because of vista's anti paritioning problems, but that did not fix it)

[the boot process is: WINDOWS MBR -> ACTIVE FAT16 100MB-> GRUB "a" -> GRUB "b" -> Windows Vista (hang here)

thanks everybody!

on second thought...i solved it. i simply can't tell grub to chainload vista, because when vista installs in a logical partition, it places the boot manager files for windows in the root of the drive, which in my case ins DELL UITLITY.

great. windows vista just defeated the entire point of keeping the mbr original, and the diagnostics intact (because booting diagnostics yeilds VISTA!!)

(http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/5...ntains-os.html)

I could be wrong on this but your Vista is boot from its boot loader residing in sda1 and so the chainloading can only work with (hd0,0) or sda1.

When you chainload an operating system you do not boot that system. You simply boot up its boot loader and pass the control over to it.

yes, i know.

i booted /dev/sda1 and instead of dell diagnostics, it booted vista

i no longer use the crazy parition scheme..it would be too much to maintain, when i change OSes.

btw...i should thank you for all the help. When i was doing google searches your name popped up everywhere.