Changing default OS in Grub .95

gautcha · 04-05-2005, 10:31 PM

I am dualbooting Fedora Core 3/Windows XP and I just loaded the Fedora side of my dualboot and forgot to tell Grub to default to Windows XP (So my wife does'nt have to mess with selecting) and I would like to change it to default to Windows unless prompted to load Fedora. Can someone explain (in total noob terms) how to do this please?

vharishankar · 04-05-2005, 10:35 PM

Change the line

Code:

default=x

Where x is the option number in /etc/grub.conf file or /boot/grub/menu.lst file.

syg00 · 04-05-2005, 10:38 PM

Have a look in your grub.conf. There will be a default=? line. Below this will be (at least) two "title" line.
First title line is default=1, second is default=2, ...
Whatever the default specifies is what gets selected if nothing happens within the timeout period - you can change that too if you want.

Set as appropriate, and you're in business.

gautcha · 04-05-2005, 11:18 PM

Thanks for the help, problem solved.

ronish · 04-25-2005, 05:25 PM

I am a complete noob to linux. Can anyone please give me a step by step instruction how to change the default boot in grub please.

When I write /boot/grub/menu.lst in the terminal, I get permission denied error. So I wrote "su" and it asked for the password. I typed the password and it still gives me the permission denied error.....

syg00 · 05-01-2005, 04:06 AM

ronish - what distro are you using ???.

Try looking for a "root terminal" option, and use that.
Also try using "su -" instead of "su". Might make a difference - maybe ...

ronish · 05-03-2005, 10:42 PM

hi thanks for replying. im using redhat 9. heres a pics of wot i typed. [img=http://img116.echo.cx/img116/7854/screenshot1fo.th.png]

i know i may have missed something. i just need to get to the grub.conf so i can change the default to boot windows.

tuxrules · 05-03-2005, 11:23 PM

Two things...first you tried to execute a text file instead of opening it by this command

#/boot/grub/menu.lst instead you should do this

#gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

gedit is a gnome text editor...you can use anyother.

Second, as far as I know grub.conf file is not contained in /etc directory...it is contained in /boot/grub directory.

Now menu.lst and grub.conf are essentially same files with different names so you must have either one of them but not both...

I hope this clears out our confusion

syg00 · 05-03-2005, 11:30 PM

Looks like an easy one - you need to edit the file. You are trying to execute it.
After the su -, try

Code:

vim /boot/grub/menu.lst

Hopefully RH9 supports that full-screen editor (I'll check tonight when I get home).
Do your updates, then save as normal.