installing and booting 2 OS

vitalstrike82 · 06-20-2009, 03:42 AM

Greetings,
i'm currently trying to install 2 OS and i try to have the choice to boot either one of them.

My partition includes

hdc1: primary partition with /boot
hdc2: extended partion
hdc2a: /home for myself
hdc2b: /root for fedora
hdc2c: /root for slackware
hdc3: fat partition

I install fedora 11 first with /boot, /root and /home.
Installation is successful and booting is possible for fedora.

Next i install slackware into hdc2c. FInally it calls for installation of lilo and i choose the automatically install lilo option.

Now i can only boot into slackware and not into fedora.

WHat solutions can i used to enable booting either of them?
Thanks

linuxlover.chaitanya · 06-20-2009, 03:47 AM

This is because Lilo did not recognize and update itself for Fedora. It is a good option to use Grub. Its powerful. You can do it either way.

One is boot with Fedora media into rescue mode and then from the shell give the command:

grub-install /dev/hdc

Else there is another way of doing it. Boot into Slackware. And edit the lilo.conf file to add the fedora entry. I do not use Lilo so I am not sure how to do that.

onebuck · 06-20-2009, 08:17 AM

Hi,

The Slackware installation did recognize the partition as another install. It's just that the user needs to identify that install. You need to be aware of your system layout so as to enter the proper assignments for your installations.

You can enter the Slackware install then as root you can edit '/etc/lilo.conf' to include the proper entries by including the stanza for your other installs.

You would then run the 'lilo' command as root to update your loader.

If you post your '/etc/lilo.conf' file then we could assist. You could also do a search here on LQ as this subject has been covered many times.

vitalstrike82 · 06-20-2009, 12:33 PM

Hi,

i reformat my entire hard disk again

This time i install fedora first then slackware. I never install the lilo while installing slackware.

My partitions:

Code:

/dev/sda1 - swap
/dev/sda2 - extended
/dev/sda3 - Fat 32
/dev/sda5 - /home
/dev/sda6 - Fedora 11 (ext 4)
/dev/sda7 - Slackware
/dev/sda8 - /boot for fedora

This is the grub config in my fedora. I have already use this command:

Code:

grub-install /dev/sda7

. It seems like my conf file is the same

Code:

#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=0
splashimage=(hd0, 7)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.29.4-167.fcll.i586)
root(hd0, 7)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.29.4-167.fcll.i586 ro root-UUIDc72ba563-2bbb-4a94-afbo-2519c8aca26e rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.29.4-167.fcll.i586.img

Currently my problems are:
1) the grub loader did not load when i on my cpu. It boots straight into Fedora.
2) How to add the slackware into the grub loader?

Thanks

vitalstrike82 · 06-20-2009, 12:50 PM

Hi,

i want to ask where is the exact grub.conf file to locate and edit.

I try to edit in /etc/grub.conf and /boot/grub/menu.lst by putting a # in front of 'hidden menu'

However saving both files and restart does not display the grub loader.

Please advise

ronlau9 · 06-20-2009, 12:57 PM

AS root or su on the command line give the command ls - /dev/disk/by-uuid
It gives you all the uuid of you're partitions than mount the partition of slackware to find out the complete name slackware vmlinuz and initrd
Once you find it nano /boot/grub/menu.lst nano or pico or kwrite

title slackware
root (hd0,?) is partition ware slackware is minus 1
kernel and so on
initrd and so on

vitalstrike82 · 06-20-2009, 01:34 PM

Hi,

Pressing the escape button wil display the grub menu. I will leave it as that for now.

i have cd /dev/disk/by-uuid into the directory you have advise but all i see are numbers and i do not know which is belongs to which os.

i have try this method which i google online: http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/g...mozTocId286308

Code:

title Slackware
root (hd0,8)
chainloader +1

However when i boot from the grub menu, it says unknown partition.

ronlau9 · 06-20-2009, 02:43 PM

You stated in one of you're post slackware is on sda7 that should be (hd0,6) and NOT (hd0,8)
(hd0,8) is sda9

vitalstrike82 · 06-21-2009, 10:11 AM

Hi,
i have edit the file and set it as root (hd0,6)

I restart and select the slackware to boot, however it loads into fedora instead of slackware.

These are the details of hard disk partition

Code:

[root@fedora boot]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x95499549

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1         393     3156741   82  Linux swap / 
Solaris
/dev/sda2             394        8757    67183830    5  Extended
/dev/sda3            8758        9964     9695227+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda5             394        2359    15791863+  83  Linux
/dev/sda6            2360        4194    14739606   83  Linux
/dev/sda7            4195        6029    14739606   83  Linux
/dev/sda8   *        6030        6055      204799+  83  Linux

This is the boot file in /dev/sda7 for slackware which i mount:

Code:

[root@fedora]# cd /media/space/
[root@fedora space]# ls
bin   common  etc   lib         media  opt   root  srv  tmp  var
boot  dev     home  lost+found  mnt    proc  sbin  sys  usr
[root@fedora space]# cd boot/
[root@fedora boot]# ls
boot_message.txt                 System.map-generic-2.6.24.5
config                           System.map-generic-smp-2.6.24.5-smp
config-generic-2.6.24.5          System.map-huge-2.6.24.5
config-generic-smp-2.6.24.5-smp  System.map-huge-smp-2.6.24.5-smp
config-huge-2.6.24.5             vmlinuz
config-huge-smp-2.6.24.5-smp     vmlinuz-generic-2.6.24.5
diag1.img                        vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.24.5-smp
README.initrd                    vmlinuz-huge-2.6.24.5
slack.bmp                        vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.24.5-smp
System.map

This is the menu file for the grub loader which i have edited:

Code:

boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=0
splashimage=(hd0,7)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.29.4-167.fc11.i586)
        root (hd0,7)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.29.4-167.fc11.i586 ro 
root=UUID=c72ba563-2bbb-4a94-afb0-2519c8aca26e rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.29.4-167.fc11.i586.img
title Slackware 12.1
root (hd0,6)
chainloader +1

Any idea what have i done wrong even when i put in the slackware partition,it stills load the fedora?
I have also check from my laptop that when it boots slackware from LILO, it go to the /boot/vmlinuz to boot.

This is the LILO file where it boots the slackware:

Code:

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda3
  label = Linux
  read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

Thanks for the help in advance and thanks for reading my problem.

vitalstrike82 · 06-21-2009, 10:35 AM

Oh.. just to add on.

When i install the Fedora, it prompts me if whether i want to install grub in /dev/sda
i guess /dev/sda is the MBR to boot the OS. Nevertheless, i install it into /dev/sda

While installing Slackware, it did prompt if i want to install lilo in my machine.
I choose not to set up LILO and skip the whole process of installing LILO.

Does that results in not able to boot slackware even when i select to boot from grub with the setting i have added into the grub conf file for slackware?

thanks

onebuck · 06-21-2009, 02:37 PM

Hi,

No!

As long as you enter the proper configuration data in your stanza for your bootloader then you should be able start any installed system.

You can still setup lilo on the superblock for Slackware if you are chain loading then configure with your initial boot loader to boot that if you desire this method.