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-   -   Protecting the bootloader from a windows reformat (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/protecting-the-bootloader-from-a-windows-reformat-319465/)

ethics 05-02-2005 03:48 PM

Protecting the bootloader from a windows reformat
 
I'm using win 2k and FC3 at moment,

a time will come when win2k needs formatting but that will overwrite the MBR so GRUB won't be accessible.

I need something that allows me to boot back into Linux so i can reinstall grub, or just a different way of setting it up/booting the system so it doesn;t get overwritten with a reformat

Making a floppy from within fedora isn;t really an option either as my floppy drive ain't working properly.

thanks

0perat0r 05-02-2005 03:58 PM

I've had a similar set of questions about GRUB of late, as I have been having problems and will probably end up restoring Windows MBR and booting Linux off of floppies. Anyway, this link http://linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/5361/4/ offers some insight, but it implies that you can get to a grub> prompt in the first place, like by using a Knoppix CD, for example. You also may want to consult the GRUB manual at http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html.

Komakino 05-02-2005 04:04 PM

Yep, knoppix or a small linux live CD (DamnSmallLinux maybe?) is the way to go. That will let you boot to a live linux CD, then you can mount your own / partition somewhere, chroot to that directory and run grub-install /dev/hda to put grub back on the mbr (follow actual instructions though, that's just what I remember from one time I used grub...I use Lilo on my own machine)

ethics 05-02-2005 04:37 PM

Thanks for a swift reply guys, i'll check out those links and sort something out, it's jus ta right nightmare, finally got fedora doing everything i want it to and didn;t want to have to go through it all again.

Sometimes when i've installed bootloader i've had the option of installing it somewhere besides /mbr would this help the problem?

jschiwal 05-02-2005 04:54 PM

A nice feature of the grub shell is auto-completion. If you can access the /boot parition, you can load your systems "menu.lst" file and use that to boot your system.

masonm 05-02-2005 05:08 PM

It's always a good idea to make yourself aa boot disk for emergencies.

ethics 05-02-2005 05:46 PM

Ok i checked out the links, but i'm a bit confused,

i think my best choice would be to download knoppix and if formatting windows then i should boot into the live cd and run the grub setup part.

however trying the command

grub at the moment gives me

bash: grub: command not found

so i wonder if it would work.

i think i want to make a floppy disk that i stick in each time the computer boots with grub on (i could do this on a seperate machine?) but the guide confused me a bit with which device etc....

tormented_one 05-02-2005 06:50 PM

What about rescue mode on the CD's? You can't use an install cd to boot FC anymore? I haven't used FC for a while but you used to be able to boot the system by install cd 1.

Intimidator 05-02-2005 09:33 PM

hey

I thing u r cdrom is working

Boot with u r first CD and then boot prompt

boot: linux rescue

$ chroot /mnt/sysimage
$ grub-install /dev/hda

the above grub-install fail sometimes so u have to

$ grub
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
or

grub> find /grub/stage1

It will return something like

(hd0,8)

grub> root (hd0,8)
grub> setup (hd0,8)
grub> quit

ethics 05-03-2005 02:39 AM

Thanks alot, i was trying to boot from CD last night and after several options i got nowhere :)

However i am unable to run the grub command from inside fedora still

jschiwal 05-03-2005 08:26 AM

With the 2.6 kernel a boot floppy will simply contain the bootstrap loader for grub or lilo. An alternative is to run the mkbootdisk command to produce a CD ISO image file.
mkbootdisk --iso

If you don't have this command perhaps you have: mkrescue --iso.

Komakino 05-03-2005 12:31 PM

You know that grub-install has to be run as root? And does fedora definitely use grub, or does it use lilo?

ethics 05-04-2005 03:49 PM

I'm using Grub


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