Issue with 2 Linux OS in my machine
 

Hi All,

This will sound weird. Recently I did some modification to my machine.

I have 4 SATA hard dirve in the machine. This is how it is.

/dev/sda 160 GB - Has Win XP, Debian 5.0.1 x64 and CentOS 5.4 x64 ( Triple boot)
/dev/sdb 160 GB - Has Fedora 10 x64
/dev/sdc 250 GB - Data
/dev/sdd 500 GB - Data

The issue here is, If I ran the machine without the second haddrive. i,e /dev/sdb , then the three Operating systems will work fine.
The issue comes when i connect the 2nd harddrive and then try booting CentOS , the initial stuff it takes from the Cent OS partitions,
But coming after a few seconds it boots to Fedora I dont know why this is .

I am using the grub of debian with all the 3 OS ( WinXp , debian and Centos ) the Cent OS grub is installed to /dev/sda9 and i am pointing the cent OS entry to /devsda9 so that i will get the grub of CentOS also to boot to any kernel.

What exactly is the issue here ?

Thanks
Peeths

Any comments is greatly appreciated. Please help .

Thanks
Peeths

If have some more questions ?
Did you install fedora as the last OS ?
Where did you install Fedora's GRUB ?
Did you check the menu.lst or grub.cfg ?

I have installed Fedora well before I install Debian and CenOS.

I have installed Fedora to /dev/sdb

The grub of Fedora is installed to the MBR of /dev/sdb . I have installed that without the first harddisk. So when I want to boot in fedora, I disable /dev/sda in BIOS and boot in Fedora .

I am pasting the menu.lst of the 3 OS

Debian



CentOS


Fedora

So I think, here the issue with the entry in Fedora menu.lst ?

What change do i need to make and how it help ?

Thanks for the help.


Thanks
Peeths

Fedora is on hd0 too that is the notification for the first boot HD see menu .lst
So if you are booting from sda with is normally hd0 and sdb is connected than you have two HD0 sda and sdb .
Most easy solution boot from sda always leave sdb connected and change the menu.lst of fedora in that way that hdo becomes hd1
As you know you can boot fedora by chain loading in the Debian or centos grub menu , I do not with one you're using.

As a example
title Fedora
root (hd1,0) 0 assuming that FEDORA is first partition of sdb
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst

But there more ways for chain loading

What are the chain loading options that i have currently ?

and in the case when the OS or Kernels got updated , will the new kernel be automatically added to the bootloader of Debian or I have to do it manually ?

I changed the menu.lst of Fedora as follows


but got the same results, do I have to install the fedora grub again ?

Did you add the chain loading in the Debian menu.lst ?
Did you try to boot fedora from sda ?
You're splashimage of Fedora is still hd0
In the Fedora menu.lst is hiddenmenu mark it as a remark to determine if you see menu.lst of Fedora
If you're sure that you have install GRUB Fedora in MBR of sdb Than it has no use to reinstall it
It is strange I did the same trick with 3 HD and different OS and it works

If you are booting normally from Debian Grub on sda, why don't you just copy the Fedora entry to Debian menu.lst? Seems like the simplest solution.

I don't see how that could be since your only entries in CentOS menu.lst are for CentOS and windows!!

Which drive is set to first boot priority? Do you change this when you connect the second drive? The only thing that would make sense to me is that you have sdb set to first boot priority and when it is not connected, sda gives boot options of your three systems on sda.

This seems to be a simple solution , I agree . But first I want to make CentOS up with the Second hard drive connected. And also Once CentOS is up I am planning to enter the Fedora details as well to be added to the Debian OS boot menu.


I agree to this. This shouldn't happen , as there is no reference to /dev/sdb or root(hd1,x) in the Cent OS boot menu .

I have not changed the boot priority of the disk drives, I have only done with the disable or enable of the drives.

i,e if I wanna boot from /dev/sda I will make /dev/sdb disabled and if I wanna boot from /dev/sdb i will disable /dev/sda.

The boot priority option that I have in the bios is removable disk, CDROM, harddisk. I will have a chack once more.

In my BIOS there are 2 options under BOOT
1) boot prioriry
2) HD
With Hd I can change with HD is the first HD to boot from

I dont think that should be an issue. because the booting happens from /dev/sda only , thats how I am getting the Debian grub and from there I am getting CentOS grub.

After selecting CentOS, it will start with the CentOS booting. and then suddenly it changes to Fedora. this is weird. This is the place where things are going wrong

Thanks
Peeths

I changed the splash image as well , but still the same result. This is really weired .

Someone please help .

Compare the name of the Centos name in the menu.lst and in youŕe dir.
My Centos kernel name is longer than youŕes , but it might by that you use de different centos than I do

Hey I resolved this.

I installed Fedora 12 in my machine. I installed it in the second hardrive. And the gub in the boot partition of Fedora. So now no issues all the OS's are working fine ...

Thanks
Peeths