I have my single 80GB hard drive partitioned as so:

XP Pro
Server2003
Longhorn4074
Linux Ext3
Linux Swap

I install all 3 of my windows OS's first, then I used the Debian minimum cd option to do a most basic of install Sarge, I used the daily build iso dated 6-5-04. The Debian setup walked me through everyting great however when it comes where to install GRUB I just can't figure it out!!! The second try I used the more stable "Testing" iso instead of the most recdent daily build but still had all of the same problems.

First try I installed GRUB on my MBR, it detected my other windows installs so I figured it was cool, not! When I choose windows from the GRUB boot menu it would just hang after selection and never load the windows boot menu.

Where should I install GRUB? I just reformatted my entire hard drive because everything got screwed up, for the 3rd time, and I've started from scratch and I just finished installing my windows OS's.

Please tell me what to do! I know putting it on the MBR screws everything up and installing it on like /dev/hda1 or does too, /dev/hda0 was the MBR. So now what? This is a wierd one though, when I first installed linux I used woody and a boot floppy, then I did an apt-get install of GRUB and edited the menu.lst file manually and for some reason it worked great! I don't remember where it installed GRUB on the HD but it was in the /boot/grub directory of my linux drive if that helps. Why would the apt-get install of GRUB work but not installing GRUB from the initial Debian install???

Here's a thought, can I not install GRUB and then edit the boot.ini file in my windows OS's and create an option that points to /dev/hda5 to manually load the kernel? Would that work? I just don't know what else to do...

Thanks!

If you post your partition table, and your menu.lst we can help you out. If you want to install grub on the mbr, to boot all four OSs you would install it on /dev/hda -- with no partition listed.

Sorry but I don't have GRUB installed yet so I have no menu.lst to post, I didn't install because I don't want to screw it up again and have to install all my of my OS's for the 4th time, lol!

How do I view my patition table and type in the way that you want?I know how to do it in Linux but not windows and like I said I won't install linux until I clear this up.

Are you saying that by manually telling GRUB to install on /dev/hda it will install some place differently than when I simply tell the Debian installing to install it on the MBR and let it do it on it's own?

I don't know where debian installs grub by default but if you want it on the MBR of your first HD it would be /dev/hda

Surely debian gives you an option to install grub on the MBR....

The reason I wanted to see your partition table is so I could help you properly set up your menu.lst file to boot all three windows OS and linux.

Seems to me instead of reinstalling everything when something doesn't work you should try and troubleshoot why it isn't working.

Although in practice doing things like using windows repair console to re-do the mbr and other things will screw it up to the point where you have to re-do everything.

I edit my menu.lst for quite a while and was 100% it was right but it still would hang anf not load the windows boot menu.

What I meant was where does Debian's installer think the MBR is by default? Does it also think it's /dev/hda or does it think something else. I ask because I've tried that already and that also did not work.

I'll tell you what, if someone will 100% assure me that installing GRUB on my MBR using that choice in the Debian installer is safe, then I'll do it and when it doesn't work I'll post the menu.lst and we can go from there. I just want to be sure that installing it on the MBR is infact the correct way...

Yup, install grub to the MBR....

You may want to make boot floppies for your windows just in case. But then we can work on your menu.lst

You need to keep in mind that there are two kinds of grub 'installation'. One just installs the program itself in your linux /sbin directory (ie apt-get grub). The other is the bootloader itself which could be installed manually ie:
The debian install should do this automatically for you

OK, I'll install Debian using the CD and put GRUB on the MBR again. I'll post back with what happens this time...

I think the reason your windows were not booting properly is explained here:
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/man...#DOS%2fWindows

Seems you need to hide the windows partitions you don't want to boot from the one you do want to boot...

Ahhh yes. I tried the map comments in the menu.lst last time and it did nothing.

So check this out. If I have 3 copies of windows on the 3 partitions I should put this in the menu.lst:

unhide (hd0,0)
hide (hd0,1) (hd0,2)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
makeactive
boot

Hide (hd0,1) to hide the second copy and (hd0,2) to hide the 3rd copy. then maybe it will work.

I'll give it a try when I get Debian reinstalled and post back....

You don't need the map, you need the hide...

Also I think your menu should be:
You don't need "boot" in your menu.lst because it is implied, boot is for booting from grub command line.

Alright I'll try that. I should have Debian loaded in the next hour or so, I'm just wrapping up the install of my 3rd windows os then I cvan post my results.

Thank you very much for the help thus far...

Alex

Here's what I just did:

expert26 install
I let the Debian installer delete my ext3 and swap partition and let it configure it's own swap and linux partition using that free space.
Then I did the base install and when it asked me if I want to install GRUB on the MBR I said yes and it said: "Running GRUB install hd0..."

Then I rebooted, it showed me the GRUB screen just fine with an option for windows. Just for the heck of it I choose windows to see what would happen and it said:

Booting 'Windows NT/2000/XP'

root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

Then it just stalls so I hit good 'ol ctrl+alt+del and rebooted this time choosing the Debian option. I then I edited my menu.lst file as posted and rebooted, I choose the windows option and this time it said:

Booting 'Windows NT/2000/XP'

unhide (hd0,0)
hide (hd0,1)
hide (hd0,2)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
makeactive

and it just stalls again. then when I retarted I got the an error that said:

GRUB Loading stage1.5.

GRUB loading, please wait...
Error 17

and it stalls. What is that about?

Geez, so I take it you can't boot anything now?

It would seem that the debian installer is doing something screwy such as installing grub to /dev/hda1 or something.

I guess it would be best at this point to install grub manually. Did you make a boot disk for any of your windows installs? If you can boot windows run FDISK /MBR to restore your MBR. You should not need to reinstall any of your windows...they are still there, you just can't access them.

How did you boot your various windows before you installed debian? Perhaps you should let windows boot itself and make a grub floppy to boot debian.

Otherwise, if you can get debian booted up somehow (does the install disk include a rescue function?) you can install the bootloader manually, as it seems the debian installer is fscked up.

I didn't make a windows floppy thinking I could use the CD however it seems to have every function BUT fdisk, lol!

My Debian base install cd did not have a rescue function and my Woody Debian disks rescue funtion would not work.

I can boot into the Debian install and get a shell promt. Is there something I can do from there?

EDIT: Wait, now when I load off the Debian install CD before I begin and install it gives me boot promt. If I can figure out the location of the currently installed kernel can I enter that and maybe boot?

Don't think so. That would just for the available kernels to start the install with afaik