I'm presently triple-booting XP on hda with PCLinuxOS on hdb1 and Kubuntu on hdb5. I am seriously considering replacing Kubuntu with Mepis 6.0. I hear that the Mepis installer doesn't recognize other Linux partitions automatically, so I would have to manually insert the PCLinuxOS boot info onto GRUB. Can I just copy what is on my present GRUB and paste it over to the Mepis-installed GRUB? I plan on leaving the partitions just as they are...just installing Mepis over the Kubuntu partition. Thanks for your help.

I have not installed 6.0. However I have installed 3.3.1 and 3.4.3. Hopefully this advice still holds true.

I would NOT overwrite the MBR. It's not necessary. When installing MEPIS choose the option to install grub to root rather than the MBR. After completing the MEPIS install boot into PClinuxOS. Look for the file /boot/grub/menu.lst and add MEPIS into the mix. (The file may be boot/grub/grub.conf, not sure, never used PCLinuxOS)

My entry for MEPIS (in Suse's menu.lst) is simply;

title MEPIS
root (hd1, 0) *would be (hd1, 4) if MEPIS on hdb5
chainloader +1

*The chainloader +1 part? Probably not needed as it's a trick used with non-linux OS. Suse added it automagically so I left it alone.

By not overwriting the MBR the worst-case-scenario should be a non-booting MEPIS. Beats being stuck at the grub prompt.

Edit/Oops! When did you last install grub to the MBR? If it was during the kubuntu install, allowing MEPIS to install grub to MBR may be best. Getting PCLinux to boot should just be a matter of editing menu.lst in MEPIS.

Triple booting with Mepis 6.5 RC1, albeit with another version of Mepis, was painless. Out of an excess of caution I had the new version grub to root. The menu.lst Mepis generated was fine. I used it in place of the existing and it booted without a hitch. I'll try it with a fourth install, probably Suse 10.2, next week.

BTW, Beryl also installed without a hitch and it's amazing (and very useful).

smarkin

Curse you for dragging up this old thread. (j/k) My reply was a total mess. The type of thing I was trying to say is is stated much tidier here;
http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=401513

Saikee is pretty close to the undisputed master of such things. Maybe he'll spot this post and provide a more recent link.

PCLinuxOS and kubuntu may provide extra challenge. If kubuntu follows ubuntu practice, the alternative install disk is needed to easily place grub in root. PClinux afaik uses lilo rather than grub.

Just now noticed this was your first post. Welcome

Hope you spotted the j/k and are not left with the impression this site is populated with jerks. Actually dragging up this thread gives me a chance to clear something up.

I originally questioned the chainloader idea because there is a popular misconception chainloading is for non-linux and the proper method is the kernel command. My feeling now is this is wrong-headed and the more complex method. A similar discussion here;
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ht=chainloader

Placing the new grub to root doesn't seem like excess caution. Seems more like the safest method.

Glad to see you're enjoying 6.5. I'll be waiting a bit as 6.0 does all I need at the moment

Check this link if you want to know how to use grub with PClinuxOS instead of lilo.

http://www.pclinuxonline.com/wiki/GrubMenu

Then you could chainload adding the new install to whatever grub is installed to the Mbr of hda.
If you want PClinuxOS installed on hda6 for example you would use grub on the PClinuxOS installation, installing grub to root on the PClinuxOS install then just add this to your existing grub(the one on the Mbr of hda)

title PClinuxOS at hda6
rootnoverify (hd0,5)
chainloader +1

See the link at the bottom of this post to find out to load 145 operating systems on one computer and set it all up using grub. Interesting work.


I use this method and can chainload as many operating systems as I can ever use. I have nine systems installed. All are chainloaded except the one that has grub installed to the Mbr of hda.
The grub that is installed to the Mbr of hda is the only one that you want to edit. All of the chainloaded ones have grub installed to root.

A big advantage of having grub installed to root on hda6 is that when I install another operating system to that partition I don't have to re-edit the main grub at all. I would only edit it where the title is to show what's really installed there, and you don't even need to do that. It will boot if you install another linux to hda6 and install grub to root on that install.


Here is a post of mine at another forum explaining about triple booting and grub editing. The link has three links so hope it is what you are looking for.

http://www.mepislovers.org/forums/sh...triple+booting

Look for my post on the thread.

PClinuxOS has grub? Who knew? -everyone but me probably

Yeah, just googled it.

PClinuxOS uses lilo but using the info in my link you can use grub. And I just found out too about a week ago.