Any Slacker running tripple boot?

NightSky · 06-10-2015, 11:39 PM

@Arcosanti, didn't want to make it first on mbr because its known to over write other os, I really thought I was done with windows. Can't I change Windows boot settings so it is not 0x80?
@animeresitance, how do I check what ID BIOS is assigning the XP hard drive?

oldtechaa · 06-11-2015, 06:56 AM

You may be able to solve it by switching the SATA ports the drives are connected to, because Windows likes to be the first drive. The boot order can remain the same, though. However, this will change the location (sda, sdb, etc.) of things and require changing some configurations in Slackware, which will require a step-by-step guide. I'm sure we can help you along with that. If you decide to do this, let us know.

The configuration step can be skipped if you just want to reinstall Slackware, but I don't know if that's an option for you.

bassmadrigal · 06-11-2015, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldtechaa

However, this will change the location (sda, sdb, etc.) of things and require changing some configurations in Slackware, which will require a step-by-step guide.

It should just require changing /etc/lilo.conf and /etc/fstab

oldtechaa · 06-11-2015, 02:43 PM

@bassmadrigal,
Do you think that it's better to edit these before shutting down and switching ports or after, with a live disk (and broken LILO

)? I don't like to presume the locations of things or potentially confuse LILO, so I do it with a live disk, which is more complicated, but what do you think?

Arcosanti · 06-11-2015, 03:32 PM

[QUOTE=NightSky;5375411]@Arcosanti, didn't want to make it first on mbr because its known to over write other os, I really thought I was done with windows. Can't I change Windows boot settings so it is not 0x80?

As far as I know that is only an issue if you install Windows after the other OS is installed. Once Windows is installed it shouldn't be an issue. If I was doing this, I'd back up the MBR with the dd command or a program that deals with MBR's (found on some boot cd's Hiren's for instance). Do the Windows install and then use the the external boot media to restore the MBR. Then just add in windows to LILO. As for advising you on SATA's, I've never had a desktop that used SATA. I'm only familiar with the older EIDE on desktops. Now days I use laptops that have easy to remove hard drives. So if I want to boot into XP, which I sometimes do, I shut down or hibernate the current OS and then switch hard drives. Reboot and I'm in XP. As for getting rid of Windows completely, as long as you use certain commercial software or non open source software, you will never be fully rid of Windows. I'm in that situation as well. I do run some of my Windows software in Wine though and a lot of it runs quite well. Some of it either runs with some functionality disabled or not at all. Usually it has something to do with Direct X. I'm hoping to get Mesa 10.x with Direct X 9 support and a patched Wine to use that support. I'm hoping that will reduce my need for Windows even more. If not down right eliminate the need.

NightSky · 06-11-2015, 05:49 PM

Bumber

First thank you all. Well if I have no other option? @oldtechaa by switching ports you, do you mean making windows sda & slackware sdb? I still have ubuntu to install on a third drive. Should I stay with lilo or migrate to grub, never used it? I'm ambivalent about WindowsXP. Someone had suggested to just install ubuntu & let grub handle booting all three OS, make it sound so easy, then u try it & run into all kinds of issues.lol Is ubuntu, as easy as, xp? Down the line virtualization isn't off the table but its another learning project. What do you think? Please point me in the direction of Guides & Tutorials.

Arcosanti · 06-11-2015, 07:33 PM

You could go with Ubuntu for to use grub although I recommend Linux Mint. I hear Ubuntu spies on your use of the computer like Windows. Ubuntu and Mint which is based on Ubuntu is practically plug and play for the most part. The only thing I hate about them is that it is difficult to make changes to the system. Alternatively you can compile and install grub in Slackware. I just did it with grub-1.99 since I am using Slackware 13.37 at the moment. You can find it here:

ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grub/

I would suggest the 2.0 version. I had to go with 1.99 as I am using an older Slackware. It's very easy to compile and install. Just unpack it someplace and enter the directory the source is in and issue the following in a terminal:

Code:

./configure
make
sudo make install

After looking over grub's config file, It is very similar to lilo. You shouldn't have too much of a problem in using grub if you want to go that way. Also be sure to add a symlink to /dev and call it root. It should point to your root filesystem. You will also want to read the manual on how to set it up or you will have problems.

yancek · 06-11-2015, 07:33 PM

In an earlier post, you indicate that you are able to select xp from the Slackware boot menu using Lilo. You then get a black screen/blinking cursor. That would indicate to me that there are problems with the xp bootloader.

If you have Slackware on sda, xp on sdb and want to put Ubuntu on the third drive it will likely show as sdc. When you begin the install, you will have several installation options. One of them is referred to as "Something Else". This is the manual option and the one you will need. As far as installing the bootloader, Grub will default to installing to the MBR of the first drive, sda since it is unlikely your old xp machine is UEFI. This will show on screen under the option "Device for bootloader installation" and you will need to manually change that to /dev/sdc if that is what your third drive shows as. Then to boot, you would need to set that third drive to first boot priority in your BIOS. The installation of Grub should detect both xp and Slackware.

oldtechaa · 06-11-2015, 08:55 PM

@NightSky,
That's what I mean, yes. Just switching the physical ports on the motherboard should make the BIOS report drives in a different order, Windows will be happy, Slackware should still be the boot drive, and the only things to change are two files in Slackware. If you're very fortunate, it might not change any drive "names" (e.g. sda), but will still make Windows happy.

I know exactly the kind of black screen/flashing cursor you have. I had it too before I added the "map-drive" commands. But I'm on IDE

still, so I could just easily put Windows on master, but make Slackware bootable.

animeresistance · 06-13-2015, 12:29 AM

Sorry for the late reply ...

Well about the disks IDs, just go to your bios and look for CMOS options, usually the one that has ID 0 is the disk that boots, in other words, the disk that boots is the 0x80, but I was remembering that changing the 0x80 to 0x81 works on IDE, but i'm not sure it works on sata disks (It looks that doesn't work :P ), sorry, my bad.

About the switching, oldtecha, could be right and make winbug$ happy. Or you could install ubuntu or mint to use grub and boot the 3 disks. Hope it goes smoothly and you can have your 3 OS working. Please let us know

SCerovec · 06-13-2015, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcosanti

You are probably going to have to move XP to /dev/sda and Slackware to /dev/sdb in order to get XP to boot correctly. Windows in general doesn't support booting from anywhere other than the primary hard drive and the primary partition of that hard drive. Linux supports booting from anywhere. So it makes more sense to have XP on the primary drive and Linux on the secondary drive. With that said, is there any particular reason you are trying to boot XP off of /dev/sdb?

my 2c here

:
Xp can be installed like anywhere partition-wise as long a single rule is followed:
XP has to know where it's "system partition" is and it has to have the propper drive letter - which is to some extent tricky to adjust by human:

Quote:

have it installed on the right final place in the first place

XP likes clean install anyway as a best measure against it's inherent entropy feature.
Therefrom You go business as usual:
Make Your Slackware boot:
boot from Your DVD into the Slackware's init-level 1 (S) You have a hint at DVD boot (or whatever You booted from)
Get Your LILO (or Grub or whatever You like (syslinux?)) to point to:
- Your Slackware's root & kernel and
- Your XP partition (rootnoverify & chainloader or whatever)
by using liloconfig or grubconfig utilities "out of the box" in slackware (grub is shipped in "extra" or "testing" series of salckware)

Therefrom You choose the third distro (i tend to suggest Mint but YMMV) and just install it "custom wise" to manually choose where it "roots" and where from it boots (The same MBR of out XP drive as is now- I would suggest)

there You would end up with the boot manager of that third distro

Now if You like Slackware control boot:
boot into Slackware - become root and reconfigure it's boot-loader again
either by <bootloader>config tool
or
by hand (/etc/lilo.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst)

do have fun

P.S.
I did have quad boot on Windows on dual HDD setup back then so i sort of know what i talk about here

P.P.S.
and yes I do have a multi-boot now @home with W7+XP+S14.0+S14.1+Porteus (or is it now Arch?) and i find my way around boot/part/mbr/rescue/readme and the gang

NightSky · 06-13-2015, 12:37 PM

Thank you all...
@SCerovec

Quote:

- Your XP partition (rootnoverify & chainloader or whatever)

Here is my slackware /boot/ = /dev/sda1 & slackware /root/=sda8
This is my windows boot.init:

Code:

bash-4.2# cat boot.ini
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

I'm going to try editing window's boot loader. Easiest test first.

yancek · 06-13-2015, 03:18 PM

The sample boot.ini files at the microsoft site below would indicate that your boot.ini is looking for xp on the first partition of the first drive and from what you indicated above, that is not the case if it is on sdb. Haven't used windows in too long so won't make any suggestions on how to repair this.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/289022

NightSky · 06-13-2015, 09:22 PM

I'm a little overwhelmed. Wound up with hardware config error after changing windows boot.ini . Not happy about Ubuntu spying on me - only reason I was considering it was because it is used Adroid Development Tutorials :/
Have lots of info. here to test. F8 does give me an option to boot either hdd... still i get a hardware config error if I choose windows.

enorbet · 06-15-2015, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NightSky

I'm a little overwhelmed. Wound up with hardware config error after changing windows boot.ini . Not happy about Ubuntu spying on me - only reason I was considering it was because it is used Adroid Development Tutorials :/
Have lots of info. here to test. F8 does give me an option to boot either hdd... still i get a hardware config error if I choose windows.

Can you post the exact error message? Guessing I'd say that the greatest likelihood is that you rendered a mistaken drive/partition identifier. It has been so long since I had to mess with Windows I am no longer certain if x version of windoes uses y format for designation. The most common error results from

1) not knowing whether your version numbers beginning with "0" or "1" eg in XP64 the line looks like this

Code:

 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS

which reveals "0" is 1st and "1" = 2nd and so on.

2) not knowing if you have a separate /boot partition or where it is located. The line above must point to the partition housing the /boot partition, if you have one. If you tried to fix it with some app like EasyBCD and used it incorrectly you could have 2 "boot.ini" files, one on root and one on some other /boot partition. You possibly need a LiveCD (I like Hirens Bootcd but there are lots of them and depending upon what country you reside Hirens may still be greyware for you so you should take the proper precautions you would with any fundamental software) since most people find it helpful to see a graphic of the disks and partitions but it isn't hard to do the job with fdisk from Salcakware's Install Disk prompt from where you can boot just about anything if you follow the example and know your designating data (eg: /dev/sdb2 for example) or simply boot to Slack term and use fdisk or cfdisk.

Those will show you locations and status such as file system and bootflag. That Slackware boot prompt is very useful since you can even get away with trial and error without fear of damage as long as you use the ro readonly flag. The only complications there are if you have more than one hdd and use boot order to select which drive to boot from. That flips a dev/sda for example into a /dev/sdb for that session. Any information about what exactly you're working with and what messages you get will make this much easier.

PS - I'm a little confused since the OP was years ago if this is still an active fix request or just curiosity.