Slackware64-current on a second HD.
 

Hello!

I am planning to install Slackware64-current on my second sata HD.
On the first one I have winxp and Debian64. Grub is the bootloader.

I want to make sure my system keeps on working after installing Slackware64. So, I need to install Slackware not deleting Grub wich resides on the MBR of the first sata drive.

As far as I know, there are two possible schemes (I've gathered this info from Debian forums):

a) Install Slackware on the second HD (/; SWAP and /home) and letting lilo install on the same drive. After that, I would have to add a stanza in Grub for Slackware. That way if I have to update the kernel for Slackware, I will not need to modify the stanza in Grub.

b) Installing Slackware on my second hard disk, saying no to LILO bootloader and then adding a stanza in Grub for Slackware manually.

At the end, I would like to be able to choose among Debian, winxp and Slackware in Grub.

Please, let me know your suggestion/s and what would you add to Grub in any of those cases.

Thank you!
Glore2002.-

install lilo to root partition of slackware and chainload from grub. I don't think the grub used by debian will boot a partition formated by slackware.

Thanks for your advice. How should I chainload from Grub? What should I add to Grub?

title slackware
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

Thanks again! What about the filesystem for Slackware if I do things this way? Should I use ext4 or ext3? Will grub be able to chainload any of those filesystems?

grub will chainload either one, however may have trouble mounting ext4 file system from inside your debian distro, but not for sure.

Thank you. I will then go for ext3.

This is the option I have used many times.

When I am feeling uncertain, I unplug my primary hard drive and then install a new distro to the second drive. Of course, the distro thinks this is the only drive, which is true at the moment. Fortunately, almost all distros nowadays use grub. I let the distro install grub to the MBR of the second drive.

I then reboot with both hard drives enabled. I copy and paste the "new" grub menu.lst options into my existing grub menu.lst on my first hard drive. I need to remember to edit the pasted text to refer to the second hard drive (hd1).

Helping this process is that I maintain a separate /boot partition.