I am setting up my computer to boot win xp, along with the suse 9.1 that is currently installed. I didn't want to mess with partitioning so I added another hard drive. I made the new hard drive the primary one (where the linux drive was). and installed xp on it.
I am set up the boot loader through YAST to make linux now boot from hdb rather than hda (I'm booting off a cdrom) and am not having any success.
Can someone sketch out for me what the steps would be to move linux from hda to hdb (the steps in YAST) to do this?

Would it be easier to make windows the second hard drive and do the map(hd1, hd0) thing in the GRUB setup?

- Ian

all you need to do is set up the grub file- manually editing it is best. you just need to tell linux where it is- and install grub on the mbr. the grub manual is extremely useful- check it out here:
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html

you can change the harddrive order so that one is hda and one is hdb- you could try the map thing in grub. again, the manual is VERY useful.

the only way to put both on hda (with data on hdb for example) would need a complete reinstall and repartion.

hope this helps! I really reccomend editing the grub file by hand- it's easy, and even easier on reading the manual.

titanium_geek

I'm a bit confused (sorry)

I was under the impression that the Win XP MBR can't be replaced without screwing things up - yet isn't this what GRUB does once have configured it?

Suppose I have a 2 HD setup with Win XP on the first one, and linux on the second. What do I put in the GRUB and should I let GRUB alter the MBR on the first HD?

BTW - I have read the online GRUB manual and am still confused. I would just rather understand this thoroughly before I dive into it.

- Ian

It definitely CAN! Just use your SuSE install disk and boot up from it. Select installation=>Repair Installed System=>Automatic Repair
It will fix broken packages as well as broken bootsector of Grub, searching for additional OS and overwriting existing Grub

While I am getting this to work, can't I set up GRUB to boot first off a floppy, then when everything is working fine, set it up on the MBR of hd0?

Wouldn't this be a relatively safe way of getting it right?

- Ian

You are absolutly and totaly correct Ian!

When I was messing with having 4 linuxs and a windows (sounds like 4 weddings and a funeral- that's about right... ) I put grub on a floppy (the manual talks about putting grub on a floppy) and booted from that. This was because I liked slackware's way of doing things, and while it was the first one to install, (apart from windows) it was the one to configure grub.

The easiest way to get windows and linux choices, is to use grub- rather than XP's mbr bootloader.

go with the floppy, make two and mess around with one untill you get it how you like it.

titanium_geek

Do you recommend just staying with GRUB on the floppy (since I can't remember the last time I used the floppy drive for anything).?

Or, once I get everything set up and working fine off the floppy doing an install into the MBR or hd0 (where WinXP resides).

The floppy seems like a decidedly safer route to go (though sub-optimal).

Thanks, by the way for the feedback.

- ian

like I said, put grub on a floppy, and keep it there if you please. However, since floppies are old and unreliable technology, you would have to have fiftymillion backup floppies.

so, mess with the floppies till you are confident that you have it right. Then, put it on the harddrive (yes, over the XP stuff- you will have been sidestepping the XP stuff to boot XP using the floppy anyway) and you should be good to go! and if it screws up, you still have the floppy untill you can fix it.

titanium_geek

My $.02: (An alternative solution.)

I overwrite "Winders" MBR's for people all the time, but I really appreciate your discomfort w/ the idea. I don't bother much w/ preservation because most folks only have 1 drive & don't want to mess w/ a floppy or CD.

Since you have 2 HD's, consider this:

1. Swap the HD's -- i.e. make SuSE the master & "Winders" the slave.
2. Leave the M$ MBR alone.
3. Put GRUB on the MBR of the SuSE drive.
4. If GRUB doesn't detect "Winders" (but it often does), edit /boot/grub/menu.lst to include a "Winders" stanza like this:
   Code:

   title     XP
   root      (hd1)
   makeactive
   chainloader +1

Notes

• "title" is whatever you want, except leading whitespace is ignored.
• "(hd1)" in GRUB-speak points to the MBR, "(hd1,n)" would point to a specific partition.
• "makeactive" is not always necessary, but "Winders" sometimes insists on it, so the safe thing to do is put it in.
• I always use the "one page" html version of the GRUB manual on gnu.org -- it's easier to search.

Alternatively, you can set your BIOS to boot IDE-1, & then you will need a /boot/grub/device.map that looks like this: As usual, if you already know this stuff, I'm not talking down, just writing for a larger audience as well as practicing my teaching skills.

Good luck.

This (the scheme proposed by archtoad) seemed like a good, simple way to go. I tried it last night.

I swapped the order of my hard drives back to original (suse on hda, xp on hdb).
Instead of going through YAST, I just manually edited menu.lst and added the section shown for xp.

The MBR on hdb has been left alone.

When I tried to boot xp, I got an 'error = 12' and something about an unknown filesystem.

Shouldn't this work? I read the manual and am not sure what I am doing wrong.

- Ian

I think I see whats wrong. Shouldn't it be 'rootnoverify' instead of 'root'?

Yes, sometimes 'root' works, but 'rootnoverify' is safer. Sorry, I forgot. Been "Winders" free since the end of May.

I did a quick check in the GRUB Manual: 14 Error messages reported by GRUB
I think this is consistent w/ the need for 'rootnoverify'.

Everything seems to work now

the final menu.lst paragraph was

title XP
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1)
chainloader +1

One final question (sorry, a bit more of a windows question...)

Since XP is on the second hard drive, and I am tricking it into thinking it is on the first, I was wondering if I can safely think I am in the clear if it boots ok. Does the hard drive access (ie through BIOS or not) vary with the application? The only apps I know of that use their own disk drivers are databases - but then, I know next to nothing about windows.


Thanks to all for the advice. -

Ian

I'm pretty sure if "Winders" boots, it has been properly "tricked" & will be fine.

If you run into more problems. post back here, I (& probably the others) will be notified by e-mail. -- Even if it were weeks from now.