I've read a bunch about Fedora and XP dual boot. Has anyone successfully added a new HD and installed Fedora Core X and kept the primary HD for RH90 ?

My RH90 is on hda

I'm installing Fedora Core 4 on hdd

I elected not to update the GRUB and I added the grub lines myself.

I can give more details if necessary. The bottom line is that it seems to start to boot and then hangs. I can still boot my RH90, thank goodness.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Did you also not go to "Advanced" & install GRUB to hdb?

What do "fdisk -l" and /boot/grub/menu.lst look like?

Don't worry, this should be easy to fix.

This was my second try. I opted to not install a grub on hdd (because I tried the grub the first time - minus the Advanced options, which I missed and it didn't work). I also was using the LVM so went to straight ext3 for hdd.

I don't mind installing again. I'm not sure my grub is correct, but whatever kernel is booting hangs with the following last lines.
EXT3-fs: mounted file system with ordered data mode.
Switching to new root
unmounting old /proc
unmounting old /sys
input: ImPS/2 Logitech Wheel Mouse on isa0060/serio1

BELOW is the other information you asked for.
Thanks - Janet



fdisk -l gives me (hdd is my Fedora Core4, hda has RH90 various 2.4 kernels ):

Disk /dev/hdd: 100.2 GB, 100256292864 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 12188 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdd1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hdd2 14 143 1044225 82 Linux swap
/dev/hdd3 144 12188 96751462+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hdd2 14 9599 76999545 83 Linux
/dev/hdd3 9600 9729 1044225 82 Linux swap

My /boot/grub/menu.lst is:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda2
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=2
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title FEDORA
root (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.img
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.21-4.ELsmp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.21-4.ELsmp ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.21-4.ELsmp.img
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.21-4.EL)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.21-4.EL ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.21-4.EL.img
title Red Hat Linux with RTLinuxPRO (2.4.25-6smpRTL)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /bzImage-2.4.25-6smpRTL
noinitrd
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-6smp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6smp ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6smp.img
title Red Hat Linux-up (2.4.20-6)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6.img

Then how did you get the answers I asked for? I hope it's only a problem when you try to boot FC4. On that assumption -- RH9 still works -- here goes:


First, let's see if a simple menu.lst (/boot/grub/menu.lst) change will do the trick:

Edit your Fedora stanza: changing "root (hd1,0)" to "root (hd3,0)":
Next, if you want to see the entire FC4 GRUB menu as it would have been installed, try to repair the boot loader w/ the FC4 Install disk. Just make sure that you put it (GRUB) on hdd not hda. Use the "Advanced" button in the GRUB questions.

If you do decide to do a full re-install, watch for that "Advanced" button in the GRUB questions. Click that & choose the option that puts GRUB on hdd, preferably in the MBR.


After either of the last two is done, you will need edit your Fedora stanza in /menu.lst (The RH one on hda.) from: to:
This will cause the GRUB on the MBR of hda (installed by RH) to transfer control to the GRUB on the MBR of hdd (installed by FC). If FC puts GRUB on the root sector (sometimes called the PBR) of hdd1, then "root (hd3)" becomes "root (hd3,0)".

There is also the possibility of drive mapping issues, but I think that unlikely since "root (hd1,0)" isn't working.

Changing the Fedora grub to (hd3,0) gives me the following:

Booting 'FEDORA'
root (hd3,0)
Error 21: Selected disk does not exist

Press any key to continue ...


Yes, I could still boot to RH9 that's how I saw the grub menu.lst and did the fdisk.

I'm assuming that I now need to do the next thing you suggest. I'll post when I'm finished. I've got some other stuff I have to do too.

Thanks,
Janet

From the GRUB Manual specifically 14 Error messages reported by GRUB
This may be a mapping problem.

I've reinstalled Fedora Core4 with the Advanced options and the grub.conf change to go to hd3 ( root(hd3) ). I still get the

Error 21: Selected disk does not exist
Press any key to continue...

So, I'm figuring it's a mapping problem. I did have to manually mount hdd in RH90 in order to see the disk. This may have been an early clue ...

So, I'll be looking at what to do in this case. Any suggestions I'll gladly follow.

Thanks,
Janet

I've got grub 0.93 which came with RH90. Does anyone know if this version has a bug which is why the BIOS sees my HD and the grub does not.

If so, what grub should I update to (or revert to)? And I am really afraid of doing this for fear of not being able to boot my RH90 (where all my work currently is). So, are there good instructions?

Thanks,
Janet

Janet,

Sorry to take so long to post again -- I had a hard drive crash on my firewall & had to rebuild it from the hardware up. Haven't been able to even look at my pending LQ directory for a week. I'll try to organize my thoughts & post before another week goes by.

I got it taken care of. I thought I'd noted that. Forgive me. Grub was fine. I ended up making the Fedora my primary hard drve and the RH90 the secondary. I didn't do that originally because of messing around with the cabling.