I've installed Slackware on the 4th logical partition of my extended partition. Here's the setup:

Primary partition: Windows
Primary partition: FAT32 DATA
Extended:
-ext3 DATA PARTITION
-Mandriva
-Debian
-Slackware
-SWAP

The bootloader (GRUB) was last modified when Debian was installed, that is, everything was installed except Slackware.

I then installed Slackware and chose "NO" when asked if I wanted to install LILO.

I would now like to configure my Debian menu.lst file to boot Slackware.

Here's the /boot/menu.lst file as is:

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-4-k7
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-4-k7 root=/dev/hda7 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-4-k7
savedefault

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-4-k7 (single-user mode)
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-4-k7 root=/dev/hda7 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-4-k7
savedefault

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
#title Other operating systems:
#root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda6.
title mandriva (on /dev/hda6)
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 resume=/dev/hda9 splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,5)/boot/initrd.img
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda6.
title mandriva-nonfb (on /dev/hda6)
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 resume=/dev/hda9
initrd (hd0,5)/boot/initrd.img
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda6.
title mandriva-failsafe (on /dev/hda6)
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 failsafe resume=/dev/hda9
initrd (hd0,5)/boot/initrd.img
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title JE $OUTIEN$ BILL GATE$ : MICRO$OFT WINDOW$ XP PROFE$$IONNEL
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

(END OF /boot/grub/menu.lst FILE)





I was thinking of adding the following at the very beginning of the file:

title SLACKWARE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.33.3 root=/dev/hda8 ro
initrd /boot/?????????
savedefault
boot

I'm not sure about the parts in bold:
- vmlinux-ide-2.4.33.3 OR vmlinuz?
- /boot/???? ...I don't see an initrd file in the /boot directory! diag1.img??
- boot (I don't understand, it's included in the Mandriva entries, but not in the Debian ones)

I used a Knoppix based utility CD to check out what was in the Slackware partition.
Here's what's in the Slackware /boot directory:

System.map-ide-2.4.33.3
config-ide-2.4.33.3
vmlinux-ide-2.4.33.3
System.map
config
vmlinuz
diag1.img
README.initrd

I don't know how to actually read the files or get access to them using the INSERT utility CD from a terminal. I got the information above using "testdisk - find lost partitions".

What would be really helpful is if someone who's using the same Slackware kernel and GRUB copied and pasted their /boot/grub/menu.lst file. That would be a great help!

Many thanks.

P.S. - Before trying anything, would it be possible to try things out from the Grub command line? I believe it's possible to boot entering commands, but I've never done it...

A quick google search for the Slackware README.initrd, and a quick reading, says you probably don't need an initrd unless you upgrade to a 2.6 kernel.

So, with grub installed to the root partition of Slackware, the easiest entry to make in Debians menu.lst is:

itle SLACKWARE
root (hd0,7)
chainloader +1

Chainloader +1 would also work if you decided to switch to the Lilo bootloader in Slackware.

If you insist on doing it the hard way, then try:
itle SLACKWARE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.33.3 root=/dev/hda8 ro
savedefault

or

itle SLACKWARE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda8 ro
savedefault

Note:
vmlinuz is a symlink to vmlinuz-ide-2.4.33.3. Either one will work.
- /boot/???? Apparently not required for a 2.4 kernel per the README.initrd.
- boot (I don't understand, it's included in the Mandriva entries, but not in the Debian ones) -- it's optional.

Not sure about the initrd, but the kernel can be either vmlinuz or vmlinux-ide...

The other option of Slackware booting is to install Slackware's default LILO to the root partition (/dev/hda8). Then you can just "chainload" Slackware.
And yes, you can boot from the Grub prompt. Just use the same commands as are in menu.lst, and use the help files. Write down what you did, so you can create menu.lst after.

--Ian

I tried booting from the 'grub>' prompt.
I've tried several things:
"kernel /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.33.3"
"kernel /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.33.3 root=/dev/hda8 ro"
... I get "Error 15: File not found"

When I do:
"/dev/hda8/boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.33.3"
... I get "Error 2: Bad file or directory type"

I was able to boot from the installation DVD, but it didn't give me Slackware in graphical mode. When I entered "startx", I got graphical mode and was able to use it. Also, before going into graphical mode, I created a normal user, but was then unable to log in as that normal user. I had created a password and everything.

I'd like two things, if possible:
1/ The exact command to run in grub to boot Slackware
2/ The contents of the Slackware menu.lst file... There must be someone out there who has this version of the Slackware kernel installed on their computer... Just copy and paste /boot/grub/menu.lst here (of course, I don't know if there are many people out there using GRUB and Slackware...)

Many thanks to bigrigdriver and IBall for your help.

1. This is one thing I've tried:

grub> root (hd0,7)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

grub> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.33.3 root=/dev/hda8 ro

Error 15: File not found

2. And another:

grub> root (hd0,7)
Filesystem type is...

grub> kernel (hd0,7)/vmlinuz-2.4.33.3

Error 15: File not found


Does something have to be installed onto the Slackware partition for this to work? I could copy and paste Grub files from Debian to Slackware using a USB flash drive...

At this point I feel it's necessary to ask you to show the contents of /etc/fstab: just the part that lists all hard disk partitions. The most recent error message you report
suggests your menu.lst doesn't have the correct partition information for Slackware.

If the entry I suggested earlier
didn't work, either the grub installation in the Slackware partition is at fault, or the partition number is incorrect.

I tried adding...

...to /boot/menu.lst

I then tried to boot from GRUB and got:

There is no bootloader installed on my Slackware partition. I'm absolutely positive that it's the next partition up from Debian and the one the precedes the SWAP partition. It is between Debian and SWAP. Logical Partition No. 8. I don't want to install LILO because I'm afraid it will mess up the rest of my boot configuration. I'd like to use GRUB...

Has anybody out there ever done this?

Many thanks for your help nonetheless bigrigdriver...

I've added this to my menu.lst file, and it does boot, but doesn't really work...

...I don't get a graphical interface. I can log in as a normal user, in which case I cannot get a graphical interface (by running "startx"), or, I can log in as 'su' and I can log into the graphical interface (by running "startx". The message I get when 'normal user' tries to run "startx" is:

The screen then goes black and I get the a little white window in the top left corner which says:

I then get the terminal window back (not a terminal emulator, the actual non-graphical interface) and the following message:

I then press Ctrl. + C to get a prompt...

Another problem I'm having is that when I do get the graphical interface as root, I don't have a working Internet connection. If I did, I could update to a more recent version and try to solve things from there.

I've changed kernels (kernel-generic-2.6.18-i486-1.tgz) and added an initrd file to my Slackware /boot directory. There is a symbolic link to the kernel, i.e., vmlinuz@. I've changed the Debian /boot/grub/menu.lst file as follows:

It does boot, but not in graphical mode. I can login as a normal user in non-graphical mode, but not in graphical mode. I can go into graphical mode, but only as root. Any idea how I might be able to solve this problem?

Many thanks to all...

Some useful sites:

http://www.moschops.co.uk/slackware/...n#Kernel2.6.18
http://www.slackware.com/announce/11.0.php
http://slackware.osuosl.org/slackwar.../README.initrd

Please note that all of this hasn't made any difference really. Same problem with logging in as normal user and root. Graphical mode only possible as root...