Edit Grub
 

Why do you get a blank window when trying to edit grub with vi

what file are you trying to edit? What Distro?

I'm in a Linux Secuirty class and the question is: "Why do you get a blank screen when trying to edit grub with vi?" I have Fedoria 17 installed on Workstation 9 VM

Type command to Edit the grub file.

#vim /etc/grub.conf

Yes, but the question is why is the window blank?

Let me ask you this, Does the file exist that you are attempting to open?

It's a question in a textbook I do not have the System running currently.

Have you executed the command? #vim /etc/grub.conf

Please execute it if you have problem. then paste the error message.

The general rule of thumb is home work questions aren't allowed on this forum, but I have seen excxeptions to the rule. I Don't know if this one would qualify as an expection. Some things to consider are:
1. grub consist of several files and directorys to work, just not one file, so is vague.
2.Since this is a linux security class the answer may have something to do with permissions.

Homework questions are in fact allowed, but it is expected that the member who asks them shows us what he has done before and where the problems are, we want to see that the member makes an effort himself. The member can't expect from us that we make the homework for him, but of course we will try to help if there are problems that the meber can't solve.
So reading a question in a textbook and then asking here without even trying it once is not the way to go.

I wasn't sure what the policy was on homework. I have seen other posts that has indicated that answering home work questions was frowned on so I was hesitant about giving any definite answers. I had done a google search and didn't find any thing that stood out as a quick answer before replying. Since most questions in text books relate to what is being studied and taking in to account the little bit I know about grub, I wasn't real sure what the question was asking to begin with and therefore did not give what I believed would be the correct answer.

I think we'd need a bit more context of the qn, as it doesn't immediately make sense to me.
However, in Centos/RHEL etc its /boot/grub/grub.conf (symlinked from /boot/grub/menu.lst).
I could guess why the qn is phrased that way, but I think I've given enough hints here .. ;)

The default /boot/grub/grub.conf in fedora represents the following.

title Installation
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-install
initrd /initrd.img-install

if not then the /boot/grub/grub.conf file is edited (or) moved to some other /data files.
so your are getting a blank window.

Definitely permissions; just played a bit in Ubuntu to simulate. Up to Carl1968 to figure out which ones and how ;)

BTW A standard setup in Ubuntu does not show the behaviour of 'empty file'