Just installed openSuSE, but no grub offered. Where are my other OS's???

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:36 PM

Pretty self-explanitory:

I installed openSuSE 11.3. Now, I don't get a grub screen when I boot up, my machine just boots openSuSE..

How do I get my grub back, and keep all the other OS's in tact?

(Kubuntu, Ubuntu, Salix, Sabayon, are all waiting there somewhere....)

markush · 12-20-2010, 04:39 PM

Which version of grub are you using? and in which Linuxinstallation is/was it configured?

Markus

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:41 PM

It's grub2. ?0.92 or 1.92 or something...?

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:44 PM

I first made grub with Kubuntu, on /dev/sda1. On all installations I have grub written to /dev/sda, but with this installation I do not recall an option presented for grub... I wonder if it even matters...

markush · 12-20-2010, 04:45 PM

Well, if it's the old version of Grub(0.9?) you can chroot into the distribution where Grub is installed and run the "grub-install" command again, be sure to insert the new Suse to the menu.lst.

Markus

markush · 12-20-2010, 04:47 PM

The new version of Grub (2.?) doesn't have a menu.lst file, everything works automatically.
I've used it without success and had to overwrite the bootsector in order to get my system boot again.

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:47 PM

Sorry, but Im lost.

My grub is grub2, whether that version number above is correct or not.

I dont understand chroot...

markush · 12-20-2010, 04:50 PM

Actually you'll need Grub only on one distribution and let it write on /dev/sda. There is however one limitation, if you have 64bit and 32bit systems on one and the same computer, you cannot boot 32bit systems with Grub from a 64bit system and vice versa.

Markus

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:53 PM

Also, within my file manager, I can access all the other partitions, except 1. I can not access (it does not see) /dev/sda3, which is a media storage partition, formatted in FAT32, so I can use the HDD in other machines with that big proprietary "broken-window" OS.

That drive would be nice to have back. I recall mount-options during openSuSE's installation, and by default /dev/sda3 (FAT32) was set for mount point: /win, or something like that. I probably didn't need to put a mount point there.

After a year with Linux, I'm still just a noob...

markush · 12-20-2010, 04:54 PM

Well, I'll help you. In order to chroot from Suse to Kubuntu, you'll have to mount the / partition of Kubuntu anywhere in the filesystem, for example /mnt/kubuntu

Code:

mount /dev/sda? /mnt/kubuntu

if you have a separate /boot partition with Kubuntu, you may mount that as well. Then

Code:

mount -t proc none /mnt/kubuntu/proc
mount -o bind /dev /mnt/kubuntu/dev
chroot /mnt/kubuntu /bin/bash

that's it. Now you are in your Kubuntusystem, here you can edit /boot/grub/menu.lst and execute the "grub-install" command.

Markus

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:57 PM

I make sure that I DL 64-bit .ISOs ONLY. I just checked all my ISO discs, and all are labeled as 64-bit.

Is there any use for Super Grub2? I have that ISO on a disc.

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 04:58 PM

Just to clarify, I only set mount-points for my distros as:

Quote:

/

Bhakta Neal · 12-20-2010, 05:01 PM

Root terminal:

Quote:

honeybear@linux:~> su -
Password:
linux:~ # mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/kubuntu
mount: mount point /mnt/kubuntu does not exist

Now what?!

markush · 12-20-2010, 05:01 PM

mh, I don't know what you mean, but in order to access one distribution from within another, you'll have to mount it anywhere in the filesystem, so you should create any empty directory, for example /mnt/kubuntu

Markus

markush · 12-20-2010, 05:02 PM

well

Code:

sudo mkdir /mnt/kubuntu

Markus