multiple distros&grub

devil28 · 04-11-2005, 01:15 PM

hi people,
I have added a second distro (kubuntu) to my box running xp and simply mepis. I have a problem with grub/,menue.list. he wouldnt add kubuntu to the list even though he recognized it when writing grub to mbr. so I edited menue.list manually. here is what i wrote

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.10-5-686
root (hd1,10)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.10-5-686 root=/dev/hdd11 ro quiet splash=verbose vga=791
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.10-5-686
savedefault
boot

I always get error 15: file not found
my box is amd64 and so is the distro, root is on hdd11, home is on hdd10. so what could be wrong with this? Is it possible,that every distro gets only their own entry in their menue.list,because right now I got both entries in both menue.list?
Ive been after this for 8 hours now on different forums and I can hardly type the same thing anymore so please help. no more ideas left here.

thxx

mikieboy · 04-11-2005, 03:23 PM

The first line of your menu.lst says root (hd1,10)
This doesn't match the partition described in the kernel line, root=/dev/hdd11
If root is on /dev/hdd11, then the first line should read root (hd3,10) i.e. the eleventh partition on the fourth drive.
If root (hd1,10) is correct, then root=/dev/hdb11
For Grub, you always subtract 1 from your drive or partition number. So, for instance, if root was on the third partition of the first hard drive you would have root (hd0,2). But root=/dev/hda3. Hope this is clear enough.

Also, the identification of root partition in Grub must match that of your /etc/fstab

devil28 · 04-12-2005, 01:58 AM

I had the same thoughts as you about hdd being hd3, but mepis is on hde and thats hd2 in my menue list and it works. so my only conclusion was that hdd must be hd1, the more so cause there is no hda or hdb in my fstab, it starts of with hdc being winxp, kubuntu is on hdd and mepis on hdd. I might try your hint with hd3, but that wouldnt be logical at all. see what happens.

thxx

syg00 · 04-12-2005, 02:24 AM

If something like a CD is on the first interface, and the disks on the second interface, the hard disks will shows as /dev/hdc and /dev/hdd - even though grub will see them as hd0 and hd1. Confusing maybe, but logical - grub (normally) only cares about hard disks and floppies.

I suspect the problem is the /boot in the kernel path.
How about you post the entire menu.lst - uneditted.
Maybe also a list of /dev/hda11, and it's boot directory as well.

devil28 · 04-12-2005, 02:46 AM

here we go:

timeout 15
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1
splashimage /boot/grub/boot.xpm.gz

title SphinxOS 4.0 mit hde9, Kernel 2.6.7
kernel (hd2,8)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.7 root=/dev/hde9 nomce psmouse.proto=imps quiet splash=verbose vga=791
initrd (hd2,8)/boot/initrd.splash
savedefault

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.10-5-686
root (hd1,10)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.10-5-686 root=/dev/hdd11 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.10-5-686
savedefault
boot

title Windows auf hdc1
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
savedefault

title MEMTEST
kernel /boot/memtest86.bin
I dont really know how to copy the contents of hd11 under linux yet. is there something like a snapshot-tool? its probably console, but more than simple commands are to much for now, so if you could give me a line?

Azzath · 04-12-2005, 06:00 AM

goto hda11 (as super user) and that will be something like

Code:

# mount /dev/hda11 /mnt/(where your mounting it)

Code:

#cd /mnt/(where your mounting it)

then

Code:

#cat < /boot/grub/menu.1st

you should now get all the menu.1st configuration
select all from your mouse and copy it,

after copying it go to grub/menu.lst that you want to edit using an editor (can be emacs or vi)

Code:

#emacs menu.lst

paste and edit the way you want it and save the buffer and close the editor

and now reboot.
Should work...
I am sorry if i am not very clear to you. I am Bad @ explaining.
Good Luck

syg00 · 04-13-2005, 03:05 AM

Try something like:

Code:

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.10-5-686
root (hd2,8)
kernel (hd1,10)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.10-5-686 root=/dev/hdd11 ro quiet splash
initrd (hd1,10)/boot/initrd.img-2.6.10-5-686

The root directive is to tell grub where it (i.e. grub) is - I am guessing based on your post.
Specific pathing for kernel and initrd is also a guess based on your post.

Lots of luck

mikieboy · 04-13-2005, 07:25 AM

The root directive is to tell grub where it (i.e. grub) is

It doesn't work like that on my system! That information is in the MBR. The root directive for each of my distros points to the root partition for that distro.

syg00 · 04-14-2005, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikieboy
It doesn't work like that on my system! That information is in the MBR. The root directive for each of my distros points to the root partition for that distro.

It *DOES* work that way on your system. To be more precise it indicates where the boot-loader is installed - including ntldr of course.
The code in the MBR is *VERY* limited - the majority of the Linux code is in (generally) in the /boot directory.

I assume you allowed your latest distro to (re-)install grub. This is not wise - although I am prepared to believe that you may not have had much say in it.
Your configuartion worked in the past because of chance - the order in which you installed your systems.

My recommendation would be to locate the most recently installed grub. Find the menu.lst (maybe grub.conf - generally symlink'd to appear as the same file) of that install.
Update it to have all the systems in it - use the root directive to point at this most recently installed grub for both your Linux systems.
You may need to use the format I showed to explicitly address your "old" Linux system kernel and initrd.

In future installs, don't allow a bootloader to be installed - merely update the current menu.lst manually.
This may be difficult to achieve with the trend to GUI "do-it-all" installers.