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I am sure this has been covered here, but I guess my search was not helping me. Let me explain:
I have been trying out a number of distro's, and it seems that debian based ones "take" on my hardware very nicely (Ubuntu excellent, my default), then Mepis (KDE)
I have the following hardware: HP Compaq nw8240 with these partitions:
hda1 Winxp
hda5 FAT32
hda6 MEPIS 3.4.3 (BTW ATI fglx configured out of the box, well done!)
hda7 swap (for both linuxes)
hda8 (Ubuntu 5.10)
This is how it started: WinXp, then installed Ubuntu on hda8. Ubuntu installed GRUB on MBR and was able to dual boot. Now I wanted to try a KDE debian based distro, so I installed Kubuntu, which recognized both winxp and Ubuntu on hda8 and set grub on mbr to triple boot. But, I did not like the look and feel of KDE in kubuntu (seems flacky and not polished like its sister Ubuntu). MEPIS (Ihave used this distro for a while, and I fell the workmanship is classy IMO). So I installed MEPIS on hda6, and by asked me to installed GRUB on MBR which I did.
Now I am unable to "see" Ubuntu in the GRUB menu at boot time. Is it possible to add a item in GRUB menu so that MEPIS grub can can give a option to choose Ubuntu.
Simply go look at the grub.conf (may be called menu.lst) in the Ubuntu partition. Copy the relevant bits to your Mepis equivalent.
This problem can be avoided by installing later distros bootloaders to a partition, which will leave your current setup alone, and you can merge the config files at your leisure.
I appreciate this. I am concerned that there is no boot instructions on the boot partition of Ubuntu.
Here is my Grub menu list from Ubuntu:
Code:
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.12-10-386
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-10-386 root=/dev/hda8 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-10-386
savedefault
boot
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.12-10-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-10-386 root=/dev/hda8 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-10-386
boot
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.12-9-386
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/hda8 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-9-386
savedefault
boot
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.12-9-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/hda8 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-9-386
boot
title Ubuntu, memtest86+
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
boot
### 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 a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1
And here is my grub menu list from MEPIS /boot/grub:
Code:
timeout 15
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1
gfxmenu /boot/grub/message
title MEPIS at hda6, kernel 2.6.15-1-586tsc
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-586tsc root=/dev/hda6 nomce quiet vga=791
title Windows at hda1
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
title MEMTEST
kernel /boot/memtest86.bin
Could you show me what exactly to cut and paste where?
Again, this is very much appreciated. I do not want to make a mistake.
best wishes,
Smiley
Just take the first two stanzas - you can paste them (almost) anywhere. Prior to the Windows stanza would make most sense. Mepis will still be the default boot if it is the first stanza.
So even if there is not boot instructions on this partition, will I be able to boot to Ubuntu on hda8? Okay I will give it a try and come back to let you know, Thanks
As I suspected, adding those 2 stanza to the MEPIS grub menu, did not work. What happens is this: MEPIS grub menu has the new entries of Ubuntu; so I choose Ubuntu, this now enters another GRUB menu (same on as the above), and loops infinitely when Ubuntu is selected. When I choose MEPIS (first entry), it boots into MEPIS.
Did the comment out "boot". It did not boot (loops agin). But I tried recovery mode and it booted into text mode and I started x startx. Gave me error message "unable to initialize HAL".
Do you think I should reinstall MEPIS and load the GRUB onto boot sector of root partition. Do you think my old grub will "come back".
But then I will lose Grub on MBR and not be able to boot onto anything???. I am soooooo lost!
Help.
Last edited by smiley_lauf; 02-25-2006 at 10:54 PM.
I even tried using the chainloader approach (cut and pasted the stanza with windows chnailoader anc ahnged the drive to hda(0,7). But it is not working at at all. I am really stuck now.
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STUCK: GRUB issue and multiple boot
