Triple Boot or Dual with Fedora, no CD boot
 

In a nutshell, I want to try Fedora, but the laptop I am wanting to use refuses to boot from CD regardless of what I do. It also does not have the option to boot from USB.

I have installed Ubuntu (10) as a dual boot (or rather Ubuntu cleverly did!). This was possible as the install works within windows (the drive itself does work, just cannot boot from it).

I would have preferred Fedora but there isn't an image available that will create the dual boot in the same way as Ubuntu (that I am aware of).

ANYWAY - anybody got any ideas how I could get Fedora on here? I guess I could create a partition for it and copy soem sort of 'live' image there, and maybe add this to GRUB for triple boot, but I don't know if this is feasible or how to do it.

Any help gratefully received! Be gentle on me though - I am new to Linux and want to try something different to the monster that is Windows!! :)

hey muckybucket

so, you do have grub installed or no?

if you have grub/lilo, even the dindows boot loader
you can use Plop bootmanager executable "plpbt"
it can/will boot hdd, usb, cdrom, usb-cdrom, etc
even on pc's that wont boot a usb,etc

This is how I boot usb's, etc off my PC I make most of my distro's on
it cant boot from usb, but plop goes around BIOS

anyway, heres link to one I use
Download> plpbt

it doesn't install anywhere or anything
just put it in boot folder
just add this to grub1 or grub2

Grub Legacy

Grub2

make sure you set the UUID number for grub2 (the blue line^)
if you put it in ubuntu's boot folder
just use ubuntus grub entry and edit as above
remember to use "linux16" for grub2

then you can put fedora on the stick and install

Thanks, I'll try that! I think I have GRUB, when the machine boots, initially I get a choice between XP and Ubuntu. When I choose Ubuntu I get the list of previous versions, or if I choose XP it boots straight into windows.

OK
do you ubuntu installed into windows?
like wubi or pubuntu?

or are you dual-booting?
a seperate partition for ubuntu?

What/where is 'grub1' or 'grub2'? Have a file called 'grub' in the grub folder in boot...

you should have a file named grub.conf or menu.lst?
in /boot/grub

open either and copy/paste it into your next post

I have grub.cfg in boot/grub/

Copied here:

#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by /usr/sbin/grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ ${prev_saved_entry} ]; then
set saved_entry=${prev_saved_entry}
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then
saved_entry=${chosen}
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}
if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_lupin ###
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.32-22-generic" {
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2c7817167816df00
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-22-generic root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-22-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.32-22-generic (recovery mode)" {
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2c7817167816df00
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-22-generic root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-22-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.32-21-generic" {
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2c7817167816df00
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.32-21-generic (recovery mode)" {
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2c7817167816df00
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_lupin ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Microsoft Windows XP Professional (on /dev/sda1)" {
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2c7817167816df00
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

OK

looks like its mounting ubuntu loopback...

so, where is the /boot/grub folder?
inside windows?
I dont have windows thats why I ask:)

if you find the ubutnu /boot folder
put plpbt in there
and add this to your grub.conf

I loaded Ubuntu into Windows, so it exists within there... What I really wanted to do was to create two partitions and load Fedora on one, Ubuntu on the other...

I'll try that!

OK

so, you wanna do a true multiboot setup
with windows and linux* on different partitions?

Please post specs about your PC
AND do you have a windows recovery cd?
and backup your files on windows somewhere safe(usb)

Getting 'unknown command Linux16' error

Yes, I would like to know how to create a true multi boot machine! What has stopped me so far is the inability of the machine in question to boot from CD or USB...

System is a Toshiba Tecra laptop (A3)
Memory 740.7 MiB
Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 1.73GHz
Hard Disk around 80gb I think

Running XP normally...

OK

did you add Plop to the grub.conf?

and you ready or still gotta backup stuff?

still getting the linux16 error