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Hi,
I'm running a quite antique Debian-testing from my harddrive. Multiboot is supplied via GRUB-0.99 (not GRUB2) and everything goes flawless. I'm still running KDE 3.5 a.o.
As KDE 4 nowadays seems to function more or less properly and my kernel 2.30.8 is whitebearded already, I wanted to give the most uptodate Debian-wheezy a try. Of course NOT on my running system, but only from a bootable USB-stick.
Okay, no problem so far; when I want to test KDE 4, I plugin the stick and in the BIOS-start alter the bootsequence and then restart the system.
Now I wanted to get lazy: why not make the stick also available in the "normal" Grub-menu. Said, done and the entry was in the menu.lst.
Plug the stick in and do a shutdown -r. Well yes, the error from the subject appeared and I was completely stuck, only C-A-Del got me out. But when it came close to the bootmenu again, same error, dozens of times and even with cold starts.
Then a lightbulb in my head started glowing, I removed the stick and voila, the system started as always, flawlessly.
Question now: how can I add the stick in the menu.list and then, just to my liking, leave it plugged in or remove it, when doing a (re)boot and having the choice in the GRUB-menu to boot this system or any other from the harddrive, without altering anything in the BIOS-startorder?
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.
## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the commaand is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0
## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 5
# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue
## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret
#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#
#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST
### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below
## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs
## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/hde6 ro quiet
## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd1,6)
## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true
## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false
## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=
## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false
## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=
## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0
## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(single-user) single
# altoptions=(single-user mode) single
## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all
## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true
## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false
## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false
## ## End Default Options ##
title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.30.8
root (hd1,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.30.8 root=/dev/hde6 ro
title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.32.8
root (hd1,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.32.8 root=/dev/hde6 ro
### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Windows XP
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
chainloader +1
You needn't look for the entry of the USB-Stick, I deleted that as I anyway wasn't able to even come in the neighbourhood of a starting system.
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