another bootloader question

guuzjo · 05-22-2005, 07:19 AM

Hi all,

I want to install Fedora Core 3. I could answer all the installation questions aksed by the installer, except for one: do I have to install GRUB on the MBR or on a partition? I'm making the switch from Suse 9.3 to FC3 due to freezing problems. I hope Fedora will be more stable...

My HD's:

1. A HD of 45 GB. First partition: NTFS (23 GB). Then a tiny swap partition owned by Suse, but I will format it to a FC3 swap. Then a large Reiserfs partition, I will format this one with Ext3.

2. A 80 Gig HD, completely formatted with NTFS. This disc has to remain my Windows-HD.

So, where do I have to install my bootloader? It's very important to me that I dont get a crappy bootloader, because I have to work under Windows most of the times.

(yeah I now it sucks

)

Thanx in advance,

Guuzjo

perfect_circle · 05-22-2005, 07:37 AM

Here is how things work. The first thing that your computer checks when booting is the MBR of the hd you have defined in your BIOS (unless of course you have configured it to check the floppy or the cd-rom first). SO there must be a bootloader present in MBR. You install grub in the partition, only if you have another bootloader in your MBR (like bootmagick) or if you want to use the windows bootloader to dual-boot and you want redirect the MBR bootloader to grub when you want to boot linux. As far As I know fedora autodetects windows so, it's pretty safe to install grub in MBR and dual-boot using grub, without any other configuration needed.

deesto · 05-22-2005, 07:44 PM

I'm also interested in this... I've done dual boots in te past, but usually I've installed GRUB into the MBR. This time, I had XP installed first on a family machine, and I'm a bit nervous about messing around with the MBR. I installed Red Hat onto its own hard drive, but I didn't install any additional boot loaders during installation. I've had luck using the GAG loader before, but this time it didn't work: when I tried to add the Red Hat installation to the list of operating systems, it gave an error about not being bootable.

Are there any "quick and easy" fixes for getting this to boot properly after already having performed the installation? Any way to get at the Red Hat files I would need, from inside XP? I have Partition Magic installed, but it isn't much help.

Thanks!

satimis · 05-30-2005, 05:17 AM

Hi folks,

Fedora Core 3

Sorry for dropping in. I have a bootloader problem which screen does not appear at boot.

While turning on the PC, FC3 boots straight forwards to Login screen without popup the bootloader screen at start allowing me to select kernels.

Please advise how to get the bootloader screen popup at start. TIA

B.R.
satimis

perfect_circle · 05-30-2005, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by satimis
Hi folks,

Fedora Core 3

Sorry for dropping in. I have a bootloader problem which screen does not appear at boot.

While turning on the PC, FC3 boots straight forwards to Login screen without popup the bootloader screen at start allowing me to select kernels.

Please advise how to get the bootloader screen popup at start. TIA

B.R.
satimis

open /boot/grub/menu.lst
and put there a timeout value in the beginning after the comments, something like:

Code:

timeout 15

satimis · 05-30-2005, 08:15 AM

Hi perfect_circle,

Tks for your advice.

Sorry still failed. I have to press ESC at boot to popup the GRUB bootloader screen.

# cat /boot/grub/menu.lst

Code:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda2
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=15
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.11-1.27_FC3)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.27_FC3 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.27_FC3.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.11-1.14_FC3)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.14_FC3 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.14_FC3.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.9-1.667)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.9-1.667.img

B.R.
satimis

perfect_circle · 05-30-2005, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by satimis
Hi perfect_circle,

Tks for your advice.

Sorry still failed. I have to press ESC at boot to popup the GRUB bootloader screen.

# cat /boot/grub/menu.lst

Code:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda # # Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file # NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that # all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg. # root (hd0,0) # kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda2 # initrd /initrd-version.img #boot=/dev/hda default=0 timeout=15 splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz hiddenmenu title Fedora Core (2.6.11-1.27_FC3) root (hd0,0) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.27_FC3 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.27_FC3.img title Fedora Core (2.6.11-1.14_FC3) root (hd0,0) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.14_FC3 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.14_FC3.img title Fedora Core (2.6.9-1.667) root (hd0,0) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet initrd /initrd-2.6.9-1.667.img

B.R.
satimis

Sorry I should have asked you to post your menu.lst in the first place.
It's the "hiddenmenu" option you have.
Comment it out, which means put a # in front of it to make the line look like this:

Code:

#hidemenu

Still keep the timeout=15. With this option the menu will disappear after 15 seconds and the default will boot, unless you press a button. If you want to make the menu stay forever until you enter a choice put timeout=0;

perfect_circle · 05-30-2005, 10:04 AM

For more info there are many grub tutorials. google is your friend.
this is one:
http://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~steinarh/grub/tutorial.html

I think hidemenu is a command added by redhat and it's not in the official grub, but I'm not sure.
Anyway the best place to find out more about grub is the info pages provided by your distro.
If you know how to use the info tool try:

Code:

info grub

If not then you may try

Code:

info info

first

satimis · 05-30-2005, 11:19 AM

Hi

Tks for your further advice and link

Problem now solved after uncomment "hidemenu"

Also "info grub" works here.

Tks again.

B.R.
satimis