LinuxQuestions.org
Welcome to the most active Linux Forum on the web.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions > Ubuntu
User Name
Password
Ubuntu This forum is for the discussion of Ubuntu Linux.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 11-10-2009, 11:15 AM   #1
c_mack93
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2009
Posts: 2

Rep: Reputation: 0
Putting 3 windows OS into Grub Menu without going thru windows boot loader


I have installed Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Fedora onto one harddrive and i am currently using GRUB boot loader. I want to make is so i can boot all 4 operating systems from one menu without having to go thru the next screen that has all the versions of windows on it. Please help me ASAP
 
Old 11-10-2009, 11:21 AM   #2
Larry Webb
LQ Veteran
 
Registered: Jul 2006
Location: Crystal Beach, Texas
Distribution: Suse for mail +
Posts: 5,100
Blog Entries: 7

Rep: Reputation: 229Reputation: 229Reputation: 229
I do not understand your question. Can you boot all the windows and fedora now? Do you get two grub menu.lst's?


Larry
 
Old 11-10-2009, 03:59 PM   #3
yancek
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Apr 2008
Distribution: Slackware, Ubuntu, PCLinux,
Posts: 11,049

Rep: Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624Reputation: 2624
You boot, get the Grub menu, select windows, get the windows menu with three options?

Grub doesn't boot windows, it just points to where the windows bootloader should be and the windows bootloader takes over from there.

You could try EasyBCD which can modify the vista/win 7 bootloader and can be set up to boot Linux, just google it, it's a free download. This might give you what you want, I don't use vista or win 7 so have never used it.

Have you tried putting entries for each windows in menu.lst? Haven't used windows for a while so...?

Last edited by yancek; 11-10-2009 at 04:03 PM.
 
Old 11-10-2009, 04:09 PM   #4
pixellany
LQ Veteran
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Annapolis, MD
Distribution: Mint
Posts: 17,809

Rep: Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743
to summarize:

Windows boots from NTLDR, which is in turn called by the code in the MBR. If you put GRUB in the MBR, then you use the chainloader in GRUB to boot NTLDR.

Your other options include booting Linux from the Windows loader (There are many threads here on how to do this.), make boot floppies for each system you want to boot, or use multiple hard drives and use the BIOS options.
 
Old 11-12-2009, 12:43 PM   #5
c_mack93
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2009
Posts: 2

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
i want GRUB to directly boot to each os without having to go through WIndows bootloader. I installed the OS as follows Xp, Vista, Win7, then Fedora. I want the grub menu to display each operating system and boot to each one without going to windows bootloader. It currently has one option labeled windows and goes to the windows bootloader after choosing it. How can i configure grub to bypass windows bootloader and load each OS??????
this is ny grub config now.


# 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 (hd0,4)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=8
splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.29.4-167.fc11.i686.PAE)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.29.4-167.fc11.i686.PAE ro root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.29.4-167.fc11.i686.PAE.img

title windows
hide (hd0,1)
unhide (hd0,0)
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
 
Old 11-12-2009, 12:48 PM   #6
pixellany
LQ Veteran
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Annapolis, MD
Distribution: Mint
Posts: 17,809

Rep: Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743
I think several of us have tried to explain that what you are trying to do is not possible. However, I for one cannot PROVE that it is impossible. I can tell you that I have never seen any information that would make me think it could be done.
 
Old 11-13-2009, 09:51 PM   #7
soleil24
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2005
Location: Wellington NZ
Distribution: SuSE 11.2, Fedora 12
Posts: 49

Rep: Reputation: 18
Not stepping through the Windows bootloader offering multiple Win options is possible. The "problem" is that subsequent Windows installs see the pre-existing ones and offer them as boot options.

But you need to know you are going to do this before you start.

So, install first windows (e.g. XP) then use 3rd party tool (gparted?) to "hide" that partition.
Install second windows (Vista if you like) and it doesn't "see" XP so offers no boot option except straight to Vista. Use gparted to hide that win partition too so now both win partitions are hidden.
Install 3rd win (7) and it doesn't "see" either xp or vista so doesn't offer them as boot options, just straight to win7. Hide this partition.

Install your favourite Linux installing grub wherever you like.
Manually edit grub's menu.lst to include 3 separate chainload win entries with each entry containing unhide for the win partition you want to boot and hide for the other 2 (2 lines) - this hides them if they have previously been unhidden to boot.

Note that your win installs won't be easily accesible (except the most recently installed) until you have finished this process because you are ultimately relying on your Linux grub to do the booting.

And actually you *are* still using each Windows bootloader (as everyone else has pointed out), you're just not allowing each of those bootloaders to "see" that there are other windows versions to offer as boot options...which I think is what you actually meant !

Now I have to admit I've only done this with XP and 7 (i.e. 2 x win installs) but can't see why by extension it shouldn't work with 3.

IG
 
Old 11-13-2009, 10:15 PM   #8
soleil24
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2005
Location: Wellington NZ
Distribution: SuSE 11.2, Fedora 12
Posts: 49

Rep: Reputation: 18
On reflection, as you already have your 3 win installs, you could probably (?) amend your last win bootloader to not display win boot options other than itself, then use grub entries to find them but would suggest editing grub and ensuring it does boot "directly" (indirectly really because you are chainloading their bootloaders) to those win installs before you remove the option to at least get at those other wins. In that transient state your first two win installs should boot "directly" while the third will still show the 3 win options until you change its own bootloader.

For info, the relevant section of my menu.lst looks like this:

Code:
title Windows XP Pro
    rootnoverify (hd0,0)
    unhide (hd0,0)
    hide (hd0,1)
    makeactive
    chainloader +1

title Windows 7
    rootnoverify (hd0,1)
    unhide (hd0,1)
    hide (hd0,0)
    makeactive
    chainloader +1
In your case, each entry should have an additional "hide" line pointing at the second of three win versions you don't want to see.

IG
 
Old 11-13-2009, 10:23 PM   #9
soleil24
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2005
Location: Wellington NZ
Distribution: SuSE 11.2, Fedora 12
Posts: 49

Rep: Reputation: 18
Just one other point (of order )

As this thread is in the Ubuntu forum, I'm talking about grub v0.9x and not grub v(nearly)2 that Ubu9.10 has chosen to use, just in case anyone tries that code in grub2 - it won't work !

IG
 
  


Reply

Tags
boot, edit, grub, menu, quad


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
How do I add Windows XP to Grub boot loader? LUB997 Linux - Software 29 10-17-2009 12:11 PM
Using the windows boot loader to start GRUB NoahT1BM Linux - Newbie 2 02-25-2008 11:23 AM
Replacing windows boot loader by GRUB mohtasham1983 Linux - General 13 02-03-2007 04:20 AM
GRUB boot loader on TurboLinux doesn't detect Windows shantanun Linux - Newbie 2 02-18-2004 08:49 AM
How to add a boot record which used to startup windows under my Grub boot loader? yunxiang Linux - Newbie 6 02-01-2003 03:22 AM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions > Ubuntu

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:13 PM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration