On Fri, 2006-09-01 at 19:29 -0400, Bob Goodwin wrote: > Rick Stevens wrote: > > On Fri, 2006-09-01 at 17:13 -0400, Bob Goodwin wrote: > > > >> Bob Goodwin wrote: > >> > >>> Tim wrote: > >>> > >>>> Just quoting the salient points: > >>>> > >>>> Bob Goodwin wrote: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>>>> XP Home is already installed and I have no way to reinstall it, no > >>>>>>> o/s > >>>>>>> CD's are provided. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>> Tim: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>>> If you want to keep the XP installation as-is, and the Linux > >>>>>> completely > >>>>>> separate, I'd consider: > >>>>>> 2. Modifying the XP bootloader menu so that *it* is used to boot > >>>>>> itself, or Linux. > >>>>>> 3. Copying a file copy of the Linux bootblock onto the XP > >>>>>> drive for > >>>>>> that XP bootloader to work with. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>> Aaron Konstam: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> Thhis used to be the wqay to do it in the RedHat Linux days. But for a > >>>>> long time under Fedora grub does the job without any extra effort. > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> Ordinarily, I'd use GRUB to handle booting, too. But the original > >>>> poster mentioned not having any Windows install discs. It seems prudent > >>>> to avoid altering the Windows installation in that situation. > >>>> Especially if one isn't familiar with fixing things up, after a problem, > >>>> the hard way. > >>>> > >>>> > >>> Prudent or not, the installation is now running with Grub and boot on > >>> the mbr. > >>> > >>> If I break something I'll have to fix it somehow? > >>> > >>> So far things have gone smoothly, there was physical space for the drive > >>> and I was able to set bios to recognize the new second drive. Hopefully > >>> the rest will go as uneventfully ... > >>> > >>> Bob Goodwin > >>> > >> I have installed fc5 from the dvd twice now to be certain I've done > >> things correctly. I believe I have. > >> > >> The fc5 install is on the second drive, /dev/sdb. XP is factory [Dell] > >> installed and I have no install disk. XP is of little importance to me > >> but I would like to retain it is possible. Both drives are 80G. > >> > >> It should boot Linux from the mbr, /dev/sda on which XP resides, grub > >> is installed with FC5 designated as the default, but I never see a grub > >> display at turn on, it simply boots XP right off without offering any > >> alternative. > >> > >> What am I doing wrong? > >> > > > > grub should be installed in the MBR of the first SCSI disk (aka > > /dev/sda). That can be done by getting in to Linux and doing > > "grub-install /dev/sda" as the root user. > > > > We need to know how you laid out the Linux stuff. Is it all in one > > partition or did you divvy it up? Assuming you put it in separate > > partitions, with /boot as partition 0 and / as partition 1, > > this /boot/grub/grub.conf should work: > > > > #boot=/dev/sda > > default=0 > > timeout=5 > > splashimage=(hd1,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz > > hiddenmenu > > title Fedora Core (2.6.17-1.2174_FC5) > > root (hd1,1) > > kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-1.2174_FC5 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb > > quiet max_luns=256 > > initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.17-1.2174_FC5.img > > title Windows XP > > root (hd0,0) > > makeactive > > chainloader +1 > > > > If Linux is all on a single partition, change the references above > > that say "(hd1,1)" to "(hd1,0)" > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > - Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer rstevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - > > - VitalStream, Inc. http://www.vitalstream.com - > > - - > > - Life: That which happens while you search for the remote control. - > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > XP is installed on the original 80G h.d., untouched, still as Dell > set it up. > > I installed a second 80G SATA drive and installed FC5 to that with > the DVD, all pretty much as Fedora intended except where I told it to > use the mbr and default to FC5 Linux. > > Grub looks pretty much as you specify.: > > sh-3.1# cat /boot/grub/grub.conf > > #boot=/dev/sda > default=0 > timeout=5 > splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz > hiddenmenu > title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.2054_FC5smp) > root (hd1,0) > kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5smp.img > title Windows XP > rootnoverify (hd0,1) > chainloader +1 > > [I typed this manually but it looks identical to the display > on the Dell display.] > > It looks to me like Dell has somehow set aside about 3 gigs of > the 80 apparently to provide a means of reinstalling Windows? > I don't know it that has any effect on this problem? If you are CERTAIN you did a "grub-install /dev/sda", then it may be that the BIOS virus checker keeps overwriting grub with the Winblows boot loader (it considers grub to be a virus). You'll need to disable that in the BIOS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer rstevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - - VitalStream, Inc. http://www.vitalstream.com - - - - "The bogosity meter just pegged." - ----------------------------------------------------------------------
