Install with No Boot

[Branta]

Distribution Release of Mint 4.0 3-3-2008

I run several distro's.

All but one installs grub and by default the MBA code. Most do NOT list ALL systems for multiboot, only the distro and Vista but not the other Linux systems. Some do.

One or two gui distro's allow to NOT INSTALL a boot loader.

I don't think Mint allows this.

How do I install Mint 4 without messing up my current boot loader?

I know how to go to /boot/grub/menu.list, copy a line defining boot of that distro and pasting it to the target /boot/grub/menu.lst of another install.

--- Bob ---

[Fred]

Branta,

On one of the last screens before the install actually begins there is a little button off to the right, if my memory is correct, labeled "Advanced." You can set the location of the grub kernel install there. You want to install it to the partition /boot/grub/menu.lst is in. Example:

sdb3 ..... contains menu.lst .... set to hd1,2

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Branta]

Fred,

I want to install Mint without it messing up my existing boot loader.

sdb9 is where mint's /boot/grub/menu.lst is located.

If I do as you suggest can I still use my existing boot loader (including my exisitng MBR code) and paste to /boot/grub/menu.lst the reference of mint in sdb9 /boot/grub/menu.lst?


--- Bob ---

[Fred]

Branta,

sdb9 is where mint's /boot/grub/menu.lst is located.

OK.. if sdb9 is where your Mint's menu.lst is, you would tell the installer to install the grub kernel to that partition. That would be:

hd1,8

to the installer. The default is hd0 which is the sda mbr.

If you put in hd1,8 you will not disturb the mbr that you are booting from.

Fred

[Branta]

Fred,

That did it!

I after the Advanced button was pressed I UNclicked the install the bootloader box. That installed the system wonderfully and did NOT mess up my bootloader. It did exactly what I wanted.

Thanks,

Bob

[Husse]

Ubuntu and Mint are really nice as they list all your operating systems in their menu.lst after install - albeit perhaps not in the order you want
As you don't install grub at all did you manually edit an existing menu.lst to get Mint to boot?
You must... could be worth mentioning that if you don't have another grub already your option will result in a system that can not boot...

[Branta]

Thank you for your interest. Mint forum is the best as is Mint!

Yes, I had a copy of an acceptable and functioning /boot/grub/menu.lst. My Mint 4 CD was failing during the install. I downloaded the latest Mint 4 Community and it installed fine.

I used the old Mint 4 reference in menu.lst and it worked and all is well.

It is nice to have the option to not install the boot loader but I note there is no /grub under /boot. I agree one should install the boot loader. If one wants to use another menu.lst, he can copy it to menu_orig.lst and try the other one.

Apparently I have a mess from other installs in the partitions that are being detected by Mint. The resulting menu.lst needs much editing, hence my desire to use the old one. So I will clean up my act.

Again, thank you for your interest.


--- Bob ---

[Husse]

Aha - save your neat menu.lst as something else outside boot
Then after an install with grub save that menu.lst somewhere and copy back the first one and add the lines of the newly installed Mint to the nice one
I've done it this way more than once to keep in neat
Perhaps better - or not....

[Branta]

After my last post I decided I would do exactly that.

I too have done it numbers of times before. I was focused on the CD install failure and forgot bout it.

Thanks,

Bob

[Fred]

Branta,

It is always good practice to install grub to the partition your /boot/grub/menu.lst is installed on even if you don't plan on using it. Husse pointed out one of the advantages of this. There are others.

If you have multiple distros on your system you might find that chain loading is a better solution to your problem long term. You may be interested at seeing what my current set-up looks like on our so called family box.

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=10043&start=30

This may give you some ideas. Or at least tell you more than you really wanted to know about chain loading and grub.

Fred