Help adding Win XP Pro to the Grub Menu

[Bennetto]

Hi I am currently dual booting Win XP Pro and Felicia. I would like to add Win XP to the Grub menu and make it default. I know how to edit the grub menu but what would i type in there to make it work. Both os's are on different hard drives. Thanks very much.

The specs.
Hard disk 1
Windows XP Pro 32 bit
300gb sata 1.5 hd
W/ 2 partions both (NTFS)

Hard Disk 2
Linux Mint Felicia 32bit i386
20gb ide hd
1 partion (not including swap)
ext3

[el_b]

I know you can boot on XP by changing the HD in which to boot on in the BIOS, but maybe you can add it on GRUB... Google.

[spider]

http://www.pjetr.be/blog/linux-mint-ins ... beginners/

backup before you try anything.... I'm still new to Linux myself so you now have a warning!

if it works let me know, I would like to put Linux as the first and the second option XP... I have two drives myself.

or we both can wait... I'm still researching just in-case this website is incorrect!

good luck!
spider

[spider]

ok... I found what you can use!

for now do this instead of playing Linux tech... when we all get better at that then go for it.

or if you do deside to do the link I sent you... let me know what you did because i'm afraid that it maybe correct or not.

I don't like to guess.... sorry.

go into your package manager and type in the search "qgrubeditor"

have fun!

spider

[Acid_1]

Add this to the end of the Grub file:

first: gksu gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

Code: Select all

title      Windows XP Pro
root      (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader   +1

And to make it default, go to the line that says this:

# 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 use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
# default 2

And change the default. Windows XP Pro will be the last one in the list, so count your boot options and put it in there. So lets say you have the Normal, Safe, Mem86+, and Windows XP, put default 3, as it starts counting from 0 rather than 1. So if you have 6 boot options, stick default 5 in. And make sure to remove the '#'

That _should_ do it.

EDIT: As said with the default before, I put (hd1,0) assuming that your Windows disc is your second drive, if it's your first put it as (hd0,0)

[Bennetto]

EDIT: As said with the default before, I put (hd1,0) assuming that your Windows disc is your second drive, if it's your first put it as (hd0,0)

I have two hard drives in my system one is Linux the other is windows. Since im in Linux editing this would windows be considered a second hard drive.

And since my windows drive is sata i remember somewhere that you should put sd instead of hd, is that true?

[Aging Technogeek]

If your Grub bootloader is on your Mint disk it will consider that disk sda. Set the Bios to boot from your Mint drive as default and you should have no problems - unless you have a mix of sata and ide drives ( see this article: http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php ... annot_boot )

[Acid_1]

I don't think IDE and SATA drives are identified any differently in GRUB. I use that way and I have an IDE drive, and most others have a SATA and use that. Whichever has GRUB installed is going to be SDA and whichever is the other is going to be SDB. But when configuring the bootloader, all you have to worry about is "is it (hd0,0) or (hd1,0)"

[Bennetto]

Alright i typed in the stuff and here is what happens

Windows shows up
as default
but when it runs al i get is a black screen that says starting up at the too left side.

thanks

[Acid_1]

Alright i typed in the stuff and here is what happens

Windows shows up
as default
but when it runs al i get is a black screen that says starting up at the too left side.

thanks

?? Could you please elaborate on that? I'm afraid I don't understand.

[Bennetto]

?? Could you please elaborate on that? I'm afraid I don't understand.

No problem. Whenever you start something from grub it always displays starting up in the top left corner. For some reason it freezes there when i try to boot windows from the grub menu.

Do you know this is.

Thanks

[Aging Technogeek]

Bennetto:

Can you post a copy of your Grub menu so we can see exactly what you did? It will help clarify the problem and might indicate the solution.

[Acid_1]

But Mint still starts correctly? I have a feeling it's more of a matter of needing some fancy tip-toeing around the booting of Windows through GRUB.

[Bennetto]

Yes mint still boots. Windows also boots when I change the boot drive in the bios.

Here is a copy of menu.lst.

Code: Select all

# 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-legacy-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 command 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      4

## Graphical boot menu location
gfxmenu=/boot/gfxmenu/default.message

## 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/sda1 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,0)

## 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=quiet splash

## 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=(recovery 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      Linux Mint 6, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic
root      (hd0,0)
kernel      /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash
initrd      /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic
quiet

title      Linux Mint 6, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic (recovery mode)
root      (hd0,0)
kernel      /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=/dev/sda1 ro single
initrd      /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic

title      Linux Mint 6, kernel Last successful boot
root      (hd0,0)
kernel      /boot/last-good-boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash  last-good-boot
quiet

title      Linux Mint 6, memtest86+
root      (hd0,0)
kernel      /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

title      Windows XP Professsional
root      (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader   +1

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

[Acid_1]

Ah, it's just a matter of doing some fancy footwork, as I thought. I am not well versed in the area of boot, however if you PM Fred, he'll be able to help you. (If you read this sorry to volunteer you. )