Where do I install the GRUB loader for a quad boot

[tsam19]

Hello all

I'm new to this site & I look forward to keeping upto date with all the latest info in the Linux world, not to mention making new pals along the way.

I'm glad to see another Linux forum site, I have so many unanswered questions.

so here goes, as the title says.

This is a follow on post to one I made on another site regarding a QUAD boot on a Macbook Pro.

This is my 2nd attempt.

As I followed this thread:

http://hydtechblog.com/2009/01/26/dual- ... ows-vista/

If anyone can quickly have a look & see if the instructions here make sense, as I've been through it a few times & there are a few question marks regarding the Unbuntu installation settings (HD0,2) in particular.


Basically I'm back to the point where I've installed all 4 operating systems again by doing the following.

I installed Mac OSX 1st.

2nd UNBUNTU ULTIMATE, at this point there were 2 icons on the rEFIt boot page, Mac & Linux, which was good.

3rd WIN 7, now Linux icon disappeared?

Last WIN XP to finalise, now showing only 3 boot icons.

However on the rEFIt boot menu I can only see 3 boot icons, the LINUx/UNBUNTU has disappeared again.

At this point Mac OSX, Win 7 & Win XP all Boot correctly,no problems from the rEFIt boot menu.

So I went back to the original installation thread & read some more posts etc & now I am going to install UNBUNTU yet again, with some different settings this time.

Going back to the initial install, I chose DEV/SDA 6 as the SWAP file, but at the BEGINNING & DEV/SDA 7 as the EXT 3 system file at the END.

With the advanced setting for the boot loader to be installed at DEV/SDA (main HD root).

Now coming back to my re installation of Unbuntu,I've gone through all the partition settings & I have partition DEV/SDA 7 as the EXT3 for all the system files, but this TIME at the BEGINNING & DEV/SDA 6 as the SWAP FILE, but SET to the END - See pic

I'm quite happy & confident about those settings & sizes & orientation in the partition table.

The SWAP FILE being at the END so as to enable HIBERNATION if need be.

In the advanced section, I'm asked the BIG QUESTION where do I install the BOOT LOADER to ???

If I didn't choose the Advanced tab & chose to install, where would the BOOT loader be installed anyway?

Thinking carefully about how the other operating systems work, It would make sense to have the BOOT LOADER installed with the system files, as do the the other operating systems.

Is it DEV/SDA 7 - Where the System files are going ?

Or is there a (HD0,???) setting which EQUATES or RELATES to DEV/SDA 7?

I'm holding off from installing until I know for sure, as good as it may be, Unbuntu has a weird install procedure.


When its installed correctly, I will see the 4 boot icons on the rEFIt boot menu.


Please only reply if you KNOW, as I'm not going to risk installing again for it to mess up the rest of the installations.


Its a bit of a long starter thread, hope fully someone on here can advise me on the correct setting.

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/tsam19/1-3.jpg
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/tsam19/2-3.jpg
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/tsam19/4-2.jpg
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/tsam19/3-2.jpg


Thanks in advance.

[phd7]

The SWAP FILE being at the END so as to enable HIBERNATION if need be.
Huh? Where did you get that info?

Back in the day when I was learning about partitioning, I seem to remember reading that the partitions on the left would be the ones read more quickly as they are closer to the edge of and therefore read first so I put my main stuff there. Small swap first ( as I have a lot of memory and it may well never be accessed).
Anyway, regarding install order - all windows or other non linux first because if you install them after Linux, they will not recognise the linux distributions. Then, if you are including it in your list... Fedora because it loves Windows but not other linux, then Mint which , if you install grub to its partition will graciously recognise all other operating systems and let you choose which one to boot.

Heres my setup anyway

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47566599@N08/4813371384/

[tsam19]

Hello again

This is where I got my initial info & idea from.

http://hydtechblog.com/2009/01/26/dual- ... ows-vista/

Have a look.

[phd7]

They were referring to the size rather than the location. I assume so that if your memory is full it can save it all to swap. I have no idea what the likelihood of that is. I would still put it at the start to allow quicker access. Its like a RAM cache

by the way, I noticed a line:
type sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

That file doesnt exist anymore. That was the old version of GRUB but dont worry, Mint is easy to install. If you are asked where to install GRUB at the end, install it in the same partition as Mint. It will recognise the others after reboot.

[tsam19]

I'm using ubuntu ultimate and someone else suggested this version uses the new grub 2 boot loader instead of the older legacy grub. I know from the tutorial the version they used in the tutorial was unbuntu 8.04

Could you explain what "MINT" is as I'm not familiar with that?

Basically I've just reinstalled ultimate 2.7 wth the SWAP file at the BEGINING rather than the END.

Which ended up as DEV/SDA 5 in the partition table.

The EXT 3 file system went to DEV\SDA 7 purely because I have Mac osx at DEV\SDA 6.

As someone advised again ~ suggested.2 things:

1) put\install the boot loader into (hd0,6) as this location will allow the operating system to boot independantly from the other operating systems taking over.

Tried it and linux does not boot, windows boots instead.

2) I could put the boot loader into the MBR ~ but how & what effect would that have on the other operating systems when trying to boot them or linux?

Back to the drawing board!

[phd7]

Could you explain what "MINT" is as I'm not familiar with that?

er.... look at the top of the page. This is the forum for Linux Mint as opposed to Linux Ubuntu. As you are here I assumed you were looking to install Mint and were only using Ubunu as an example.
While you are here you may as well download mint and install that instead of Ubuntu . Its better , which is why we are all here.
download here
http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=1495
burn and install

I have Ubuntu 10.04 on my machine but rarely use it. Only installed it out of curiosity. Its is their latest version. I never heard of Ultimate Ubuntu.

Instead of worrying about which number (hd0,6 or whatever) just install GRUB bootloader to whatever partition you install Mint (or Ubuntu, if you insist). Probably SDA7 in your case as I assume you have formatted as ext3 for yout linux OS. You simply install it towards the end of the install procedure when asked.

[StanTheMan]

I am multi-booting nine Linux distros and Vista. Here is how I set up bootloader.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6501752/gparted.jpeg

/dev/sda10 is my permanet grub2 bootloader. When I installed this distro I installed grub2 on sdas10 and let it write the MBR to the Master drive /dev/sda . Each time I add or re-install another distro I finish by going back to sda10 and do a 'updatge-grub' . In some cases I have to edit the boot list after that. Some disros that are not grub (such as Vista or Redhat based Linux), will have an edited line in the bootloader file ' chainloader +1 ' that will boot this OS as though it were being booted
directly by the MBR .
There is a 2 GB swap partition that all Linux share automatically.
In this snapshot I was logged into /dev/sda11 .
Grub2 uses a different format to count partitions - - hdx.y - - x is the number of the drive starting with zero for the Master drive , y is the partition number starting with 1 (and Logicals startring with 5) .

[tsam19]

RE:stantheman

So to ADD the GRUB 2 to the MBR, how do you Install it to 2 places at once?

Thats what I'm reading from your reply.

You install to SDA10 & let it write to the MBR, which is DEV/SDA (hard drive root) at the same time?

How do you Update Grub from SDA10?

How do you EDIT operating systems boot list that aren't controlled by GRUB 2, like Windows so that they boot from their own boot loader in the MBR?

How do you access the bootloader file ' chain loader +1& edit it?

I think from my trials already I need to configure the boot list & chainloader +1, as Mac osx boots up ok, Win 7 needs repairing, then boots up ok, win Xp boot up ok, but LINUX DOESN'T even when I've installed the GRUB loader to either:

1) The partition with the EXT 3 files - DEV/SDAx
2) ((hd0,6) - When files in 1) were in DEV/SDA7
3) Actually installing the GRUB 2 to the DEV/SDA7
4)Ive tried other random configs also, which result in other operating systems booting up instead of LINUX - frozen penguin on screen or Error operating system message!

I'm using a version of Ubuntu Ultimate 2.7 that uses GRUB 2 & if I place my EXT 3 system files in DEV/SDA7 where should I place the grub 2 & how should I configure the boot list for the other operating systems, like Mac osx, Win 7 & Win XP?

Whats the difference between using EXT 3 or EXT 4 file system set ups?

So many questions I know - but your reply, as with many others is starting to make sense.

Thanks

http://forumubuntusoftware.info/

[StanTheMan]

In my layout , ever Linus distro has grub installed by its installer. But only one OS will have the MBR written to the hard drive ( /dev/sda ) That MBR in the hard drie is written to target the bot to the OS that I want to dislay and control the boot list.
Actually there is a command line method to be logged into one distro and change the MBR target to another partition. But I won't get into that here.
As for editing the menu list , with grub2 that is also tricky. The file /bot/grub/grgub.cfg is created automatically at installation , but this file is read-only. In grub2 there is another empty file ( /etc/grub.d/40_fustom ) which can have menuentries copied into it and it is editable. When you are logged into that particular OS you can go to t
Terminal
sudo upddate-grub

and this operation will put the custom menuentry into the boot list.

The initial boot list is created by a file /etc/grub.d/30_os-proper . It is possible to remove the executable flag from the file and it will not probe the machine, and all you will get is what is written in the ' 40_custom ' file , when you do your 'update-grub' .

What I did was copy all the menuentriy paragraphs from 'grub.cfg' into '40_custom' then made '30_os-prober' , then edit my '40_custom' to my heart's content , and finish with ' sudo update-grub '

Actually the old grub-legacy was much simpler/

Here is what a typical chainloader entry looks like

menuentry "Windows Vista (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 388a6cbe8a6c79f0
chainloader +1
}
menuentry