Grub2 doesn't find Fedora

[am577]

Before installing Mint 13 I had this config:
/dev/sda1 Mint 12 /
/dev/sda2 Mint 12 /home
/dev/sda5 Fedora 17 /
/dev/sda6 Fedora 17 /home
(I have omitted other details; these are the basics). The system dual-booted with Grub, no probs.
When I installed Mint 13 in sda1 & sda2 as above, Grub-install failed to see Fedora, so I can't run it. Mint works OK.
sudo grub-install still doesn't see Fedora.
I had this problem when installing Mint 12 as well, and had to resort to reinstalling Fedora.

Anyone know what causes this ? Is there an easy fix ? I tried manually editing grub.cfg (which has worked for me in the past
with other distros) but could not get it to work.

am577

[kc1di]

Before installing Mint 13 I had this config:
/dev/sda1 Mint 12 /
/dev/sda2 Mint 12 /home
/dev/sda5 Fedora 17 /
/dev/sda6 Fedora 17 /home
(I have omitted other details; these are the basics). The system dual-booted with Grub, no probs.
When I installed Mint 13 in sda1 & sda2 as above, Grub-install failed to see Fedora, so I can't run it. Mint works OK.
sudo grub-install still doesn't see Fedora.
I had this problem when installing Mint 12 as well, and had to resort to reinstalling Fedora.

Anyone know what causes this ? Is there an easy fix ? I tried manually editing grub.cfg (which has worked for me in the past
with other distros) but could not get it to work.

am577

Hi am577,

I would try using ubuntu's boot-repair it works quite well
here's the pagehttps://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

Also you may want to try the following command if you have not already from a terminal:

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

[oobetimer]

Fedora makes a grub folder and grub2 folder, so you have to rename them before adding the information. Mount Fedora's boot partition via Mint using caja and open terminal and go to the Fedora's boot folder. An example:

cd /media/_Fedora-17-i686-/boot

Rename grub folder
sudo mv grub grub1

Rename grub2 folder
sudo mv grub2 grub

Run os-prober and update-grub
sudo os-prober
sudo update-grub

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=107852&p=607294&hilit=fedora#p607294

[am577]

Thanks for the tips. I ran 'boot-repair', but it didn't change anything.
I assume that this means that the previously bootable installation of Fedora on /dev/sda5 is no longer recognizable to
the grub installer. I can mount this partition and read files from Mint on /dev/sda1.
I am rather convinced that something in the Mint 13 installation into one partition 'disables' the bootable installation of Fedora on a different partition. I've done this sort of multiboot installation dozens of times with OpenSuse, Ubuntu, Fedora etc etc, and in the last few months this problem has happened at least twice when I have installed Mint 13.
I carefully select which partitions to install into (/ and /home in different partitions). I just leave the swap partitions alone - is that part of the problem ? I assume that if the installer knows which partitions are swap it will use one of them.

I also inadvertently switch between 64- and 32-bit installs. I usually use 64-bit, but the most recent install of Lint 13 was from a magazine multi-distro and the Mint was 32-bit.

I can recover by reinstalling Fedora where it was, but I'd prefer not to have to, natch.
Is this a bug, or should I do something differently next time ?

AM

[kc1di]

follow oobetimer's method it works.

It's not a bug but the fact that Fedora has changed it grub folders in Fedora 17. You'll have to re name them LM's grub to pick it up.
Cheers!

[jfj33]

Fedora makes a grub folder and grub2 folder, so you have to rename them before adding the information. Mount Fedora's boot partition via Mint using caja and open terminal and go to the Fedora's boot folder. An example:

cd /media/_Fedora-17-i686-/boot

Rename grub folder
sudo mv grub grub1

Rename grub2 folder
sudo mv grub2 grub

Run os-prober and update-grub
sudo os-prober
sudo update-grub

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=107852&p=607294&hilit=fedora#p607294

Thanks oobetimer, I've spent hours trying all sorts of ideas to solve this problem on my laptop, and following these instructions sorted this out for me in minutes! I'm pleased to report that I'm now writing this from within my newly-bootable Fedora partition!