GRUB: does it take over MBR like Ubuntu or play nice ?

brjoon1021 · Post by **brjoon1021** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:17 am

So to summarize: I found out the hard way that Ubuntu takes over the MBR without asking but they provide an "alternate" CD for those with more advanced needs. I chainload with another GRUB.

1. How does the Linux Mint installer deal with GRUB placement - can I put GRUB in the root of the partition?

2. Comment: keep the "dirty" software PLEASE.

3. Any guesstimates on when the next release will be out? You are probably sick of this one by now

Thanks,
B.

Post by **clem** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:19 am

1. How does the Linux Mint installer deal with GRUB placement - can I put GRUB in the root of the partition?
--> Same as Ubuntu does.. should work.

2. Comment: keep the "dirty" software PLEASE.
--> As long as it doesn't violate the GPL...

3. Any guesstimates on when the next release will be out? You are probably sick of this one by now
--> 20th of December ?

brjoon1021 · Post by **brjoon1021** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:53 am

Sorry, Ubuntu is bad about this - it DOES NOT allow for GRUB to be placed anywhere but the MBR. So they make an "alternate CD" with more (should be there anyway) options like where you want the GRUB placed. I need to know if Mint's GRUB can definitely be put in the root of its partition or not. Or, more to the point, if having brought up a previously unmade point - if the next release will allow for this bootloader option.

Thanks again.

B.

Post by **clem** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 8:57 am

Hi,

Mint uses the same installer as Edgy. However, in the installation summary it is possible to click the default (hd0) button and to change that to /dev/hda or something else.

Clem

brjoon1021 · Post by **brjoon1021** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:20 pm

I have tried to install a couple of versions of Mint, 2.1 and 2.2, neither one will place the bootloader anywhere other than the MBR. The option IS there as you say, but it crashes. If you read reviews of Mint and Ubuntu you will find that the reviewers occasionally complain that the OS took over the MBR without asking. This is true.

Developers - please look into the "alternate" installation CD of Ubuntu as your basis. It has a real installer, as opposed to the thing that comes in the normal Ubuntu donwload.

Here is a link: http://mirror.phy.olemiss.edu/mirror/ubuntu/edgy/
--- look a little ways down the page and you will see:

"Alternate install CD

The alternate install CD allows you to perform certain specialist installations of Ubuntu. It provides for the following situations:

* creating pre-configured OEM systems;
* setting up automated deployments;
* upgrading from older installations without network access;
* LVM and/or RAID partitioning;
* installing GRUB to a location other than the Master Boot Record;
* installs on systems with less than about 192MB of RAM."

Post by **clem** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:04 pm

Hi,

I understand your frustration, however we're not planning to make an alternate CD. Ubuntu is working at a better installer (I believe that Grub target problem is already fixed in Herd 5) and we're waiting for them to fix these kind of issues.

Of course if these problems persist in Feisty we'll develop our own installer (hopefully a bit better than the one we made for Ada .. which never made it to stable for that reason

) but we're not looking at other ways to install Linux Mint.

Note: We are interested in other architectures and alternative ways to install the distribution but we don't have enough resource to develop in these areas. Unless this become a community sub-project, it just won't get done in the near future.

Clem

brjoon1021 · Post by **brjoon1021** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:40 pm

Do you mean that you can't just steal the isntaller from their alternate CD? It is a good full-featured installer. I crashed the 2.1 and 2.2 installations at least 9 times trying to install anywhere but the MBR. I just figured that you could rip off the installer that Ubuntu uses for the alternate installation CD....

brjoon1021 · Post by **brjoon1021** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:20 pm

I am not trying to be difficult, but isn't it enough to show that the current option does not work for some people (me and a reviewer or two) even though it does work for some of you? And, especially, isn't it enough to show that there is a better and still free option to base the distro on? I don't know what that would entail in the extra work department... but it may be something to look into because there are plenty of people running more than one Linux and it would be nice to have an installer that works for everyone and was designed for more control. It may be less work than desiging an installer from scratch, too...

Just my two cents... LOVE the distro by the way.

B.