[brokenhead]

I installed Ubuntu 7.10 on my third HD without a bootloader. My main partition is XP Pro on my first HD. Originally, the Ubuntu install overwrote my MBR with GRUB on hd0 (Disk1), but I did a fixmbr as per Saikee's notes in the links on his posts and now eveything is as depicted in my attachments. (These are screencaps of Acronis Disk Director).

I cannot boot into the Linux partition now, of course. How can I use the live Ubuntu "gutsy" CD to write GRUB to a floppy? I want to leave the boot sector of hd0 (Disk1) alone. I want it to be that when I need to get into Linux, all I have to do is boot to the floppy, see the GRUB menu, and select Ubuntu.

I need a step-by-step walkthru on this. Can anyone help? What's confusing me is stages 1 and 2 with GRUB, I think. When I first installed Ubuntu 7.10, I requested it place the bootloader on fd0. But then when I booted to the floppy, I got a GRUB prompt but no menu.

[RobLinux]

Can't you use the BIOS to select the Linux disk?

The MBR in that disk, should be generic code that then loads the sectors in the 'active' partiton, marked with a bootable flag.

According to his notes, you can use the GRUB on Live CD to boot the Linux partiton on 3rd disk. Something like :

root (hd2,0) Remove any (hd0,0) on folloowing lines
copy kernel line, check the root=/dev/blah/blahh has a UUID not something like /dev/hda1
copy initd line

Of course if XP behaved itself you just boot the Linux partition on 3rd disk, doesn't Acronis Boot Director cope with that?

Interesting screen shots, think just a few bytes of info conveyed... but I can see I'd pictured it right from your message

[brokenhead]

I'm starting over with a fresh Ubuntu install.

Let me try to restate what I'm trying to do. I have XP on my first HD (hd0,0). I installed Ubuntu 7.10 to my third HD (hd2, 0). During install, I selected to have the Grub bootloader put on (fd0) instead of (hd0). When I booted to the floppy, I got this:

GRUB_

I cannot enter anything at this point. I'm stuck. I don't just want to boot into my Ubuntu install, I want to SEE A MENU when I boot to the floppy.

So I booted to the live CD, got into a Grub shell, and typed:

grub> find /boot/grub/menu.lst
(hd2,0)

Result as expected.
Then I typed:

grub> cat (hd2,0)/boot/grub/menu.lst
# 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-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 use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# 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=UUID=9ea1353d-4688-4f6f-8ac6-6d7774f0b06e ro

## Setup crashdump menu entries
## e.g. crashdump=1
# crashdump=0

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd2,0)

## 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=(recovery) 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 Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=9ea1353d-4688-4f6
f-8ac6-6d7774f0b06e ro quiet splash

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=9ea1353d-4688-4f6
f-8ac6-6d7774f0b06e ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic

title Ubuntu 7.10, memtest86+
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
chainloader +1


grub>

This is expected as well. I have a working menu.lst!!!

NOW TO MANUALLY PUT GRUB ONTO A FLOPPY:

grub> root (hd2,0)

grub> setup (fd0)
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/reiserfs_stage1_5" exists... yes
Running "embed /boot/grub/reiserfs_stage1_5 (fd0)"... failed (this is not fata
l)
Running "embed /boot/grub/reiserfs_stage1_5 (hd2,0)"... failed (this is not fa
tal)
Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 d (fd0) /boot/grub/stage2 p /boot/grub/menu
.lst "... succeeded
Done.

grub>

But when I boot to the floppy, I get the same thing:

GRUB_

I can't enter anything and I'm stuck. What am I missing? Why can't I see a menu when I boot to the floppy?

[prunejuice]

If you don't want to use GRUB as a bootloader (and I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to, it's extremely customizable and powerful) you could download and make a copy of Ultimate Boot CD.

It has a few bootloaders in it's menu, as well as many other useful tools.

[Elvandil]

I don't know why you are against using GRUB as a bootloader for both, but you can make a boot floppy that will boot you into whichever you want.

SGD Boot Disk - This zip file contains both CD and floppy images. This boot disk can hide and unhide partitions, activate partitions, boot Windows or any other OS whether there is an MBR present or not, boot from a second drive, restore Windows boot (equivalent to fdisk /mbr or fixmbr), add or remove GRUB, restore LILO, live-swap drives and more.

GAG is a good graphical bootloader that you can run from floppy or install the the HD (and save the old MBR to the floppy so it can be restored if you want).

[brokenhead]

I DO want to use GRUB as a boot loader!!! I just don't want my MBR modified.

Let me try to clarify this. In the past, when I have installed SUSE or Mandriva, the install gave me the option of placing the bootloader on hd0, on the Linux (/)partition, or on fd0. I always chose GRUB instead of Lilo, and I always chose fd0. The result was that when I booted to the floppy, I SAW A MENU LISTING ALL MY BOOT OPTIONS (Xp, Linux, Linux safe, memtest, etc.)

That is what I'm trying to get with Ubuntu! How do I do it? I would rather not use GAG. I want to stick with GRUB. I don't want to have to enter any commands every time I boot my system. I just want to be able to boot to the floppy and see a menu pop up with all the choices in my menu.lst file.

Right now, I'm stuck at the point of my last post. GRUB should not care which distro it resides in. If I can get that start up menu with SUSE and Mandriva, I should be able to get it with Ubuntu. The menu.lst file clearly has all the options I want. Is the reiser fs I used the problem? I can't see why it would be.

[Elvandil]

The boot disk I linked will boot you up with GRUB.

If you want to boot with it, and you don't want to use a floppy, you need to install it to the hard drive. You can edit your GRUB boot, but your system is still going to look at the MBR on the first drive unless you use a boot disk.

[brokenhead]

This was the result of trying to put GRUB on a floppy (from my post above):

grub> root (hd2,0)

grub> setup (fd0)
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/reiserfs_stage1_5" exists... yes
Running "embed /boot/grub/reiserfs_stage1_5 (fd0)"... failed (this is not fata
l)
Running "embed /boot/grub/reiserfs_stage1_5 (hd2,0)"... failed (this is not fa
tal)
Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 d (fd0) /boot/grub/stage2 p /boot/grub/menu
.lst "... succeeded
Done.

grub>

Are the failed lines the problem??

[prunejuice]

How about this?

How's about you edit GRUB to make Windows the operating system that boots by default and also having GRUB time-out after 4-5 seconds so the process isn't dragged out like GRUB's default time-out of 30 seconds.
It would almost be like it wasn't there.

Is that some sort of compromise?

[RobLinux]

Second that solution, it's how I like things (only the default OS is not Windows).

[brokenhead]

Thanks for all your suggestions, but there doesn't seem to be a meeting of the minds on this one. Let me start a new thread a try to be clearer on what I think my problem is.