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inactive
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 Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 1:59 am Post subject: [solved] Grub triple-boot issue |
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Hey, folks, I am having an issue getting Fedora 10 to triple-boot (well, dual-boot actually for now) with grub from Mandriva 2025.1. I'm not sure if it's even worth 2025.1 holding the whole ball of wax, but I'm willing to try with F10 if need be.
I can't get Fedora 10 added to grub - the graphical utility in MCC just flat won't do it - it doesn't even give me the options to do it. I've tried several ways through editing grub.
The boot device priority is the Mandriva 2025.1 drive first, then the Fedora 10 drive second in BIOS.
Mount (when the Fedora 10 root partition is mounted in Mandriva) shows like this:
| Code: | [dedanna@dedanna ~]$ mount
(Mandriva 2025.1 root partition)-->/dev/hda1 on / type reiserfs (rw,relatime,notail,user_xattr)
none on /proc type proc (rw)
(Mandriva 2025.1 home partition)-->/dev/hda6 on /home type reiserfs (rw,relatime,notail,user_xattr)
none on /tmp type tmpfs (rw)
none on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)
none on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
(data only - music library)-->/dev/sda1 on /media/FreeAgent_Drive type reiserfs (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal)
(Fedora 10 root partition)-->/dev/hdc1 on /media/_ type reiserfs (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal) |
/boot/grub/menu.lst in Mandriva 2025.1 I have set like so right now:
| Code: | [dedanna@dedanna ~]$ cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
timeout 10
color black/cyan yellow/cyan
gfxmenu (hd0,0)/boot/gfxmenu
default 0
title Mandriva Linux 2025.1 desktop 2.6.24.7-2mnb
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24.7-desktop-2mnb BOOT_IMAGE=Mandriva_Linux_20081_desktop_26 root=/dev/hda1 nopinit resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent vga=791
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd-2.6.24.7-desktop-2mnb.img
title Microsoft Windows XP
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
makeactive
title Fedora 10
root (hd0,1)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
title failsafe
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=failsafe root=/dev/hda1 failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img
title linux-nonfb
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux-nonfb root=/dev/hda1 resume=/dev/hda5
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img
title desktop 2.6.24.7-2mnb
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24.7-desktop-2mnb BOOT_IMAGE=desktop_2.6.24.7-2mnb root=/dev/hda1 failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd-2.6.24.7-desktop-2mnb.img
title linux
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=/dev/hda1 nopinit resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent vga=791
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img |
The Windows drive isn't hooked up right now, but I may have to add it back (with another distro) later on, so I'm leaving the entry there for right now. When I had Windows on it, it dual-booted with it fine with the entry you see above, and that's the only way it would do it. Fedora 10 however, will not boot with that entry.
What I've tried for the Fedora 10 entry thus far:
What you see above in /boot/grub/menu.lst,,,, plus:
| Code: | title Fedora 10
root (hd0,1)
chainloader +1 |
And a couple others that I can't remember off the top of my head right now.
With each one, I get an error when I try to boot Fedora 10 off of Mandriva's grub menu (right off the bat):
| Code: | Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x5
chainloader +1 |
Then it just hangs there and won't boot.
How do I add this to Mandriva's grub? Or, would it be better to modify Fedora 10's menu.lst and let it handle the triple-boot after switching the boot device priority for it in BIOS?
For now, what I've been doing to switch between the two is just reboot, go into BIOS, change the boot device priority order, then boot whichever I've made #1 there (which is a pain).
Thanks a bunch!
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Last edited by inactive on Thu Feb 12, 2025 9:27 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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platinummonkey
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jester
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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(hd01)=/dev/hda2 is an extended partition - looks like it's where you have your swap and mandriva /home (/dev/hda5 and /dev/hda6 respectively?)
| DedannaRocks! wrote: | | The boot device priority is the Mandriva 2025.1 drive first, then the Fedora 10 drive second in BIOS. |
This means that Fedora is now on /dev/hdb1 not /dev/hdc1 so in grub-speak that'll be (hd1,0)
If I were you I'd copy the Fedora kernel and initrd to the Mandriva /boot and then
| Code: | title Fedora 10
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/name-of-Fedora-kernel-here root=/dev/hdb1 options-here
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/Fedora's-initrd.img-here |
I'd also comment out all lines pertaining to the Windows drive which is currently not connected just to be on the safe side
It's another linux so I don't see any need to be chainloading
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inactive
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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With the hard drive #s starting at 0, then the Fedora drive would actually be 1. I've tried also (root hd1,0), with the same results.
Could this have to do with the fact that the Fedora bootloader is installed to its MBR?
Mandriva thread here.
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masinick
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 7:24 pm Post subject: Try these things |
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In the Mandriva mount table, can Fedora files be seen and accessed on /dev/hdc1? If so, then manually adding a chainloader entry:
title Fedora 10
root (hd2,0)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
should work. Try that. If it does not work, then use GRUB interactively to probe where GRUB actually sees the device. Try both root (hd2,0) and root (hd1,0). If Fedora 10 is on the first partition, it should be seen as the first partition on either the second or the third drive, depending on how it "sees" things.
You can run GRUB interactively from the non-graphical GRUB menu by pressing "e". If you have a splash GUI, press Esc to revert to the non-graphical menu. If you want to use the splash GUI version of GRUB, you can temporarily erase the entry you are pointing to and type something in, but in my opinion, when you are experimenting and editing, that is where the non GUI version works better.
Is my explanation clear? With GRUB, you can definitely poke around to see where IT thinks the images are located. Once you know the answers, you can edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst entries accordingly and you will have your answer. |
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masinick
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Location: Concord, NH
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 7:47 pm Post subject: Check out the GRUB menu editor |
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| DedannaRocks! wrote: | With the hard drive #s starting at 0, then the Fedora drive would actually be 1. I've tried also (root hd1,0), with the same results.
Could this have to do with the fact that the Fedora bootloader is installed to its MBR?
Mandriva thread here. |
I think that the Fedora GRUB entries may look wrong to Mandriva, since Fedora sets up to run from (hd0,0). When you installed Fedora, by any chance, was it the FIRST disk at the time of the Fedora installation? If so, then accessing the configfile is not going to work unless the configfile is changed first. Accessing the actual Fedora kernel, as Mandriva sees it is more likely to yield a positive result.
I posted a comment in the Mandriva forum, too, so others in the Mandriva community can benefit from this discussion. I think that picking up some information using the GRUB menu editor is going to yield the solution.
GRUB menu editor
Finally, if I was doing this, I would install each disk as they are actually seen on the bus, set up every entry correctly, and go from there. To me, there are as many as three or four variables here, and at a distance, it is very difficult to figure out what is actually going on right now. To me, it looks like each system "thought" it was on the first disk at the time in which it was installed, and in reality, that is no longer the case, and that is where the problems are coming from. |
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inactive
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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Yep. Thanks so much for your help on this masinick. It turned out I had to put the full entry for Fedora into Mandriva's grub. You can check back at the thread as to why - it's a bug.
So, in order to get it to work, I took a question that I *had* asked in that thread, and it was never answered:
| teknokraft wrote: | Here's F10's menu.lst entry:
| Code: | title Fedora (2.6.27.12-170.2.5.fc10.i686)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27.12-170.2.5.fc10.i686 ro root=UUID=d49e6f7c-e6c5-4bf0-94fd-16c18ae37270 rhgb quiet
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.27.12-170.2.5.fc10.i686.img |
Could I not edit this to work? |
So, I did just that. I figured it would need the full entry, because of what you were saying. I edited the entry for Mandriva by just one character, and it worked like a charm. What I ended up with is this:
| Code: | title Fedora (2.6.27.12-170.2.5.fc10.i686)
-->root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27.12-170.2.5.fc10.i686 ro root=UUID=d49e6f7c-e6c5-4bf0-94fd-16c18ae37270 rhgb quiet
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.27.12-170.2.5.fc10.i686.img |
I'm now in Fedora 10, via Mandriva's grub menu. 
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masinick
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2025 9:39 pm Post subject: Glad you solved it! |
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Excellent! It makes sense that (hd1,0) works, since the (original) second disk is not in there. This may need to be changed again if you insert the Windows disk, but now you know how to do it.
Good work! |
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inactive
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masinick
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2025 3:10 am Post subject: |
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| DedannaRocks! wrote: | Thanks!
For now, I've just commented out the Windows entry.
I'm thinking more and more though, of letting F10 carry the bootloader/grub. I'm still learning my way around in it though, and need to get it to where it will mount the Mandriva drive without being root (not sure if this can even be done in F10 though - one can do this in Mandriva).
I really really like Fedora more and more (moreso than Mandriva even), but miss a few features in it like changing gdm theme, etc.
For now though - time to go see da daughter and grandson. |
Fedora can do everything that Mandriva can do, and arguably more, particularly in security and virtualization areas. Fedora can most certainly handle the booting needs. |
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inactive
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2025 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Right but it's not obvious how with Fedora. The guys in the F10 channel yesterday told me that it can't be done (of which I know better because I've found more gdm themes). Also, the login manager right now appears to be kdm (I'm a gdm user) - I am not sure where to change these things. Can't find them. I know it can be done CLI, but I'd like to find whatever nifty GUI features F10 has, then will go from there. I don't like KDE or KDE stuff, with the exception now of two programs, and those I think twice on before installing.
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masinick
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2025 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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If you want kdm and gdm, no problem. With Debian systems, you say apt-get install kdm gdm. You do a similar thing with yum when you are using Fedora. No reason you can't have both on your system - or REPLACE what comes with it with what you want to use.
Look into the way that Fedora handles package management and you may find that it is not all that difficult to get what you want. Just like with the GRUB exercise, if you fool around with it a bit, you may end up becoming an expert at yet another skill - never hurts to gain more expertise.
If you have questions about it, I'd be glad to answer them - either here or in some Mandriva or Fedora forum, doesn't matter to me. I do like to share stuff with my friends here, though, so I often bring stuff in here, even from other places. |
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jester
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inactive
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2025 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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@masinick: Sorry, I meant I have them installed, but it's switching between them, changing the themes of them, etc. that I'm not finding graphically.
In Mandriva there's the "Login Window" function (it's under System-->Administration menu in Gnome) to configure gdm with (or kdm if one so chooses it). Right there on the gdm login, one can configure it, too.
Features:
1) Choose theme
2) Choose default session
3) Choose the theme & option to include XMDCP menu item
4) Enable/disable remote login
5) Enable accessible and timed login
6) Which users to display
In MCC (Configure your computer)-->Boot-->Set up your display manager is where to choose which login manager to display; KDM, XDM, or GDM.
...etc.
These are the things I'm not finding, even after searching out package manager. I have fusion repos enabled.
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masinick
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2025 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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One reason I do not use distro specific tools that often is that the technology rarely transfers to other distributions, unless they are derived distributions. That does not mean that I won't use the tools at all, I will and I do, I just don't like to rely solely on them because they tend to obscure the details. Some of the tools that I use are actually scripts. If I need to know something about how they work I can read the code - and maybe even copy it.
That's one reason why in years past Libranet was one of my favorites and why sidux is a favorite now. I could and can use their tools, but I can always resort to only standard Debian tools and they will not conflict in any way.
Mandriva is not too bad in that respect; you can still use underlying commands without messing things up. However, if you get used to the drak* tools too much, learning other things becomes difficult.
When it comes to boot managers, I always deal with them myself and set them up the way that I want them to be. I make plenty of extra copies, so if one gets messed up, I can fix it quickly and easily. |
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