Linux Help me with GRUB

krishnandu

krishnandu

Level F
Hi friends, Well..here is my situation.

160GB HDD (MAIN):

1. Windows 7

2. Arch 2010

3. Ubuntu (Lucid Lynx)

GRUB is working perfectly fine and I'm able to boot all the three.

20GB HDD (RnD):

1. Fedora 13

2. OpenSUSE 11.2

3. Debian

Planning for Mandriva

Actually after using Linux for some months or so I want to taste different Linux Distros. But I don't want to do that on my MAIN HDD as I've data's on it. So I'm using a spare 20GB HDD for my RnD purpose.

The problem is after installing Debian I'm only getting Debian and Windows. I want all of them.

But the main point is I want this bootloader to reside in MBR of 20GB HDD. Because 160GB HDD is working fine and I don't want to mess with that. Because if some day this 20GB HDD becomes a problem for me I can simply detach it and can use all three OS successfully.
 
But the main point is I want this bootloader to reside in MBR of 20GB HDD. Because 160GB HDD is working fine and I don't want to mess with that. Because if some day this 20GB HDD becomes a problem for me I can simply detach it and can use all three OS successfully.
Click to expand...

Confusing ? Why you want to install the bootloader into some drive that you are unsure of the risk instilled with it ? Once removed you have to reinstalll the stuff from the scratch. So install the grub in the hard disk in which you have main data.

Before solving your problem I want you to post the output of

Code: 
 su - or sudo -i

fdisk -l

grub 

find /boot/grub/stage1

The problem is after installing Debian I'm only getting Debian, OpenSUSE, Arch and Windows. I want all of them.
Click to expand...

Its quite simple, debian grub is not picking up the entries from other hard drive, so you have to manually add them.

Also post the output of /boot/grub/menu.lst from the OS who's grub is currently installed, from your post it should be debian
 
I want to install the bootloader on my RnD(20GB) HDD just because I don't want to mess with my working and stable main(160GB) HDD. If I face any problem, I can simply detach the 20GB HDD and can use everything as it's now.

Well, I must mention that 20GB HDD is hda and 160GB HDD is sda. So when I installed OS'es on 20GB HDD, I selected to install GRUB on /dev/hda just to achieve what I'm wanting.

1st I installed Fedora 13, then OpenSUSE 11.2 and then Debian. But after installing debian I'm not getting all the OS'es on my GRUB listing. I just want it to get detected all the OS'es installed on my both HDD's.

Now if I achieve this the situation would be....

1. If I connect both of my HDD's I'll get all the OS'es.

2. If I face any problem I can simply detach the 20GB HDD and then I'll get the OS'es on my 160GB HDD(i.e. Windows, Arch and Ubuntu) as it's presently, as I'm not messing with GRUB on 160GB HDD.

BTW sorry I'm presently not on my PC. So I'll post the output of commands that you posted as soon as I get into my PC.
 
Try this on your Grub cmdline while booting. Press C to enter the cmdline.

root (hd[0,1],X) X = partition number.

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-$(kernel-version) ro root=/dev/hdaX [X= your root, in this case will match value of X above]

initrd /boot/initrd-img-$(kernel-version)

boot

PS: Assuming you kept /boot/ dir for each distro on separate partition. And it exists there. Also this assumes that you did not have a separate /boot partition.

Good luck
 
Thanks...But I didn't kept seperate /boot for any. And how would I know what should be X..?? And I don't remember Kernel Versions of any of the Distros.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

@Dark Star

Here's the output that you asked for

krishnandu@Krisno-PC:~$ su

Password:

Krisno-PC:/home/krishnandu# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 20.0 GB, 20020396032 bytes

16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38792 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x0001397f

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/hda1 3 10405 5242880 83 Linux

Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/hda2 10405 12486 1048576 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/hda3 * 12496 32593 10128982+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)

Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/hda5 12496 22903 5245191 83 Linux

/dev/hda6 22903 32593 4883728+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x31e331e2

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sda1 * 1 13 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS

Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/sda2 13 6528 52326400 7 HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sda3 6528 15666 73400320 7 HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sda4 15666 19458 30459873 5 Extended

/dev/sda5 15666 17409 14000616 83 Linux

/dev/sda6 17409 17533 995998+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sda7 17533 19458 15462400 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 2083 MB, 2083258368 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 253 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x221e5780

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sdb1 1 254 2032640 b W95 FAT32

Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:

phys=(252, 254, 63) logical=(253, 15, 18)

Disk /dev/sdc: 519 MB, 519045120 bytes

56 heads, 32 sectors/track, 565 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 1792 * 512 = 917504 bytes

Disk identifier: 0xecbf6bfb

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sdc1 * 1 566 506736 6 FAT16

Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:

phys=(886, 55, 32) logical=(565, 31, 32)

Krisno-PC:/home/krishnandu# find /boot/grub/stage1

/boot/grub/stage1

Krisno-PC:/home/krishnandu#
Click to expand...


--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Ohh and sorry...At my 1st post I told that I'm getting Debian, OpenSUSE, Arch and Windows. But I'm only getting Debian and Windows. Please help me out.
 
@krishnandu: I dual boot Windows 7 64bit and Lucid 32bit using EasyBCD. It is a free boot menu editing utility for Windows 7/Vista. Maybe you can give it a shot.
 
Well...Leave it. I'll find some other way out. Ubuntu uses GRUB2 which is incompatible with other distros which still use GRUB Legacy.

Thanks @awestriker I'll surely try your suggestion. Otherwise I'll buy another stick.
 
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