Re: ASUS - K8N-E Deluxe Install Report (using /debian-installer/2005-03-24)
(snip)
> > >
> > > Another thing that is a bit annoying, and that may be due to my own
> > > lack of knowledge, is the boot utility (either grub or lilo) which
> > > doesn't do what I would like it to.
> > > I was usually starting another OS on /dev/sda1, with the Bios boot
> > > device being the associated SATA disk. I started installing debian on
> > > a PATA disk, at /dev/hda1, and I changed the boot sequence in the BIOS
> > > to go for IDE0 as primary disk.
> > > The installer does detect that there's another OS installed, and puts
> > > it in the boot menu, but trying to start it form the boot loader
> > > doesn't work. Of course, if I revert to having the SATA disk as
> > > primary boot from the Bios I can boot on /dev/sda1 - but I can't boot
> > > my debian, of course.
> > > I did that because I didn't want the boot loader to mess up with the
> > > other OS (which I cannot afford to lose) but that was certainly a bad
> > > idea. I'd appreciate any thought on the subject.
> > >
> > > Here is the automatic grub generated menu.lst I'm not sure about the (hd1,0)
> > >
> > > # This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
> > > # on /dev/sda1
> > > title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
> > > root (hd1,0)
> > > savedefault
> > > makeactive
> > > chainloader +1
> >
> > Well since windows thinks it is on hardisk 0, partition 0 in it's
> > boot.ini, it won't boot this way unless you do mapping of the drives
> > too. The installer has no way to know that.
> >
> > If you had NOT changed the drive order before installing and had
> > installed the boot loader to the MBR of the windows drive, everything
> > should just have worked. Changing drive orders around on a system
> > already in use is simply asking for trouble since you will for sure
> > confuse the boot loaders already installed.
> >
> > You have to decide what drive is going to be the boot drive, and then
> > install the whole system with the drives in those positions. If you
> > don't want to reinstall windows, you have to leave it as it was when
> > windows was installed, and then install linux with the drives in that
> > position.
> >
> > Len Sorensen
> >
>On Mar 30, 2005 10:07 AM, Remi Butaud <lefrog06@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks very much for the information, I suspected something along
> these lines. The reason I didn't install it with the same boot order
> was to have a free check to do anything with the linux install and the
> boot loaders, and I didn't want to hurt the windows partition. As I am
> running trials with the installer, it doesn't matter that much at this
> point (as I'm like erasing and reinstalling debian every other day),
> but I'll now do it properly :)
>
> Thank you again, I am grateful that there are people willing to spend
> the time to educate me.
>
> Best regards,
I got to the end of this: Changing or not the order with the BIOS was
irrelevant, because windows wants to be on the first disk, and grub
did install itself on the PATA disk's MBR. Quite the funny thing. I
suppose it doesn't want the SATA disk to be the first one if there's a
PATA. Anyways, the grub information gave me the answer
here's the config file (not the default one)
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
This works and makes the windows boot loader think it is the first
disk drive, and presto, it works! I just have had to edit the BIOS so
that the first boot device is the PATA disk, and all works fine, linux
and windows.
I thought I could share the happy ending :)
Reply to: