just get "GRUB" (Dual boot XP and Gentoo)

*nix-xtc · n00b Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 4

I tried out Redhat 9, and was sorely disappointed. Time to try Gentoo instead.
Thing is, I have linux installed on a second hard drive, and had dual-booting setup really nicely, using Grub, as outlined here:

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux/grub-w2k-HOWTO.html

Now, everything just went fine for the install of Gentoo. I installed Grub on /dev/hdb1 or (hd1,0) for Grub. I setup the grub.conf file appropriately.

I did not install Grub into the MBR of the first drive, cuz, well, the above setup worked great for the few days I tinkered with RH 9, and I have the two OS'es living quite separately.

However, when I try to boot into Gentoo, (having followed the procedure given at the URL), what I get onscreen is just:
GRUB
and a flashing cursor, and it just sits.

I was able to boot from the CD, and somehow managed to mount the actual Hard Drive partitions and check things, and everything looked ok. In fact, the very first time out all I got was a black screen, and so when I did boot from CD & mount the HD partitions, I found that bzImage was read-only across the board. Thinking that might be the problem, I maded it executable by the owner (it said root, shouldn't that be "system" ? )

So I here I am, a painfully long install of Gentoo (and yet somehow fun in a sick way), that I can't boot into properly.

I followed the Gentoo bit about making a boot floppy. But it ain't. Well, all I get again, is:
GRUB
and the cursor.
Hardly booting my system.

Please chime in and tell me if you think I can get the setup outlined at the URL working with Gentoo, and how. Maybe anything else I should check.

Any way to use that floppy to boot my installed system ?

TIA !!!

H0bb3z · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2003 9:15 pm Post subject:

Within GRUB, you should be capable of modifying the boot parameters if you are stuck so that you can change a couple of things to boot the right partition or add a kernel parameter, etc.

Are you getting all the way to a GRUB prompt like

*nix-xtc · n00b Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 4

Well, yes. I get to that point.
What happens then is: I tried a few of the commands, and got a reponse akin to "command not found" !

This is not like I can easily go back & reformat & reinstall...

I hate the feeling that my only option is to hose (as far as XP and any anti-virus prog is concenred) the MBR on the first drive.
And then if I ever have to reinstall Windows (we all know that story), I'm back to square one...
What's NOT clear to me at all, is how to point Grub to my currently installed kernel, and to try to boot that...
Thanks

foshdawg · n00b Joined: 27 May 2003 Posts: 63

gentoo install docs talk about installing grub somewhere else other than the mbr, did you follow that?

Ne0_ · n00b Joined: 17 Nov 2002 Posts: 16 Location: germany

Ok, this is my '/boot/grub/grub.conf', it's doalbooting with gentoo and xp.
XP is installed at the first primary partition, at least it was preinstalled there, i just resized the partition and put gentoo on it.
I think grub is installed at the mbr, but not sure

*nix-xtc · n00b Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 4

foshdawg asked:

did I follow the gentoo docs about installing Grub somewhere other than the MBR ?

Yes. I followed the Gentoo install guide, and setup Grub on the boot partition of the second hard drive (where Gentoo is installed)

as follows:
root (hd1,0)
setup (hd1)

and setup the grub.conf file appropriately

JoeW71 · n00b Joined: 07 May 2003 Posts: 27 Location: Umea, Sweden

Hello, I'm no expert in this area but what I've gathered the optimal setting would be to install grub on the boot-record of the first disc that boots.

In your case that would be to do this in grub:

BigBaaadBob · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2003 9:54 pm Post subject:

In my situation I have this layout:

*nix-xtc · n00b Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 4

Well, I was able to boot from the Grub boot floppy that is made during the install process, and pass the argument :
kernel (hd1,0)/boot/bzImage root=/dev/hdb3

and then the system booted from the installed Gentoo (on the second hard drive). Good to go from there. Thanks !

And as for installing Grub to the MBR of the first drive, no thanks.

This way, I can reinstall Win XP without fear (which I need to do soon). Before that I just make a backup copy of the "linux.bin" file created (see the URL I referenced in my first post), and the custom boot.ini file

The problem was in my grub.conf file, confirmed by being able to boot from the installed system by passing the correct arguments using the Grub boot floppy.

Milamber · n00b Joined: 23 May 2003 Posts: 72 Location: Richmond, VA