Triple Boot Query

[Rupam Bezbarua]

Hi,

I run Windows XP and FC5 on my machine with the following stats:

Pentium IV 2.93 GHz processor, 915 GV Motherboard with 256 DDR RAM and a 80 GB HDD

I borrowed my friend's Ubuntu CD that I would like to install on my computer and check the distro. I have never tried a debian based distro ever and am curious to know more. I love FC5 but want to give Ubuntu a shot...Here's my hard drive configuration (fdisk -l):

Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40060403712 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4870 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2550 20482843+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda2 2551 4869 18627367+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 2551 4869 18627336 b W95 FAT32

Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 14 4865 38973690 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/dm-0: 39.3 GB, 39325794304 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4781 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1: 536 MB, 536870912 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 65 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

My grub menu is:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 999999999999
splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.17-1.2157_FC5)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.17-1.2157_FC5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.17-1.2157_FC5.img
#title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.2054_FC5)
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
# initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.img
title Windows XP Professional
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1


I wanted to install Ubuntu in the disk /dev/sdb. Here's what I needed some help on:

1. Can I install Ubuntu in /dev/sdb without having to re-partition the disk. I do not want to loose anything in FC5. I think I cannot install it without wiping out everything and re-paritioning /dev/sdb so that I make some space for Ubuntu also.

2. Please let me know if there is a way to re-paritition the disk /dev/sdb without loosing data in it.

3. Should I need to wipe out everything in the disk /dev/sdb, what should be the partitions like ideally?

4. How should I configure grub after I install Ubuntu so that it boots all three Operating Systems? ( I need Windows for Games mostly though there is massive amount of data that I would hate to loose.)

I thank you for your time.

[elsmob]

Unless you use some sort of virtual machine, vmware, you will need to repartition /dev/sda.

Personally, I find it easier to use a virtual machine for testing out new distros because you can simply delete a file when you are done with it.

[nvmkpk]

Hi,

I run Windows XP and FC5 on my machine with the following stats:

Pentium IV 2.93 GHz processor, 915 GV Motherboard with 256 DDR RAM and a 80 GB HDD

I borrowed my friend's Ubuntu CD that I would like to install on my computer and check the distro. I have never tried a debian based distro ever and am curious to know more. I love FC5 but want to give Ubuntu a shot...Here's my hard drive configuration (fdisk -l):
.
.
.

There a few free software that can resize the linux partitions without destroying the contents. You seem to have logical volumes. I am not sure how they handle the LVM.

[Rupam Bezbarua]

Hi...

I was able to install XP, Ubuntu, and FC5 successfully. XP and Ubuntu share the first drive and FC5 is in the other drive. I am not able to boot to Windows XP now. I can boot to Ubuntu and FC5 just fine. I search the forums and the net for hours but have not been able to zero-in on the problem.. Here's the output of fdisk -l:

[root@bootbat ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40060403712 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4870 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2435 19559106 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 2436 4748 18579172+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 14 4865 38973690 8e Linux LVM

sda1 has XP.
sda2 has Ubuntu
sdb1 has FC5

My grub.conf looks like:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.2054_FC5)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.img
title Ubuntu Breezy Badger 5.10
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/sda2 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-9-386
title Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

I have no idea what's goin on...When I boot the machine, it says loading grub stage2......... I do not understand the stage2 part.....Also when I select Windows XP in the grub menu and press enter, it brings me back to the grub menu.......

I tried fixboot after booting off the XP CD....it then boots straight to XP without showing any grub menu....When I do a grub-install --recheck /dev/sda1, it brings me back to the grub menu with XP not loading again....

Please help me..I really do not know what to do....This entire day was spent trying to figure out a solution...I give up....

Thanks in advance....

[bob]

Try modifying XP this way (you can drop the 'makeactive' and 'savedefault' - just adding the 'rootnoverify (hd0,0) may be all it really takes but the rest can't hurt:

title Windows XP
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

and make sure to add an 'enter' after the last line to create a blank line prior to saving.