Want to replace F15 with F16, clean install, and not replace exisitng grub2

[David Batson]

Title says it all. I want to replace Fedora 15 with Fedora 16, do a clean install, and not overwrite the existing Arch Linux GRUB2 bootloader (BIOS boot from MBR). What I want to do is after installing Fedora 16 is add Fedora 16 to /boot/grub/grub.cfg in Arch Linux. I know how to add OS's to /boot/grub/grub.cfg. I don't know how to prevent grub from being installed (to the MBR) by Fedora. I currently have 4 OS's installed on this hard drive; Fedora 15 Gnome, Mageia 1 KDE, Arch Linux Xfce, and Windows 7.

Is there a moderately simple way to do this?

[glennzo]

As you step through the Fedora installer there is an opportunity to tell it where to put the boot loader. You can tell it to install to the root partition of the new install instead of the MBR.

http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/...ootloader.html

Look at figure 8.46. In the top left corner, install bootloader on /dev/sda. Then it says change device. Here you can select a different target for the boot loader. I've been using that option for a while now. It works perfectly for my needs, which are the same as yours, don't overwrite my boot loader!

[David Batson]

Thanks a bunch! Just downloaded and burned the F16 DVD. Will install soon.

[sonoran]

The Fedora 16 Installation Guide is even more explicit:
http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/...ootloader.html

"Where would you like to install the
boot loader for your system?"

Select "First sector of boot partition" instead of "Master Boot Record."

This also works if your Fedora 16 install doesn't have a /boot partition.

And to avoid their caution in the "GRUB as a Secondary Boot Loader" box that

If you install GRUB as a secondary boot loader, you must reconfigure your primary boot loader whenever you install and boot from a new kernel.

I boot Fedora 16 from legacy grub on the mbr with this in my Arch menu.lst:

title fedora 16
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

This has already survived several F16 kernel updates without needing any reconfiguration.
Not sure how to do that in grub2.

[David Batson]

Thanks guys! Got Fedora 16 installed without a hitch. No problems with GRUB.