bootloader?

ownxdbyps3 · #1 10th April 2007, 07:35 PM

question...im about to install fedora core 6 on my compaq presario amd athlon 64 3500+
i already have the dvd with the i386 iso. i've also downloaded yellowdog linux on my ps3. when i installed ydl i had to download a bootloader and installer aside from the iso. now. does the fedora 6 iso dvd contain the bootloader?? or is that something i have to download on my own. i think its called grub if im not mistaken. im still very new to linux. but i've liked my experience on ydl so much i want to work on it on my desktop as well. thanks for all your help guys.

***bob*** · #2 10th April 2007, 07:51 PM

Yes, grub is also the default bootloader for Fedora. By default, it will install on the mbr of your primary hard drive and will allow you to boot multiple distros as well as keep track of the new kernels in Fedora, so you'll always have the option to boot into the latest kernel.

ownxdbyps3 · #3 10th April 2007, 08:02 PM

so, all i need is the fc6 dvd and thats all. once that goes in, it'll install the bootloade r and such. and i also could have the option to boot up xp 1st? or will it go into grub and give me a list of all the os that i have and let me choose which one i want?

thanks for your help bob.

***bob*** · #4 10th April 2007, 08:37 PM

After the install, grub will automatically boot Fedora first but also show Windows (labelled "other") as an option. If you want to boot Windows first, go into Fedora and use the text editor gedit to change the boot order. Open a terminal as root (su -), give your password, and then type:

Quote:

gedit /boot/grub/grub.conf

That will open a new window and you'll find the line "default=0" which means that, since a computer counts up from zero, it will boot the first kernel it finds. So, counting from zero, you'll find that Windows (you can rename it here too) is "1". Change to "default=1" to boot Windows. One other thing will apply though. By default, Fedora will not only show the newest kernel but also will keep one prior version for safety's sake and then remove the oldest one afterwards. So, after you update to the newest kernel, you'll have to advance that 'default=1' to 'default=2' to keep Windows booting first.

***bob*** · #5 10th April 2007, 08:41 PM

Actually, I forgot to mention that when it begins booting, you can stop the automatic boot by hitting any key and then move up or down to select the one you want. If you want to keep that menu in front of you without hitting that key, you can edit the grub.conf to do that too. Just put a 'comment' (#) before the 'hiddenmenu' entry and you'll automatically see that menu during the boot.

Hmmm....might also want to increase or decrease the 'timeout=5' which gives you 5 seconds to make your decision to some other number. Don't choose zero!

ownxdbyps3 · #6 10th April 2007, 09:45 PM

by the way, when i partition my drive. im creating 3 partitions right? i got my / partition then i got /home partition and a linux swap partition...do i need a /boot partition...????

techmatt · #7 10th April 2007, 10:09 PM

I allways have I find it make is alot easyer to restore you're Linux install if you do have problems

***bob*** · #8 11th April 2007, 01:47 AM

Frankly, I've always just used root and swap. Swap is double the size of your ram, but not more than a gig and root can be the rest. Many, many people like to include a separate /home partition if they are concerned about their data. I don't keep that much on my machine and prefer to back everything onto CD's instead, but that choice is yours.

ownxdbyps3 · #9 11th April 2007, 09:48 AM

thanks for your help guys. i'll take your advice and just make a / (root) and a swap. i dont really need a /home. thanks anyways.