win xp win 8 and ubuntu 11.10 triboot

[oldfred]

Windows XP has hard coded drive number in boot.ini, so changing boot order can make XP not work. Ubuntu often adds a map device command to make Windows think it still is the drive(0) when the computer is booted from the second drive. There is something that BIOS records on drive that system use to know drives when booting and that has to map to boot info.

[Geezanansa]

From first page

Windows only know how to boot from one primary partition with the boot flag. The Windows MBR only knows to jump to the active partition (boot flag in Linux) and boot from there

From last post

Do you have a boot flag on a Ubuntu drive primary partition, does not matter which one, but must be primary as it just is for BIOS not grub.

So have to create/make primary partitition and

then a reinstall of grub2's boot loader to the MBR and a sudo update-grub should have you booting everything

so something like

#Comments are anything after the #, enter commands in terminal session #Install MBR from LiveCD/usb, Ubuntu install on sdbX and want grub2's bootloader in drive sdb's MBR:
#Find linux partition, change sdbX to correct:
sudo fdisk -l #confirm that linux is  primary with boot flag and sdbX 
sudo mount /dev/sdbX /mnt #If grub 1.99 with Natty or later uses boot not root.
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb  # If no errors on previous commands reboot into working system and run this:
 sudo update-grub

or use boot repair cd (would be easy option but wanted to work out what is going on)

or keep using F11 to boot to windows as ubuntu boots just fine now after a few reboots i.e.no hanging at post. It is just not logical
BootInfoScript: bis.tar.gz

[Geezanansa]

Did use boot repair cd to make backup of mbr this time round lol before doing a bootinfo script.

[Geezanansa]

From first page
Quote:
Windows only know how to boot from one primary partition with the boot flag. The Windows MBR only knows to jump to the active partition (boot flag in Linux) and boot from there



From last post
Quote:
Do you have a boot flag on a Ubuntu drive primary partition?, does not matter which one, but must be primary as it just is for BIOS not grub.

bootinfoscript says
Quote:
=================== parted -l:

Model: ATA Maxtor 6Y120L0 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 123GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 368MB 367MB primary ntfs boot
2 368MB 123GB 123GB primary ntfs


Model: ATA ST380011A (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 80.0GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 77.9GB 77.9GB primary ext4 boot
2 77.9GB 80.0GB 2145MB extended
5 77.9GB 80.0GB 2145MB logical linux-swap(v1)

.. so to answer the question - yes!



BIOS is set to boot sdb with jumpers set to both hdds as cable select. BIOS says sdb only bootable device when that device selected as first bootable hdd through bios settings. POST screen confirms BIOS detecting Maxtor120GB(Windows 8 ) as master/hd0. i.e. Seagate80GB(Ubuntu)sdb is not master all though selected as first boot device in bios boot/boot settings/1st boot device.!?

Here is what i think happens when ubuntu boots and layout of hardware config:

UbuntuBootDiagCpy.jpg

Here is what does happen:
Grub loads and Ubuntu boots when selected from grub list. When Windows 8 is selected from grub list it does not boot but tries to start recovery/automatic repair then system reboots.
boot info script says
Quote:
=================== os-prober:
/dev/sda1:Windows Recovery Environment (loader):Windows:chain
/dev/sdb1:Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS (12.04):Ubuntu:linux

and blkid section ends with
Quote:
2 disks with OS, 2 OS : 1 Linux, 0 MacOS, 1 Windows, 0 unknown type OS.


Windows not detected by os-prober on sda2.
Warning: extended partition does not start at a cylinder boundary.
DOS and Linux will interpret the contents differently.

So bootinfoscript very handy. Seems a lot more readable than it was six months ago...


If F11 selected at post time on rebooting then Maxtor120GB is selected from list- Windows 8 boots as expected.

Quote:
Ubuntu often adds a map device command to make Windows think it still is the drive(0) when the computer is booted from the second drive. There is something that BIOS records on drive that system use to know drives when booting and that has to map to boot info.

uuid?

So it would be possible to press "c" at grub list and enter a command to tell bios to boot hd0!?

But BIOS is boss - it tells grub what to do.

So grub has to have a link with of all mbrs and pbrs in order to boot all available os. This has to be so before trying to launch kernel from grub list option.
These links can get mixed up after switching/changing first boot device in bios.

grub-install should take care of it


Have found info grub!

Not marked this unsolved as am sure more than enough info/links and advice given in thread already. Working it out.

[oldfred]

Was Windows 8 still in its (automatic) hibernate mode?

I think I have seen several cases where the only solution with some of the older IDE/PATA drive systems was to install grub into the first (Windows) drive so BIOS reporting was the Windows drive. I prefer to have each drive be totally stand alone, but some system just do not allow it.

[Geezanansa]

Was Windows 8 still in its (automatic) hibernate mode?

Yes and still is. I think it is a good thing. Want a side by side installation without any encryption and no file sharing. Windows 8 reliable. Had been using easy bcd for multiboot with success. Doing this only added ubuntu to boot list for choosing after loading windows bootmanager. A full reboot to post was needed to boot ubuntu when that option was selected which meant waiting twice as long compared with how long to wait if grub was bootmanager and bootloader for ubuntu to boot as default.
Which has led to the interest in multibooting again in order to try and achieve side by side os installations with the option to boot both installed os at grub option list at boot time.

Have been using old boot-repair cd to give boot info script and noticed boot repair is soon to be available through ubuntu software centre.(without adding ppa) so that is good. So will make a new cd with the most current iso. Probably just means boot repair does not have to download as many files for updating when starting.

To boot windows i have been using f11 one time boot selection.
Both os are bootable from f11 one time boot list.
Just need to manage how they load by working out why they will not both boot wether be it bios or grub set up limiting the outcome.
Possibly windows 8 limiting outcome as well.

Time to try putting grub into sda....

[Geezanansa]

So down to ubuntu booting only. Time to try windows rebuild bcd....

Pre repair boot info Pre.odt
Post repair boot info Post.odt

[Geezanansa]

Installing grub to sda when ubuntu on sdb/windows sda (cable select) did not work for booting windows
Had to do system restore after restoring windows 8 mbr to get windows 8 booting.
And ubuntu booting after restoring mbr.

So bios only gives one bootable device in bios boot settings when everything fired up on cs configuration.
Bios gives two harddrives in bios boot settings>hdds to choose from. Both of which boot from F11 one time boot list when everything fired up on cable select configuration.

Leaving bios to select drive gives me what i want - two os side by side with both being selectable at boot time. Using bios to select drive allows hibernation mode settings in windows 8; (if that drive selected as default/master/bootable), to be on.
Maybe windows 8 does not like the rewriting of mbr by third party - which is for obvious reasons and is a good thing!

On cable select - maybe bios not giving two bootable devices not letting grub do its job.

Changing jumpers to master and slave will give two boot devices in bios settings.

How to get grub into sda without breaking windows? -would mean using windows bootmgr!?-working more like easybcd!?

[oldfred]

Your BIOS and older IDE drives seem to be the issue. Not sure if some BIOS setting may help, but beyond that I just do not know.

Since you have this thread posted as Solved not many will look at it. If you want more help, it may pay to start a new thread and include what you have found so far. Many will not read this entire thread to understand your system.