How to have a custom Grub2 menu that is maintenance free

[bogan]

Hi!, oldfred,

You Posted:

But someone posted that if you uncheck (with spacebar) all entries, grub will not reinstall to any MBR. I have not tried it.

Does that mean 'uncheck all entries' in sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc?.

If so, would one not have to run 'sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc' from every OS installed, except the one selected as Main?

Even then, I would have thought that an update to Grub, or a kernal update, would still upset things, as it does not give an option to choose where grub is to go.

Chao!, bogan.

[oldfred]

It is every other install that you would have to run the dpkg command. You can check where grub will reinstall.

This is my laptop so it does not show much.

fred@A105-Precise:~$ sudo debconf-show grub-pc
[sudo] password for fred: 
  grub-pc/kopt_extracted: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline:
  grub2/device_map_regenerated:
* grub-pc/install_devices: /dev/disk/by-id/ata-FUJITSU_MHV2160BT_PL_NY07T6A28HNP
  grub-pc/postrm_purge_boot_grub: false
  grub-pc/install_devices_failed_upgrade: true
  grub-pc/disk_description:
* grub2/linux_cmdline:
  grub-pc/install_devices_empty: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline_default: quiet
  grub-pc/partition_description:
  grub-pc/install_devices_failed: false
  grub-pc/install_devices_disks_changed:
* grub2/linux_cmdline_default: quiet splash
  grub-pc/chainload_from_menu.lst: true
  grub-pc/hidden_timeout: false
  grub-pc/mixed_legacy_and_grub2: true
  grub-pc/timeout: 10

[Cavsfan]

Hi!, Cavsfan,

You Posted:

 So, why have so many installs?

In order to answer forum queries with info relevant to the OP's actual situation, and in order to back-up and to transfer data from one computer to another, which are not on the same network, and without Internet or Cloud.

I agree that I am sure some of my problems resulted from Grub Customizer not being able to deal with the Grub2 Additional Options sub-menus. I have not tried the latest version of GC - too risky.

The one thing I really do not understand is that some of the corruption was from entries for OS's and partitions that have not existed for months, if not years.

If I had a choice, I would only have Grub on the main OS of the main HDD and the USB; but I do not have that choice as kernal updates reinstall and update the Grub in the OS being updated.

Chao!, bogan.

I understand Bogan, I was not trying to come off as being indifferent to your situation.
I hope you get it all sorted out.

I always turn off os-prober and just use my own 40_custom. But I do not boot into my other installs often, and most of them I have set to install to sda, but my BIOS boots from sdc, so any reinstall to sda does not matter.

But someone posted that if you uncheck (with spacebar) all entries, grub will not reinstall to any MBR. I have not tried it.

#to get grub2 to remember where to reinstall on updates:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc
#Enter thru first pages,spacebar to choose/unchoose drive, enter to accept, do not choose partitions


#To see what drive grub2 uses see this - grub-pc/install_devices:
sudo debconf-show grub-pc
sudo grub-probe -t device /boot/grub

Thanks Oldfred for the commands. I don't want to attempt the first command.
The second didn't return anything I could understand but the third command returned where my grub is installed (sda7 Quantal) although I am on Raring:

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ sudo debconf-show grub-pc
[sudo] password for cavsfan: 
  grub-pc/kopt_extracted: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline:
  grub2/device_map_regenerated:
* grub-pc/install_devices: /dev/disk/by-id/ata-Hitachi_HDP725050GLA360_GEA534RJ04DU5A
  grub-pc/postrm_purge_boot_grub: false
  grub-pc/install_devices_failed_upgrade: true
  grub-pc/disk_description:
* grub2/linux_cmdline:
  grub-pc/install_devices_empty: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline_default: quiet
  grub-pc/partition_description:
  grub-pc/install_devices_failed: false
  grub-pc/install_devices_disks_changed:
* grub2/linux_cmdline_default: quiet splash
  grub-pc/chainload_from_menu.lst: true
  grub-pc/hidden_timeout: true
  grub-pc/mixed_legacy_and_grub2: true
  grub-pc/timeout: 10
cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ sudo grub-probe -t device /boot/grub
/dev/sda7
cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$

[bogan]

@oldfred, Thanks for that.

Hi!, Cavsfan,

You Posted:

But, what would you have if you made all of your 06_custom files unexecutable and 10_linux and 30_os-prober files executable?
I believe you said it would be a huge mess.

I was not in anyway intending to imply that your Wicki was in anyway the cause of any of my 'huge mess'.

On the contrary it now fully serves the function for which I installed it: to give labels to the device launchers, and to identify the device entries in the Grub menu.

The problems I had with it - at first - were a function of my multible drives and the resulting changes in the Mount names the various OS's were given depending on which Boot drive was selected in Bios, and which Ports removable drives were plugged into. Once I had sorted that out and deactivated all but the Main OS 06_custom, it worked faultlessly.

The answer to your question is that with all the 06_custom files deactivated I get a fully useable menu with 12.10, but which has two disadvantages:
First: ubuntu entries apear as just: "Ubuntu" or Ubuntu 12.04.2 or 12.10", and it is necessary to open the Additional submenu to tell which is which, if more than one installation of the same version exists.

Second, some of the submenus have extra entries below the normal three, and some of them work, some do not, for reasons I do not understand; for example, one boots to the main 12.10 OS, but with a very low-res screen, too big for the display, which can not be scrolled to access things, and no GLX, so no launchers or panels.

But as those extra entries are redundant I can just ignore them, now that I have reduced the irritating 'huge mess' to a slight itch. Though the 12.04 menu is still only functional for the first Ubuntu, Memtest & Windows.

Thanks for putting up with my tortuous explanations.

Chao!, bogan.

[Cavsfan]

@oldfred, Thanks for that.

Hi!, Cavsfan,

You Posted: I was not in anyway intending to imply that your Wicki was in anyway the cause of any of my 'huge mess'.

On the contrary it now fully serves the function for which I installed it: to give labels to the device launchers, and to identify the device entries in the Grub menu.

The problems I had with it - at first - were a function of my multible drives and the resulting changes in the Mount names the various OS's were given depending on which Boot drive was selected in Bios, and which Ports removable drives were plugged into. Once I had sorted that out and deactivated all but the Main OS 06_custom, it worked faultlessly.

The answer to your question is that with all the 06_custom files deactivated I get a fully useable menu with 12.10, but which has two disadvantages:
First: ubuntu entries apear as just: "Ubuntu" or Ubuntu 12.04.2 or 12.10", and it is necessary to open the Additional submenu to tell which is which, if more than one installation of the same version exists.

Second, some of the submenus have extra entries below the normal three, and some of them work, some do not, for reasons I do not understand; for example, one boots to the main 12.10 OS, but with a very low-res screen, too big for the display, which can not be scrolled to access things, and no GLX, so no launchers or panels.

But as those extra entries are redundant I can just ignore them, now that I have reduced the irritating 'huge mess' to a slight itch. Though the 12.04 menu is still only functional for the first Ubuntu, Memtest & Windows.

Thanks for putting up with my tortuous explanations.

Chao!, bogan.

No problem Bogan! Take care and I hope you are able to manage all of your installations now,

[Cavsfan]

The community wiki to create a custom Grub2 menu may be down part of the day on Feb 28th.
The same day the forum will be down part of the day. I need to make some minor changes, which should not take very long.

[Cavsfan]

I almost made a huge mistake the other day. I wanted to delete my 2nd Precise install.
So, I had Gparted up and was about to delete sda5. Then a stroke of luck occurred. I realized I would be looking at grub rescue if I completed that operation.

At least I believe that is what would have happened.

My grub was installed on Quantal sda7 and the partitions would have all resequenced if I deleted sda5.

So I just formatted sda5 as ext4 instead preserving the partition sequence.

Then I just had to edit /etc/grub.d/06_custom and removed a couple of menuentries.
I also remembered to edit /etc/default/grub and subtracted the default line number by 2.

I am learning.

[von Stalhein]

I almost made a huge mistake the other day. I wanted to delete my 2nd Precise install.

snip snip snip

I am learning.

Good!!!!

I am a huge fan of learning, and have done it many a time. In this case I'm more than happy for you to "learn" first and then tell us!!!

[Cavsfan]

I just edited the comunity wiki section 4 to refer to the grub version number vs. the Ubuntu version. I will clean it up a lot more replacing
Ubuntu version with Grub version in April when support for Oneiric Ocelot Ubuntu 11.10 and Lucid Lynx Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS are dropped.
Then it will be just Grub version 1.99 which Precise Pangolin 12.04 LTS uses and Grub version 2.00 which everything after that uses.
There is only minor differences between Grub version 1.99 and Grub version 2.00.

[Cavsfan]

With today's update of grub-pc in Raring, I accepted the installer's version (which one should always do to get the full benefit of the update) of /etc/default/grub and /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme and then modified them again.
In 05_debian_theme the font colors moved from after line 108 to after line 114.

If you ever encounter an error while either the system is updating grub or you enter sudo update-grub you should make the 06_custom file unexecutable and then make 10_linux and 30_os-prober executable.
sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/06_custom
sudo chmod +x /etc/grub.d/10_linux
sudo chmod +x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober

Always remember to enter sudo update-grub or the changes will not take effect. You do not want to re-boot with an error coming from grub. If you do you will probably be looking at grub recovery.
Then make the changes to the updated files.
Since Raring is still pre-release I will not update the community wiki until it is released in April.