Ubuntu, Kubuntu, debian based systems can't detect Windows Vista

[firekage]

Thanks. Vista works, only thing to do is force grub to detect it. Don't know why, but it still doesen't work when i do update-grub.

[sudodus]

What do you mean by "Vista works, only thing to do is force grub to detect it"?

How do you boot it? And why is that not good enough?

[grahammechanical]

You have two versions of Ubuntu 12.04.2. One on sdf and another on sdg. which one do you want to be in control of the Grub boot menu?

If it is 12.04.2 on sdf then boot into it and run

sudo update-grub

sudo grub-install /dev/sdf

If it is 12.04.2 on sdg then boot into it and run

sudo update-grub

sudo grub-install /dev/sdg

It is the second command that install Grub into the MBR. I sometimes find that although update-grub finds the other OS it does not always get shown in the Grub menu until I run the second command. So, try doing that.

Regards.

[firekage]

I have to boot it by hitting F8 and choosing disk that it is installed on because grub doesen't detect it (even when i use sudo update-grub, it sees it only during update-grub, but after reboot not) and it is not present on purple boot screen from grub (also the same thing is with blue grub from kubuntu).

[firekage]

Ok, will check it. Thank you.

[oldfred]

You have a lot of kernels. The new sub-menu usually eliminates the problem, but the box that the menus appear in only shows so many lines. Often those with a lot of systems need to scroll down to find other installs.
If you have a really tiny arrow on the right side of the grub menu box then you have more entries.

[ubunt72]

I have to boot it by hitting F8 and choosing disk that it is installed on because grub doesen't detect it (even when i use sudo update-grub, it sees it only during update-grub, but after reboot not) and it is not present on purple boot screen from grub (also the same thing is with blue grub from kubuntu).

I'm somewhat stupid (lol!) so hopefully the experts here will correct me if I'm wrong but I think the problem has to do with mapping because you are trying to boot Windows Vista which is on a separate HDD than your Ubuntu OS. If someone who has provided the solution thinks that the 'update-grub' will work when you have to factor in both drives, then I'm very interested because I wonder how that works!

You posted:

/dev/sdc1* - Windows Vista
/dev/sdf1* - Ubuntu

So, two different drives here and I think you need to do something further than just run the update-grub command???????? Help?!? I am not sure.

Something to do with 'drivemap?'

I was wondering if you have to edit the file
/boot/grub/grub.cfg
but I'm not sure what to do there. Maybe someone can comment? This also interests me because if I ever buy a solid state drive (SSD), I think I'd want Windows and Linux on separate drives.

P.S. I wonder if sudodus was on the right track in post #12. But, I don't know enough about grub2 and editing it so I'm just speculating/guessing.

[sudodus]

... or oldfred was on the right track in post #26?

[firekage]

You have a lot of kernels. The new sub-menu usually eliminates the problem, but the box that the menus appear in only shows so many lines. Often those with a lot of systems need to scroll down to find other installs.
If you have a really tiny arrow on the right side of the grub menu box then you have more entries.

Well...i didn't mention that because i though that it is out of the question. Here is picture with my grub after run "update-grub" and reboot ot the system that "update-grub" was done, the same thing happens with ubuntu and kubuntu.

Sorry for quality of the picture but...my digital cam broken and it was made by using phone.

As you can see, there are only 4 entries:

- 2 with ubuntu (one with kernel and one with revocery mode)
-previous linux version
-Slackware 13.37

Grub can't detect Vista, Kubuntu and Slackware 14 (i fixed their bootloader: Vista, as you mentioned earlier, by installing lilo on it, Kubuntu from live-cd installing his grub, and Slackware 14 by installing again lilo on it, i can boot to all of them by hitting F8 - they are on separate disk - but they are not present on the list).


Forget to mention: i have 2 laptops with Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Vista, Slackware and on them, while there is only one hard disk drive with few partitions, all these systems are being found by grub when i run update-grub. Here, on my desktop, with 6 or 7 drivers it is not.

[firekage]

You have two versions of Ubuntu 12.04.2. One on sdf and another on sdg. which one do you want to be in control of the Grub boot menu?

If it is 12.04.2 on sdf then boot into it and run

sudo update-grub

sudo grub-install /dev/sdf

If it is 12.04.2 on sdg then boot into it and run

sudo update-grub

sudo grub-install /dev/sdg

It is the second command that install Grub into the MBR. I sometimes find that although update-grub finds the other OS it does not always get shown in the Grub menu until I run the second command. So, try doing that.

Regards.

I tried this - doesen't work in my case. Thanks