Grub, Ubuntu, XP & 7 !!

[Tom_T]

Hi

I've had Windows XP and Ubuntu installed as a dual boot for a while.
This has been working fine !

Yesterday I decided to add Windows 7 (only because I need to test some software)

So I decreased the XP and Linux partitions, installed 7 into the new space, rebooted and got the 7 boot menu.

Using Parted Magic I managed to get grub back and working as before 7 was installed.

Now when I select XP from grub, I get the option of 7 or an earlier version (XP).

What I would like to do is add 7 to the grub menu, so I boot straight in to either Ubuntu, XP or 7, with out have dual boot menu's for windows.

This is my menu.lst:


title Ubuntu 9.04, kernel 2.6.28-13-generic
uuid eb523de9-88a4-41a8-b377-483df12e3900
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-13-generic root=UUID=eb523de9-88a4-41a8-b377-483df12e3900 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-13-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 9.04, kernel 2.6.28-13-generic (recovery mode)
uuid eb523de9-88a4-41a8-b377-483df12e3900
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-13-generic root=UUID=eb523de9-88a4-41a8-b377-483df12e3900 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-13-generic

title Ubuntu 9.04, memtest86+
uuid eb523de9-88a4-41a8-b377-483df12e3900
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Windows Vista (loader)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
savedefault
chainloader +1


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda2
title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
savedefault
chainloader +1

The vista option above is a the netbooks recovery process.

This is the output from fdisk -l:


Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb9bac821

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 784 6297448+ 12 Compaq diagnostics
/dev/sda2 * 785 4838 32563755 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 4839 8671 30787584 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 8672 19457 86638545 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 8673 19086 83650455 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 19087 19457 2980026 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 7948 MB, 7948206080 bytes
4 heads, 16 sectors/track, 242560 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 64 * 512 = 32768 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000311aa

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 242560 7761912 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)


I've also attached a grab from gparted !

Any advice or help would be great :)

Thanks

[oldfred]

The only way windows can dual boot is to combine its boot loaders into the install with the boot flag (active partition).

It is easier to do before you install as you can move the boot flag and it will make two independant installs.

To get each MS to have its own boot loader make a partition and set its boot flag on, then install the 2nd product in it. Multibooters, Pictures here worth 1000+ words
http://www.multibooters.co.uk/multiboot.html
A user who installed two windows & it worked to boot from grub directly
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1271600

You may be able to move the boot flag (gparted will do this) and run the repairs on the windows install. You will then have to reinstall grub.

[meierfra.]

To be able to boot XP and Win 7 directly from the Grub menu, you have separate their boot loaders. Here are the instructions:

Step 1 Edit the Win7 boot loader, so that it also will work once you moved it to Win 7 partition

Boot into Window 7

Go to "Start". Type "cmd" and press "Ctrl+Shift+Enter". This will open a command line as an administrator. (If this did not open the command line: Go to Start->Program Files->Accessories, Right Click "Command Prompt", Choose "Run as administrator")

Type




bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device boot



Step 2 Add Win 7 to "menu.lst":

Boot into Ubuntu and open a terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal)

Open menu.lst via


gksudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
Add this to the end of the file

title Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd0,2)
chainloader +1

Save the file.

Step 3 Copy the Windows 7 boot files from the XP partition to the Window 7 partition

In a terminal in Ubuntu:


cd /mnt
sudo mkdir 2 3
sudo mount /dev/sda2 2
sudo mount /dev/sda3 3
sudo cp 2/bootmgr 3
sudo cp -R 2/[Bb][Oo][Oo][Tt] 3/


Reboot. Choose Window 7 at the Grub menu. The Window 7 boot menu should appear. Make sure you can boot into Win 7 and XP before continuing.

Step 4 Fix the Window XP boot sector

Boot from your Window XP CD (if you don't have one, you can get repair CD from here (http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/tools/bootdiscs/xp_rec_con.zip))
Press "R" to get to the repair console
If asked type the number for your Windows XP operating system
Just press "enter" if asked for a password.

Type


map

and determine the drive letter for your XP partition.
Type


fixboot C:
but replace "C" by the drive letter of your XP partition.

Reboot and choose "XP" at the Grub menu. Make sure you can boot into XP before continuing.


Step 5 Edit the Win7 boot loader, so that it boots directly into Win 7

Reboot.
Choose the Win 7 entry at the Grub menu and boot into Win 7 Open the Win 7 command line as in Step 1 and type



bcdedit /set {bootmgr} default {current}
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} timeout 0



Next time you choose Win 7 at the Grub menu, you should boot directly into Win 7.


If you run into problems, follow these instruction (http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net) to run the Boot Info Script and post the RESULTS.txt

[Tom_T]

Thanks to both !

I'll look at doing this shortly..
Hopefully I'll post back happy results !
Only concern is the repairing XP. The XP I have installed, was pre supplied.

So I'm not sure how I can run a repair. Any ideas ??
I do have a full MS partner XP CD,but would that work ?

Many Thanks :)

[meierfra.]

So I'm not sure how I can run a repair. Any ideas ??
I do have a full MS partner XP CD,but would that work ?

Just follow the instruction from my post. Don't do any other repairs. To run "fixboot" the "MS partner XP CD" should work, or you can use the XP repair CD I linked.

[Tom_T]

Thanks:)
Will try to do this tonight !

[Tom_T]

Hi
Followed your post exactly..

Couple of slight issues !!

On my Grub Menu I have:



# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda2
title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
savedefault
chainloader +1

# on /dev/sda3
title Microsoft Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd0,2)
chainloader +1


When I select the XP Grub option, I get a fully working Windows 7 Booting straight in with no menu..

If I select the Windows 7 Grub option, I get the 7 Bootmenu, offering XP & 7.

7 works, XP won't boot.

If I try to boot again from my XP CD, I get a blue screen !! Yet it worked before !

Any ideas ?? Ideally I'd like not to re install any of the OS's !

Thanks for your help.

[meierfra.]

XP won't boot.

What happens when you try to boot XP?
Were your able to boot XP via "Window 7 on Grub Menu"-> "Window XP on Window 7 menu" after Step 3?
Did you had any error messages while following my instruction?

Lets check out your situation:

Boot into Windows 7. Go Start->Computer and determine the drive letter of your XP partition and your Win 7 partition Then open the command line as before.


bcdedit /store C:\boot\bcd >C:\bcd_win7.txt
But replace "C:" by the drive letter of your Windows 7 partition

bcdedit /store D:\boot\bcd >C:\bcd_xp.txt
But replace "D:" by the drive letter of your Windows XP partition.

Post the content of the two files bcd_win7.txt and bcd_xp.txt on your C:drive.

Boot into Ubuntu and follow these instructions (http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/)run the boot info script and post the RESULTS.txt

[Tom_T]

Hi
before I start.. Thanks for helping me with this :)

OK..

Trying to boot Windows XP from the '7' Boot menu, results in Boot.ini error,not found c:\windows etc..

I can't remember if it worked earlier sorry !

I've attached the 3 files as requested.

Thanks again :)

[meierfra.]

A couple of things did go wrong.


The timeout of Win7 boot loader on the XP partition was set to zero, rather than the timeout of the Win 7 boot loader on the Win 7 partition.

"fixboot" did not change the boot sector of the XP partition.


Also I do not fully understand why you can't boot XP from the Win 7 boot menu.

#1 is not a big deal. We can take care of that once we get XP to boot.

For #2, since you can't boot your XP CD, lets see whether we can get the Win 7 boot loader on the XP partition to boot XP:



cd /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda2 2
sudo mount /dev/sda3 3
sudo cp 3/BOOT/BCD 2/BOOT/


Reboot, choose XP at the Grub menu and then XP at the Win7 boot menu.

Hopefully this will boot XP.

[Tom_T]

Had to change the last command to:
sudo cp 3/Boot/BCD 2/Boot/

just rebooting to see if that works for XP !
Thanks :)

[Tom_T]

Results..

Grub XP menu -> goes to 7 boot menu -> XP Option works.

Grub 7 menu -> goes to 7 boot menu -> XP Option failes.

Both options have 7 Boot Menu !

What next ? :)

thanks again

[meierfra.]

Had to change the last command to:
sudo cp 3/Boot/BCD 2/Boot/

Weird. I used the same capitalization as listed in RESULTS.txt.


Grub XP menu -> goes to 7 boot menu -> XP Option works.
Good.


What next ?

Boot into Window 7. Open a command line just as before.




bcdedit /store C:\Boot\BCD /set {bootmgr} timeout 0
bcdedit /store D:\Boot\BCD /set {bootmgr} default {ntldr}
bcdedit /store D:\Boot\BCD /set {bootmgr} timeout 0


Reboot. Now the XP entry on the Grub menu, should boot you directly into XP and the Win7 entry into Win7

[Tom_T]

RESULT.

Both Grub options work, very quick flash of the 7 boot menu, then straight into either7 or XP !

Thank you very much for your help & advise :)

[oldfred]

Thread closed. Some info still ok for some Windows. But some is grub legacy. A lot has changed so better to start new thread.