mraeryceos
November 28th, 2011, 09:41 AM
Hi. I want to install a couple linux distributions alongside windows, and I am having trouble with the bootloader.
I read here:
http://linuxbsdos.com/ask/2011/10/executing-grub-install-devsda5-failed-this-is-a-fatal-error/
...that you need EXT4. I was choosing EXT2. So you are going to tell me that I should be using EXT4 anyway? Except I like simplicity (non-journaling), and I already know how to mount EXT2 in windows. I mean, really? Why should the file system matter?
I made a small 200MB boot partition for /boot. Why? Because more than one Linux, I don't see why the /boot should belong to one or another distribution's partition.
However, a quote from:
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/10882/partitioning-multiboot-linux-and-windows/
"I have no comprehensive knowledge about separated boot partitions but i once tried to share one /boot partition over several linux distros in a virtual box and things got quite messed up (I suspect every distro wants its own /boot directory).
I also have not tried using ntfs partitions under linux but i think you should find out beforehand if you will be able to use your shared data the way you want it.
luc"
My experience with resinstalling Windows is that I lose the mbr, and have no idea how to get the mbr to point to the /boot partition again. Although I will be trying this:
http://gr8idea.info/os/tutorials/linux/mbr.html
Ok, thanks for all the help. I guess I googled and RTFM. But I'm still not sure about multiple linuxi sharing a /boot partition, or if I should just let one distro take care of the /boot partition and let that be that. Or if I should use the Extended Boot Record for the fancy boot menu, which I DIDN'T get when I installed Ubuntu just now.
ps. I could have used some more configuration, like in openSuse, because the boot menu has an entry for my 2-partition external drive (from which I installed Ubuntu), saying it has XP Pro (actually, just a backup of NTLDR).
I read here:
http://linuxbsdos.com/ask/2011/10/executing-grub-install-devsda5-failed-this-is-a-fatal-error/
...that you need EXT4. I was choosing EXT2. So you are going to tell me that I should be using EXT4 anyway? Except I like simplicity (non-journaling), and I already know how to mount EXT2 in windows. I mean, really? Why should the file system matter?
I made a small 200MB boot partition for /boot. Why? Because more than one Linux, I don't see why the /boot should belong to one or another distribution's partition.
However, a quote from:
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/10882/partitioning-multiboot-linux-and-windows/
"I have no comprehensive knowledge about separated boot partitions but i once tried to share one /boot partition over several linux distros in a virtual box and things got quite messed up (I suspect every distro wants its own /boot directory).
I also have not tried using ntfs partitions under linux but i think you should find out beforehand if you will be able to use your shared data the way you want it.
luc"
My experience with resinstalling Windows is that I lose the mbr, and have no idea how to get the mbr to point to the /boot partition again. Although I will be trying this:
http://gr8idea.info/os/tutorials/linux/mbr.html
Ok, thanks for all the help. I guess I googled and RTFM. But I'm still not sure about multiple linuxi sharing a /boot partition, or if I should just let one distro take care of the /boot partition and let that be that. Or if I should use the Extended Boot Record for the fancy boot menu, which I DIDN'T get when I installed Ubuntu just now.
ps. I could have used some more configuration, like in openSuse, because the boot menu has an entry for my 2-partition external drive (from which I installed Ubuntu), saying it has XP Pro (actually, just a backup of NTLDR).