Grub 2 Basics

[wentzr]

This is my fstab:

# / was on /dev/sda9 during installation
UUID=9018bfe2-9de3-4692-9883-fc2f875e6455 /               ext3    relatime,errors=remount-ro 0       1

# /boot was on /dev/sda8 during installation
UUID=c3eb67b1-7f8f-419b-a462-c79a6c76e5de /boot           ext2    relatime        0       2

# /home was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=4802e809-ecaa-4932-bd01-4a816c0bbd4f /home           ext3    relatime        0       2

# /media/test_boot was on /dev/sda7 during installation
UUID=0c98fbe4-ed7c-4134-994a-07d49074e137 /media/test_boot ext2    relatime        0       2

# /test was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=6ad1f928-50b9-4aea-9495-95df46d08d58 /test           ext3    relatime        0       2

I am a bit lost with all this partition numbers

You know you don't have to use UUID in your fstab .. IMO using the volume label in fstab saves a lot of time and headache if you deal with several kernels..looks like you have a test partition or two in there.. I'd recommend just use the LABEL="volumeLabel" syntax instead of UUID=.... you could also just use /dev/sda(X) but those change around as do UUIDs if you resize or move or delete a partition.

[kansasnoob]

Package: mbr

Replacement for ms-sys, so from even a live CD:

sudo apt-get install mbr

I think prior to Jaunty requires either multiverse or universe repos. Then:

sudo install-mbr /dev/sdX

Of course X must be replaced with actual destination.

I've successfully used that with both XP and Win 7, I have no Win Vista to try it on.

I found that here:

http://www.dociletree.co.za/fixing-w...-8041-live-cd/

I lurve things that just work

[meierfra.]

sudo install-mbr /dev/sdX

kansasnoob: did you post this in the wrong thread??

Anyway, I don't recommend "install-mbr" for installing a windows type MBR. It disk signature, which can cause problems in some rare cases. I usually recommend lilo:

sudo  apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdX mbr

[kansasnoob]

kansasnoob: did you post this in the wrong thread??

Anyway, I don't recommend "install-mbr" for installing a windows type MBR. It disk signature, which can cause problems in some rare cases. I usually recommend lilo:

sudo  apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdX mbr

Well, I only stumbled upon that here:

http://www.dociletree.co.za/fixing-w...-8041-live-cd/

I've since tried that with both XP and Win 7, not because they were unbootable but because I wanted to check it out.

So, I still sometimes (seldom) use lilo for external drives, but how would that help to boot a win OS where grub has failed?

[kansasnoob]

kansasnoob: did you post this in the wrong thread??

Anyway, I don't recommend "install-mbr" for installing a windows type MBR. It disk signature, which can cause problems in some rare cases. I usually recommend lilo:

sudo  apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdX mbr

Also in retrospect I should have been more descriptive. I'm recovering from a small fire in my utility room and ........ well, sometimes I'm just kind of abrupt and stupid!

It's good to see you around. I'd love to see more of you. Have you any idea whatever happened to caljohnsmith?

[meierfra.]

"lilo -M /dev/sdX mbr" just installs some code in the MBR which will load the boot sector of the partition with the boot flag (it does not install the full blown lilo boot loader). So it is very similar to "install-mbr /dev/sdX" and "fixmbr X:".

[drs305]

I have added a "Password Protection" section to this guide (Section 10). It details the method to add very basic password protection to the entries in Grub 2's menu.

Grub 2 has the capability of allowing specific user access to designated menuentries by tailoring each menuentry item. This is beyond the scope of this guide. I hope to create a Password HOWTO will more advanced password options as time permits.

[kansasnoob]

Following up on my blurb yesterday about the package "mbr". As I said, it's worked for me with both XP and Win 7, but I totally trust Meierfra's experience over my own.

If Meierfra says my method sometimes fails I believe that. Also I did try from Live CD the suggestion of:

sudo apt-get install lilo

sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr

And I had no problem reverting to either grub or grub2 as the boot-loader so I think it's safe to say that Meierfra is once again right!

So, my thoughts, pitch both "ms-sys" and "mbr" to the curb, and choose "lilo" to restore the Windows mbr if nothing but the Ubuntu Live CD is available.

Sorry for the somewhat inappropriate blurb yesterday.

[MCunha]

Hi all,

Last week I've installed karmic, which comes with grub-setup (GRUB) 1.97~beta4 as default loader.

As default, after an unsuccessful shutdown (let's say, a power fail or press power button while starting up to force a premature shutdown) GRUB2 will show the menu without a countdown. It will stay like that until the enter key is pressed.

The problem: it's a media player without a keyboard. Only has a remote control and it works only after the driver is loaded. So, if I have an unsuccessful boot, I will need to get my desktop's keyboard and plug it to the media box just to press enter.

Even if I force the menu display by commenting the line "GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0", there is no countdown if the previous boot failed.

If this happens when I'm not at home, my wife and kids can't boot the media box.

So, let me ask: there is any option to ignore if the last boot was or wasn't ok and always load Linux?

Thanks in advance.

[zika]

@MCunha
Just rename /boot/grub/grubenv to /boot/grub/grubenv.backup, boot again to try if everything is OK, and, then You can delete /boot/grub/grubenv.backup. You need to do this as a root.

sudo mv /boot/grub/grubenv /boot/grub/grubenv.backup

sudo rm /boot/grub/grubenv.backup