10.04 & 12.04-how to get 10.04 out of GRUB2; Triple boot into double boot?

**emarkay** · September 2nd, 2012

I would like to use the 10.04 volumes as a safety backup, but no longer want the option to boot into 10.04 in GRUB2.
I also have WIN XPSP3 there and want that as it is.

How to do this? All Linux volumes are EXT4.

Also, can I then remove all but the "home" directory in 10.04 afterwards to save space on the HDU?

I am OK with Gparted, and Bootrepair, so can anyone get me a procedure to do this without having to archive all that data, or to have to reinstall, or even worse, to have reformat?

**ajgreeny** · September 2nd, 2012

This may not be the only way to do this, and I don't have windows to even be sure that it works to boot windows (but it should do).

Copy the stanzas for windows that will look a bit like this one.

Code:

menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" { 
    insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,1)' 
    search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2cb06002b05fd146 
    chainloader +1 
}

making sure you get the word menuentry at the start and the } at the end, and paste it into /etc/grub.d/40_custom. You will need to do that as root so use

Code:

gksudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom

Now make the file executable with

Code:

sudo chmod +x /etc/grub.d/40_custom

and remove executable permission from 30_os-prober with

Code:

sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober

Now run

Code:

sudo update-grub

Next time you boot you should see only your new 12.04 and windows.

If you want 10.04 back you can make the 30_os-prober file executable again and run sudo update-grub to get everything back, though you will have two entries for windows now unless you remove the executable permission from 40_custom.

**emarkay** · September 3rd, 2012

Cool,
Thanks.

Now anyone else with Windows XP - I do NOT want to have to reinstall that thing...

**ajgreeny** · September 3rd, 2012

Any changes you make to those numbered grub config files will not affect your winXP install in any way other than changing where the system gets the information from. If anything should go wrong and you can not see and boot windows from the grub menu you get after doing all of this, you simply need to add back the execution permissions to 30_os-prober and update grub again with

Code:

sudo chmod +x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober
sudo update-grub

Have you already used my first list of commands and had any problems?

**newb85** · September 3rd, 2012

@ ajgreeny,
You never said where the custom entries should be copied from.

**oldfred** · September 3rd, 2012

I always use the manual method just like ajgreeny, but I learned the manual way before grub-customizer which many now use.

Before you turn off the os-prober the entries are in grub.cfg.

Copy the windows entries from this:
gedit /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Copy them to and edit if needed:
gksudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom
Then do:
sudo update-grub

New entries will be at bottom of grub menu. It they work, then you turn off os-prober
In /etc/default/grub I added this:
gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=true
or
sudo chmod a-x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober

sudo update-grub

Some prefer the gui way now.
HOWTO: Grub Customizer Updated for grub 1.99
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1664134
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/grub-custo...-included.html
The Grub 2 Guide - drs305 also link to grub customizer
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1195275

**ajgreeny** · September 3rd, 2012

Whoops!!! Sorry about that omission.

I did originally say where to copy from, but then did some large edits to what I had written and missed out those important points, so many thanks to oldfred. That is exactly what I had added before the (bad) editing.

I always forget about grub-customiser, partly because I prefer to do things the "hard" way, as it means I understand so much better all the workings of grub, and partly because - - -, well just because I have never used it, so it does not figure in my thoughts.