Vista support, testers wanted

[ago]

It should be possible to make grldr work with Vista, which means that it should be possible to have Wubi working with Vista but at the moment it is a manual operation. Here are the instructions courtesy of grub4dos:

http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/wiki...a_boot_manager

1. Run wubi as usual
2. Before rebboting, use bcdedit to configure the startup menu:

bcdedit /create /d "Ubuntu" /application bootsector
bcdedit /set {id} device boot
bcdedit /set {id} path \grldr.mbr
bcdedit /displayorder {id} /addlast

Then copy grldr.mbr to C:\, grldr and menu.lst to the root directory of any FAT16/FAT32/NTFS/EXT2 partition. grldr.mbr can also be used to start GRUB for DOS in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 (in fact, grldr.mbr is basicly the first 16 sectors of grldr). To use grldr.mbr as the boot file, use the following line in boot.ini:

C:\grldr.mbr="Start GRUB4DOS"
As in Windows Vista, you need to copy grldr and menu.lst to the root directory of any FAT16/FAT32/NTFS/EXT2 partition.


NOTE1: You will find the relevant files in http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/ . Use the menu.lst file that comes with wubi (c:\wubi\boot\grub\menu.lst).

NOTE2: you need to replace the {id} with a number. I guess the id number is returned by the first command.

NOTE3: these commands need elevated privileges, they should be used inside cmd.exe which is started with "Run as administrator".


Let us know how it goes

[nevarath]

I was introduced to wubi by a friend using Vista,so i think the current wubi already supports vista,and my friend is not dual-booting. hes pure vista..

He is using Vista Ultimate for your info.

[ago]

i think the current wubi already supports vista..

Only if XP is also installed. The above should work with Vista, even without XP.

[ago]

hmm nobody with vista? Is it that bad?

[leibowitz]

Yes, it is.

(I'm trying to add an entry in the Vista Beta right now)

[leibowitz]

Right now: I can't boot the entry.

Why: some error in the boot manager. This entry shows something related to a file not found (if I remember correctly).

Note: I first try to install wubi from windows xp because I knew it was not supporting vista. Anyway it did add an entry to the vista boot menu (I don't know how). But this entry did the same way, not bootable.

Note²: wubi did add a new entry in the windows xp old boot manager aswell. This entry boots, but hangs during the boot. I will report the error message later, but it seems related to something important (for me).

I have 5 partitions in an SATA disk

1) Windows XP
2) Linux Ext3
3) Extended
-5)Vista
-6)Swap

When booting from XP, C:\ is 1) and D:\ is 5)
When booting from Vista, C:\ is 5) and D:\ is 1)

I think it may be related to some errors I have... but don't know at all so I must investigate further.

This is what I did

-Boot XP
-Download wubi 7.04 test1
-Download alternate 7.04 iso
-Start wubi install
-reboot
-try to select Ubuntu in vista boot loader (failed to start, bootloader related)
-try to select Ubuntu in Old legacy (Xp) boot loader (failed during the boot, boot mgr related)

-boot in Vista
-start a cmd.exe from start menu (I think it's from an administrator account because no error reported)
1) bcdedit /create /d "Start GRUB4DOS" /application bootsector
> Shows an id like this {45dza54az65d41ad}
Copy paste this id in 2, 3, and 4)
2) bcdedit /set {id} device boot
3) bcdedit /set {id} path \grldr.mbr
4) bcdedit /displayorder {id} /addlast

That successfully added an entry in the vista boot loader, but it cannot boot.

I did put grldr.mbr from the archive ( http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/gru...2007-05-09.zip ) into the Vista c:\ (that is partition 5, don't be fooled by vista naming partition)
Then just did nothing for grldr and menu.lst because it has already been copied to C:\ (XP that is partition 1) during wubi process from wubi-7.04-test1.exe

I like to remember that lady in the 5th element in the film of the same name, in the Cab with Bruce Willis. She was praying bruce for help saying... "Please, help!"

[ago]

I would test it first with a very simple menu.lst that simply launches grub commandline, not with full blown wubi. If it works with the commandline then it should be easier to see how to make it work with wubi.

[leibowitz]

I checked the menu.lst put on the c:\ (whatever it is)

The configuration is weird, only three lines. And it does look for another menu.lst which is in the c:\boot\wubi\..\menu.lst

Then it loads this menu.lst

Which is even more weird, consisted of another look for linux now.

That's kind of unexpected behavior for me. And even if I read what grub4dos is.

At startup, boot code in grldr.mbr will dynamically scan the root directory of every local partition for grldr, and load the first one found. Using this scheme, the location of boot file is no longer fixed, users can move it across partition boundary without causing booting problems.

Great, but I do not understand why it can't do that with one menu.lst only.

What should I put in the c:\menu.lst file to have a minimalist configuration to see if it loads.

Anyway I think it doesn't load grub4dos at all from the vista boot loader. The error is

grldr.mbr File missing or corrupt

I will try placing it in both disk (vista and xp)

[leibowitz]

It works.

I just put grldr.mbr in the partition 1) (Windows Xp)

Now all files are on this partition. That's ok since it's the system partition for Vista (containing the boot files)

The XP partition contains each files
menu.lst
grldr.mbr
grldr

And ubuntu is loaded from Vista boot loader.

Everything seems ok. Anything else to try ?

[ago]

timeout 10
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title Command Line
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