[NBLUG/talk] Boot Loader problem - SOLUTIONS

[Mark Street]

Enjoy, question, comment on the proposed solutions below... YMMV, check my 
instructions twice before you believe anything I say. ; )

1 boot loader can be configured to boot all of these operating systems.

The order of installation is important - I am assuming DOS(Windows), Red Hat 
9, Fedora Core 1.

We have two or three choices here.
	1.  Loading the OS directly - my choice.
	2.  Use the chainloader to run ANOTHER boot loader - more work maintaining 
multiple boot loaders.
	3.  Boot Floppy

Solutions

	For #1 -  Install a stanza for Red Hat 9 into Fedora Core 1's grub.conf file
	For #2 -  Re-install Red Hat 9's boot loader into the boot sector of the boot 
partition for Red Hat 9, then point Fedora Core's grub.conf file at Red Hat 
9's boot loader with a chainloader stanza.

Specifics for solution #1 below.  Assuming that Fedora Core 1 was the last OS 
installed and it's boot loader is installed in the Master Boot Record.

From Fedora Core root shell I would do this:

1.  Edit grub.conf - Note the stanza for Red Hat 9 directly references the 
drive and the partition of the root.  NOTE the 'root filesystem' reference 
root=LABEL=/1 in the Fedora stanzas as compared to the root=LABEL=/ in the 
Red Hat 9 stanza.  Very important so that the boot loader does not reference 
the wrong 'root filesystem' for each operating system.  If you install a 
newer kernel in Red Hat 9 you update Fedora's boot loader to boot that kernel 
instead.  One boot loader, 1 configuration file.

#boot=/dev/hdc
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd1,1)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Fedora Core (2.4.22-1.2188.nptl)
        root (hd1,1)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.22-1.2188.nptl ro root=LABEL=/1 hdb=ide-scsi rhgb
        initrd /initrd-2.4.22-1.2188.nptl.img
title Fedora Core (2.4.22-1.2115.nptl)
        root (hd1,1)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.22-1.2115.nptl ro root=LABEL=/1 hdb=ide-scsi rhgb
        initrd /initrd-2.4.22-1.2115.nptl.img
title Red Hat Linux 9 (2.4.20-31.9)
        root (hd0,5)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-31.9 ro root=LABEL=/ hdb=ide-scsi
        initrd /initrd-2.4.20-31.9.img
title DOS
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

2.  Reboot....  See if you can pick an OS...

I will leave the details of solution 2 to the reader.  Actually the users 
configuration is setup to do this right now.  The only thing missing is the 
boot loader for Red Hat 9 needs to reside in the boot sector of the partition 
for the Red Hat 9 OS.

-- 
Mark Street, RHCE
http://www.oswizards.com
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