[Solved] Dual Boot

Can you post here your /boot/grub/menu.lst
Also, on which drive/partition is Windows? How do you boot, do you select the drive from BIOS?

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If you give us the content of your menu.lst.
Maybe it will be easier to solve...

Ruud
=====
Compaq N1050v, Pentium 4 1.8 GHz, 1024Mb Ram, Mepis 6.0.
Shuttle SN41G2, AMD Athlon XP 3000+, 512Mb RAM Mepis 6.0.
Linuxuserreg # 417292 Tiocfaidh ár lá
=====

Thanks for your reply here is the menu:

timeout 15
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1

gfxmenu /boot/grub/message

title MEPIS at hda1, kernel 2.6.15-1-586tsc
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-586tsc root=/dev/hda1 nomce quiet vga=791

title MEMTEST
kernel /boot/memtest86.bin

title Windows XP at hdb1
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
chainloader +1

Hi Adrian

I changed the order in bios just to make sure win was ok

putting it back in order so that mepis grub appears and selecting from there does not work. here is the grub menu:

timeout 15
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1

gfxmenu /boot/grub/message

title MEPIS at hda1, kernel 2.6.15-1-586tsc
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-586tsc root=/dev/hda1 nomce quiet vga=791

title MEMTEST
kernel /boot/memtest86.bin

title Windows XP at hdb1
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
chainloader +1

i am going out for 90 mins so will not see your help for a bit in case you wonder why i am silent!

Here's my Menu.lst

timeout 15
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1

gfxmenu /boot/grub/message

title MEPIS
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-586tsc root=/dev/hda4 nomce quiet vga=791
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-1-586tsc

title Ubuntu
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=/dev/hda3 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

title MEMTEST
kernel /boot/memtest86.bin

I guess it doesn't matter if MEMTEST comes before or after the other titles Adrian?
Do you know this...?

I think the rootnoverify must be (hd1,0) when it is a dual boot on two disks, don't you?

Ruud
=====
Compaq N1050v, Pentium 4 1.8 GHz, 1024Mb Ram, Mepis 6.0.
Shuttle SN41G2, AMD Athlon XP 3000+, 512Mb RAM Mepis 6.0.
Linuxuserreg # 417292 Tiocfaidh ár lá
=====

Whitch partition on hdb is windows installed on , the first or second?

jim

I don't know if this will help, but..
***
title Windows XP at hdb1
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
chainloader +1
***
Should read..
***
title Windows XP at hdb1
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
------------------------------------------------------------
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way: www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#id274601
MEPIS Help Files: www.mepis.org/docs/index.php/Main_Page

This was the reply I needed Jimmy.
I thought it might have been this (hd1,0) instead of (hd1,1) too.
If you've read my reply, could you answer the other question as well?
Does it matter if the MEMtest comes before or after any other title?
Ruudje
=====
Compaq N1050v, Pentium 4 1.8 GHz, 1024Mb Ram, Mepis 6.0.
Shuttle SN41G2, AMD Athlon XP 3000+, 512Mb RAM Mepis 6.0.
Linuxuserreg # 417292 Tiocfaidh ár lá
=====

No, you can arrange the boot stanzas any way you want them.

Also the title, it can say anything you want it to say, like, "Microsoft Windows XP Pro" or "Wondoze Sucks" or "SimplyMEPIS 6.0".

Also the timeout 15 can be changed by simply putting a # in front of it with a space like, "# timeout 15", now it won't timeout and you can take your time and boot what ever you want to boot.
------------------------------------------------------------
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way: www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#id274601
MEPIS Help Files: www.mepis.org/docs/index.php/Main_Page

Hi Jim

Changed menu as you suggested - no joy

Have read elsewhere that Win should be on Hda otherwise you get into all sorts of probs

So I swapped the drives around and jumpers and edited grub menu accordingly

Win ok but mepis stopped at 20% boot cos files/directories where now wrong that it looks for during the boot sequence

Dont know how to change things without doing an install of mepis on Hdb so that all makes sense to grub

Put everything to original cos it got a bit scary!

Can you help?

Best regards

Dave

Hi James

Changed menu as Jim suggested - no joy

Have read elsewhere that Win should be on Hda otherwise you get into all sorts of probs

So I swapped the drives around and jumpers and edited grub menu accordingly

Win ok but mepis stopped at 20% boot cos files/directories where now wrong that it looks for during the boot sequence

Dont know how to change things without doing an install of mepis on Hdb so that all makes sense to grub

Put everything to original cos it got a bit scary!

Can you help?

Best regards

Dave

Hi Ruud

Changed menu as Jim suggested - no joy

Have read elsewhere that Win should be on Hda otherwise you get into all sorts of probs

So I swapped the drives around and jumpers and edited grub menu accordingly

Win ok but mepis stopped at 20% boot cos files/directories where now wrong that it looks for during the boot sequence

Dont know how to change things without doing an install of mepis on Hdb so that all makes sense to grub

Put everything to original cos it got a bit scary!

Can you help?

Best regards

Dave

Try this!

title Windows at (hdb,1)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader (hd1,0)+1

Exactly as written, works on mine but YMMV.

jim

put the drives back where windows boots
boot again with the live cd
go to install, and just choose
reinstall grub
you will have to nominate your mepis boot partition
which I think will be hdb1

Hi Jim

Very close!

winxp booted, got the splash page with winxp logo etc and the loading bar but it stopped and rebooted about ten secs into loading!

Will try booting winxp drive from bios to make sure it is not winxp damaged and get back to you

Thanks for your help so far

Regards Dave

Hi drlizau

thanks for your suggestion, I am trying jims' suggestion first as it nearly worked

Then i will try your suggestion if I make no progress

Regards dave

Hi Jim

Brilliant!

It was a damaged install of winxp that was stopping it loading even though your instructions were correct

It would not even try to boot before I used your boot menu

A clean install plus your advice solved everything!

I am a true Linux convert so I must learn about it more so that I help others like you guys do. Linspire was a bit too easy so one did not learn so much. Any suggested reading to get me up to speed on Mepis/Linux?

Windoze will only be used on the occasions when I need to for instance use something obscure where no linux drivers are out there.

Although I said I was using Mepis 6 in my original post I had a look at my disk an now realize I have 3.4-3. Cannot wait to do a new install from the Mepis 6.01 DVD as I assume it it even better - roll on next weekend!

Again, thankyou and everyone else very much for your help

Best regards

Dave

Ok glad you got it handled! I was begenning to wonder why i could make it work on my test machine but nobody else was having any luck with it.

"I am a true Linux convert so I must learn about it more so that I help others like you guys do. Linspire was a bit too easy so one did not learn so much. Any suggested reading to get me up to speed on Mepis/Linux?"

Thats a good question everybody is a little diffrent in what is used and their interests when computing. The first thing in mind is the linux course that Jimmy Johnson posted about on the forum here. Im thinking that would be a good place to start. Another thing i think helps me is a test machine i can hose if necessary and try to fix or experiment with. Some times you just have to get your hands dirty to learn, last but not least get real friendly with that Google bar it will be your best friend. As the saying goes read till your eyes bleed and have a good time and keep at it.

jim