Triple booting SuSE 9.1, SimplyMepis and WIndowsXP

I like and agree with your basic idea, but I would do one thing differently. I would first install XP, then I would install SuSE,and I would install the boot loader to the root partition wherever SuSE is being installed, rather than to the MBR. Then I would install MEPIS and install that boot loader to the MBR. If you would prefer having SuSE control the MBR rather than MEPIS, simply install SuSE's boot loader to the MBR instead of MEPIS.

Frankly, I often install several boot loaders to the root partition of each system, then I also install one of them to the MBR. Only one system at a time can control the boot block of the MBR, but it is possible to change which system controls the MBR. In fact, if you are really astute in how to control the boot loader, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, or shudder, even Windows 98 can, in theory, control the MBR. Windows boot loaders, while easily controlled from Windows, are actually a bit more hairy and complicated to configure than a good Linux boot loader. I happen to prefer GNU GRUB myself because it is so flexible. You can install it to the MBR, you can install it to the root partition of one or more systems, you can edit the menu using a text editable configuration file, you can run GRUB interactively from a prompt (if you really know what you are doing), and you can hide partitions, plus you can chain load boot blocks of other systems that use a different loader format than GRUB natively recognizes. In short, GRUB is quite flexible.

Thanks for the advice, I still consider myself a newbee with Linux and I am greatful for any information I can get.?? I am fairly experienced with Windows and I agree that windows bootloaders are very hairy,along with countless other things.

I thought that your ideas were quite good, whether you are a twenty year veteran or someone who began three months ago. Your GRUB entries look fine. Incldentally, you can copy GRUB configuration files (usually called /boot/grub/menu.lst) from one system to another. All you have to do is create a mount point for each system, mount the partitions from each system, and then you can copy files around to your heart's content.

My personal convention (everyone varies on this) is to create directories like /hda2, /hda8, hda12, etc., corresponding to file systems on /dev/hda2, /dev/hda8, and /dev/hda12 respectively. Some of the new systems now have a different device naming convention, but at least right now, referencing /dev followed by the IDE disk partition name still works on all systems I use.

So I do stuff like this:

mkdir -p /hda2 /hda8 /hda12

mount /dev/hda2 /hda2

mount /dev/hda8 /hda8

mount /dev/hda12 /hda12

Later, I add entries to the file partition table, /etc/fstab corresponding to these entries, then I unmount each file system and mount them with the command mount -a to make sure all of them work.

Once I do all of this ground work, I can copy individual files from system to system, for example:

cp /hda8/home/masinick/UserLinuxInstallation.txt .

which copies UserLinuxInstallation.txt from partition hda8 to the current directory, or

(cd /hda8/home/masinick/; tar cvf - *.html) | (cd /home/masinick; tar xvf -)

which copies all html files from one directory to another. Hopefully you can extend these ideas as broadly as you need them. I use both commands quite often.

Once I can copy files around, it is an easy matter to copy system config files around, then perhaps modify them slightly to suit a particular system.

Using these techniques, I can install a new distribution and copy over config files from other distros in minutes, then I immediately have a fully functional and usable system. Naturally, with regard to GRUB, I do this kind of stuff all the time.

Hey guys I love Mepis, but I would like to try suse 9.1 again I had a dual boot with mepis 2003 and winxp I dropped windows for Mepis, My question is what distro should go first Suse then mepis or mepis then suse ? The Mepis I am using is 2003 it sees and uses my sound card 2004 doesntalso MEPIS 2003 is a lilo booter?? . not even sure suse will see it Ive tried a lot of Linux distro's Mandrake , redhat , suse , knoppix and knoppix std . I thought i had settled down with Mepis but a freind said give suse 9.1 a shot so I figured why not if I lose Mepis I can have everything back on the pc in a 1/2 hr to an hr . but I would Kinda like to not go at it totally blind any suggections ? thanx 's

I am new to this, so bear with me.?? I have WinXP, and Linspire currently installed.?? If I put MEPIS boot loader into root, how is that accessed when the computer boots up.?? I assume that the current boot choices will show --- ie. Linspire, Windows and a couple of my partitions.?? Does the choice for MEPIS also show up?

I recently installed Mepis as my main desktop distro and I've been working on getting it to multiboot with two other Linux distros (Agnula DeMuDi and Kanotix). I understand how to edit /boot/grub/menu.lst (as root, open it up in text editor, make/save changes), but I have a few questions.

1) I partitioned my 80GB HD thusly:
/dev/hda1 150 MB ext 3 for boot partition
/dev/hda2 25GB ext 3 for Mepis /
/dev/hda3 25GB ext 3 for DeMuDi /
/dev/hda5 512MB Linux Swap
/dev/hda6 25GB ext3 for Kanotix /

Now, I installed DeMuDi and Kanotix to their respective partitions with GRUB info in their /. I installed Mepis to /dev/hda2, and when prompted I told it to install GRUB in the MBR. I'm assuming this is the first part of /hda1 but when I mount /hda1 the only file is lost+found. When I open this file (as root) it's empty.

Is the MBR indeed in /hda1? If not, where is it? If so, how can I access it--or is editing menu.lst in my Mepis / partition all that matters? When I've installed distros with anaconda installers (Fedora Core 2, Vidalinux) there's an accessible GRUB file on /hda1.

2) Is there a grub.conf file in Mepis? If so how do I find it? Again, I've found grub.conf in /hda1 on anaconda-installer distros but not on Mepis or Kanotix (when I had its GRUB installed to MBR). The reason I ask is so many Google searches regarding GRUB multiboot mention grub.conf, which I can't find in Mepis.

I hope these questions aren't too muddled. I've searched Google, downloaded the full GRUB manual, searched a bunch of online forums (including this one), but haven't yet found specific answers to these two questions.

Thank you.

I am currently reviewing Mepis to be used as the primary OS for a large education organization in South-East Asia. I have found several problems with Mepis but the first issue is that after installation, Mepis has locked out all my other Operating Systems, Previously I had Lycros, WinXP, Win2003 Server installed.

After installation of Mepis, no other operating system is accessable from boot up. According to the Mepis manual, GRUB should be accessed through Control Center --> System Administration --> Boot loader.

The issue is in the fact that there is no Boot Loader!! After reading through many forums and manuals it appears as I am the only one with this issue? I now understand how to edit grub. But I can't find it!! What should I do?

I am new to Linux but was a Windows Tek. Anyone have any suggestions?