Can't add Fedora to my BCD

Ok, it seems the version of Fedora that you're using doesn't support that kind of syntax in your menu.lst...which version are you using anyway?
6 is definitely the correct value for the Linux native partition on drive 0.

Alright, so doing the following thing should work a treat:


  1. Boot from the Fedora LiveCD
  2. When you get to the desktop, navigate to your menu.lst (should be located at either /boot/grub/menu.lst or just /grub/menu.lst depending on whether you have a separate /boot partition or not)
  3. Copy the section of the menu.lst that is not commented out, i.e. the Fedora entries
  4. Paste them inside an OpenOffice document, which you will then need to save to your Vista partition, or failing that, an external HDD
  5. Reboot into Vista, and copy the entries over into your NeoGrub menu.lst, replacing the existing entries there.
  6. Now reboot again, and you should be able to boot into Fedora.

If not, then please post the contents of your NeoGrub menu.lst again, after you have copied the Fedora entries into it.

Another thing that comes to mind is maybe the other "Linux native" partition (i.e. the one on Drive 1) is actually your /boot partition, and so you need to point the entry there.

Jake

Addendum:

Also, if you replaced the "root" in your Fedora entry in the NeoGrub menu.lst's current text with "rootnoverify" instead, it may just work. :wink:
 
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Just for the heck of it, also try putting (hd1,5) in the NeoGrub menu.lst Fedora entry. :brows: I want to see what happens when you point it at the other "Linux native" partition, the one on the second disk.
 
Ok...so you definitely need to copy the entries from your Fedora menu.lst into your NeoGrub one, and then it should work, assuming your Fedora menu.lst entries are pointed at the correct place, that is. :wink: If they are not, then just put in (hd0,6) as the location specified in the "root" lines.
 
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Yeah, that'll work. Just use your Ubuntu one.
Oh, and while you're at it, mind posting the output of "sudo fdisk -l" (the last letter is a lowercase L) run from the Terminal (Applications>Accessories>Terminal) in the Live session? I want to see if fdisk will call the Fedora partition "sda6" or "sda7".
 
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Dunno why but neither 8.04 64-bit or 8.10 32-bit worked for me. (both officially printed ones)

Then I remembered my parted magic one, and that worked.

I'll try the menu.lst thing now.

Addendum:

Thanks.... finally got it to work!

I'm typing this missive from Fedora's KDE.

:grinning:

NeoGRUB isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good!
 
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There's something very wrong with your partition table, going by the disk management screenshot. You've got primaries inside extended ! (Unless it's another Vista error)
 
Terry60 said:
There's something very wrong with your partition table, going by the disk management screenshot. You've got primaries inside extended ! (Unless it's another Vista error)
Click to expand...

I'm thinking that's probably due to the filesystem of those logical partitions not being recognized by Windows. :wink: Probably another Vista quirk.

@ Panarchy: That's great news! I'm glad your problem was finally solved. Let us know if you have any more questions.
 
^Thanks

Terry60 said:
There's something very wrong with your partition table, going by the disk management screenshot. You've got primaries inside extended ! (Unless it's another Vista error)
Click to expand...

Hey, I just noticed that!

I have 4 primary partitions, not including the extended and logical's within.

AWESOME!
 
Panarchy said:
^Thanks



Hey, I just noticed that!

I have 4 primary partitions, not including the extended and logical's within.

AWESOME!
Click to expand...

No, the one that is showing as a primary partition within the extended is most likely your Fedora partition. :wink: The one that is showing on the right side of the logical partitions in Disk Management (i.e. the 10 GB one) is your swap partition (which according to the bootpart info, is actually a logical partition too!). Meaning you actually only have 2 primary partitions on Drive 0, along with 1 extended partition that contains the 4 logical partitions. What I failed to realize before concerning the MbrFix info though is there is no partition filling the 4th slot in the MBR partition table. :wink: There is just the 2 primary partitions there, occupying the first 2 slots, and then the extended partition occupying the third. And the extended partition is what contains all your other partitions shown in the Disk Management screenshot and in the bootpart output.

The reason why Vista's Disk Management is seeing the logical Fedora partition as primary is most likely because it doesn't recognize the filesystem, and so can't read the partition properly. So it must call *all* partitions with an unrecognized filesystem primary, regardless of whether they are actually logical or not. Just one of many Vista quirks and bugs. See this link for some other ones.

Also, another possible reason that Disk Management is displaying the wrong thing is because you have 100 GBs of unallocated space, before the extended, and 321.51 GBs of free space inside the extended. That could be what is throwing it off.

Jake
 
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BTW, what ended up being the correct entry that worked in your NeoGrub menu.lst?

Mind posting the whole thing again?

Jake
 
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I can understand how Vista fails to detect unknown file systems, and assumes "primary" as a default position to take, but by what stretch of the imagination did the coder of Disk Management come up with the idea that anything inside an extended could be anything other than logical disk, even if he can't read the file system ?
 
^Yeah, exactly!

Coolname007 said:
BTW, what ended up being the correct entry that worked in your NeoGrub menu.lst?

Mind posting the whole thing again?

Jake
Click to expand...

Code: 
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#

# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file

# NOTICE:  You do not have a /boot partition.  This means that

#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, eg.

#          root (hd0,6)

#          kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/sda7

#          initrd /boot/initrd-version.img

#boot=/dev/sda
default=0


timeout=1

splashimage=(hd0,6)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu

title Fedora (2.6.27.5-117.fc10.x86_64)
    
root (hd0,6)
    
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27.5-117.fc10.x86_64 ro root=UUID=385fefd2-c92b-40c6-a9b0-ada4fd408dba rhgb quiet
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.27.5-117.fc10.x86_64.img


title Back to BCD
    
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
    
chainloader +1
The problem was I needed to include the kernel... well now I have a background image as well!
 
Terry60 said:
I can understand how Vista fails to detect unknown file systems, and assumes "primary" as a default position to take, but by what stretch of the imagination did the coder of Disk Management come up with the idea that anything inside an extended could be anything other than logical disk, even if he can't read the file system ?
Click to expand...

I never said it was (at least in the sense that it was cut in stone), but it seems logical to assume that's what is happening...i.e. Vista *showing* the logical partition as primary (at least in the sense of it having the "primary" flag in Disk Management, and having the darker blue color to indicate a primary partition), though that of course does not make it a primary partition. What counts is whether or not the partition is *inside* the extended (i.e. a logical partition) or *outside* the extended (i.e. a primary partition). Meaning, that although the partition is actually logical (i.e. *inside* the extended), Disk Management gives it the "primary" flag and the color of a primary partition, even though it shows it as inside the extended. How else do you explain it?
I think what's happening here is since the filesystem is unknown to Windows, Disk Management sees it as "primary" even though it is logical. Now whether that be the fault of the coders of Disk Management per se, or the fault of the coders of Windows, I couldn't say.

But the Disk Management screenshot is clear enough. I think we can all agree on that, can we not? :wink: For some reason (whether its due to the filesystem as I suggested or some other issue), Vista's Disk Management is calling it a "primary" partition though it recognizes that it is within the extended. Like I said, it is most likely another Vista quirk or bug...

@Panarchy: Thanks for posting the current menu.lst. That is what I needed to see. Well...I guess its safe to say the best thing we can suggest to future users of EasyBCD who are having troubles booting into Fedora is to tell them to simply copy the entries from their Fedora menu.lst to the NeoGrub one, and use NeoGrub to load Fedora. It seems to be the best solution there is currently, since the Linux option (either checking the box or leaving the box unchecked) of EasyBCD doesn't work for Fedora at this point. I will keep that in mind for future reference.

Jake
 
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I wasn't disagreeing with you Jake, far from it.
Just wondering at the competence level of the people coding for MS.
 
^Indeed.

Well I installed Ubuntu without a hitch, with it's own GRUB (followed the guide here on the EBCD wiki section for Ubuntu)

So thanks.

Now I just need to add Solaris, FreeBSD and OpenSolaris.
 
Panarchy said:
Now I just need to add Solaris, FreeBSD and OpenSolaris.
Click to expand...

Good luck with the first two you mentioned. ^_^ :wink: I just learned they can only be installed to primary (not logical) partitions, so if you were thinking of installing them to logical partitions, you'd best toss that idea out the windows, because it ain't happening. :frowning: Something to do with the filesystem that Solaris uses...it wont support logical volumes.
And as for FreeBSD, it can't be installed to logical partitions with type of either Linux or DOS.

Cheers,

Jake
 
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