Linux on 2nd drive...won't start

D

DaveyBob

Member
I have Vista on drive 0 and installed Fedora 10 to drive 1, following the instructions to install and boot from drive 1, and also selected to put the boot loader not in the MBR, but in the boot sector.

Then from Vista I added Fedora (1,1) as a new entry.

When I boot, the Vista boot loader gives me a choice to boot Vista or Fedora. When I choose Fedora, I get a text screen saying:

BootPart 2.60 Bootsector
Loading new partition
Bootsector from C. H. Hockstater

Huh?

Now, when I boot the box an punch F12, I can choose to boot from the second drive, and it'll boot Fedora just fine.

So what's going on with EasyBCD in this case?
 
Hi DaveyBob, welcome to NST.
Latest distros of Linux are causing problems booting via the BCD.
Try the latest EasyBCD (version 2.0) which has support for the changes.
 
Version 2.0...no cigar

I pulled build 55 and installed that, and removed and re-added the Fedora entry. Now I have gone backwards. Fedora does show up in the list, but when I pick it, I just get a black screen. 30 seconds later I still have a black screen. I can still boot Vista though.

Here's what I have:

Drive 0:
Part 1 type 0xDE 0GB
Part 2 D: as NTFS 2GB
Part 3 C: as NTFS 147GB

Drive 1:
Part 1 type 0x8E 0GB
Part 2 Type 0x8E 233GB

I installed Fedora 10 to drive 1. I have Vista as the first entry in EasyBCD as C:, and then I added Fedora Linux as the second entry. I tried both partition 1 and 2, but both get the same black screen result. I did not check the box saying that Grub was not installed to the MBR/boot sector. I believe it is. I can still boot that drive when I pick it through the BIOS to boot.

Gah!!!
 
Hi Davey.
Try deleting your current Fedora entry and adding it again, this time selecting that box titled "Grub isn't installed to the MBR/bootsector". That will install a version of NeoGrub that reads the menu.lst on your Fedora partition. Also, since you're using Fedora, do you remember if you created a separate /boot partition during the installation? If you did, then that entry created in EasyBCD needs to be pointed at the /boot partition rather than the root. :wink: If you can boot the drive that contains Fedora by changing the boot order in the BIOS, that means Grub was installed to the MBR of that drive, and not to the partition's bootsector, though, that shouldn't be a problem with the 2.0 Beta release of EasyBCD...:wink:

-Coolname007
 
Last edited:
DaveyBob said:
I pulled build 55 and installed that, and removed and re-added the Fedora entry
Click to expand...

I don't think re-adding agains going to help :frowning:

You should re-install grub to bootsector of Fedora's partition or post your menu.lst here for any corrections that may need to be made.
 
kairozamorro said:
I don't think re-adding agains going to help :frowning:

You should re-install grub to bootsector of Fedora's partition or post your menu.lst here for any corrections that may need to be made.
Click to expand...

Don't be too sure of that, Justin...:wink: It could very well be that the method that uses NeoGrub (with automatic configuration) would work while the other failed. But yes, he should post his Fedora menu.lst if re-adding the entry with that box checked still doesn't work. I had actually said that in my last post in this thread, but I edited it, and put something else in. And EasyBCD 2.0 Beta supposedly works with Grub installed to the MBR of a separate drive, and not to the partition's bootsector (if I read Guru's comments in his "Extensive Ubuntu Dual-boot Testing" thread right), so if that's the case, then he could leave Grub installed to the MBR, and still have a working entry. But I do agree if that method fails, he should try reinstalling Grub to the partition's bootsector, and see if he obtains any better results.

-Coolname007
 
In part. Also the path name is different.

I need to get around to posting a new EasyBCD build that supports it and others :smile:
 
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