Problem dual booting vista and ubuntu 8.10

N

Nitrius

Member
I've tried with NeoGrub, adding the entries from the menu.lst file from Ubuntu, tried to change the uuid entry to root, since that what was the default in ubuntu 8.04. I've tried to manually add a Linux entry choosing the right partition, and i've tried to manually add a linux entrie and choosing the right partition and tick the "GRUB isn't installed to the bootsector". But still, unable to boot into ubuntu.

In the start i had GRUB installed (came with Ubuntu), but i copied over the menu.lst file and reinstalled the vista bootloader, since i want it to have control. And so far, i've been unable to get back into Ubuntu, but i got the menu.lst file. And Ubuntu is installed on my first harddrive on the second partition.

So, what should/can i do to fix this? If needed i can post the Ubuntu menu.lst file.


Edit: I've mainly followed this guide: How to dual-boot Vista with Linux (Vista installed first) -- the step-by-step guide with screenshots
 but in Ubuntu 8.10 they changed the root entry there to uuid and a lot of numbers and letters, and i think that may have done something so NeoGrub wont work anymore?
 
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If you are working with two drives where is Vista installed? The first partition on the same drive as 8.10 or on the other? You will want Vista to be on the host/boot drive but unplugged when going to reinstall 8.10 on the second drive.

With the 8.10 partitioning options when going to install or now a reinstall will likely work best you simply set the root partition as the / mount point with the edit option seen in the ubuntu installer. Once the installation is finished and no repair on the Vista mbr is needed by having the drive unplugged you can then shutdown and replug it back in.

The next step is to see NeoGrub if not already installed on the Vista primary and simply go to the Linux tab in the add/remove entries section to select the drive and partition where the root is located. Simply name the entry the way you want it shown on the Vista boot menu, click the add entry button, and you should ready to go on the next system restart.

Some see ubuntu still load without checking the "Grub isn't installed into bootsector" option while that is usually the preferred choice before clicking the add entry button to avoid any possible problem from that. Otherwise it's a simple 1-2-3 step process.
 
Yes, I got two harddrives, but the second is only for storage.
Anyway, the main harddrive,have 150GB partitioned for Vista, 50GB for linux (15GB / (root), 1GB Swap and 34GB /home) and the rest is for storage.

The installation of everything is correctly done, am just not able to boot into Ubuntu using the Vista bootloader or NeoGrub. Only thing that have worked is GRUB, but i want to be able to use the Vista Bootloader.

Edit: And as already mentioned in my first post, i've tried to use NeoGrub and the Linux tab, but both things have failed me, also i got the menu.lst file from Ubuntu if that is to any help.
 
When installing ubuntu you need to set the root there as the / mount point with the edit option seen when highlighting the partition. If you passed that or set it as the mount/boot it won't load with NeoGrub. The ubuntu installer then configures it's own boot loader that way.

Another thing not required for a small distro like ubuntu is any swap partition. That will free up some drive space reserved for that when you could use the space for storage. The only partition used here besides the root was simply adding on a Linux storage partition when intending to add another distro on the extra drive here.

The menu.lst file will only show how the installer configured things during the original installation. NeoGrug creates it's own in the "C:\NST" folder as well as the NeoGrub mbr. You can see the menu.lst file along with a few different mbrs from installing and later removing to reinstall NeoGrub here in the image.



To find a working method here while not on the same drive as you have it set up there. The use of a 3rd party drive tool first and then simply using the manual option for partitioning saw the root set and then allowed the installer to reformat it.

There with a reinstall of ubuntu you will need to repair the Vista mbr all over being on the same drive and simply remove the surrent entry to start fresh with a new one remembering to check off the "Grub isn't installed in bootsector" box. Once you click the add entry button the EasyBCD will do the rest as far as the menu.lst and new BCD entry.

Simply view the setting once you leave the Linux tab and restart to select ubuntu option. That should see ubuntu load without fuss. It's simply a matter of seeing a few basic steps. root = /mount, Vista mbr in working order, NeoGrub may have to be removed and reinstalled before new entry made, drive/partition for root selected, entry for Vista boot menu named, and making sure the box for not seeing Grub installed into bootsector is ticked.
 
Nitrius said:
Yes, I got two harddrives, but the second is only for storage.
Anyway, the main harddrive,have 150GB partitioned for Vista, 50GB for linux (15GB / (root), 1GB Swap and 34GB /home) and the rest is for storage.

The installation of everything is correctly done, am just not able to boot into Ubuntu using the Vista bootloader or NeoGrub. Only thing that have worked is GRUB, but i want to be able to use the Vista Bootloader.

Edit: And as already mentioned in my first post, i've tried to use NeoGrub and the Linux tab, but both things have failed me, also i got the menu.lst file from Ubuntu if that is to any help.
Click to expand...

Yes, please post your Ubuntu menu.lst, so we can make sure it is configured correctly. :wink: Also, when adding the Ubuntu entry under the Linux tab in EasyBCD, did you check the box titled "Grub isn't installed to the bootsector"? If the answer is yes to that question, then the reason its not working must be because your Ubuntu menu.lst is configured wrong. If the answer is no to that question, and you didn't check that box...then it may be a problem with Bootpart communicating correctly with EasyBCD. Also, make sure you selected the correct "drive" (partition) that Ubuntu is installed on when you created the entry in EasyBCD, under the Linux tab. You can usually tell that from the size, if you know the approximate size of your Ubuntu partition, and there's no other partition close to the same size. Also, you will be looking for a partition with "Linux Native" listed in the drop-down menu for "Drive".

Hope this helps! :smile:

-Coolname007
 
I had the same problem (probably a different cause) Nitrius. I too used the same article for guidance, and it was user friendly until it came to the point of copying and saving the boot details. I got fed up with the PC technician to PC technician talk. So I used my back up disc and wiped it off my computer. Drastic perhaps but effective and saved me a lot of grief.

Addendum:

Oh, one more thing that I tried. I tried to use system restore to delete everything that 'Easy'BCD had done with no success. Maybe it is just me and/or my computer on that point.
 
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@ Naastik: System restore doesn't undo operations EasyBCD preforms on the bcd store. It is meant more for recovering from a misconfigured registry from the use of software or bad drivers. I'm sorry you didn't find the solution to your problem, but if you want to try to get it to work again just post how you want it set up in the thread you started and we'll all be more than happy to help as best as we can.
 
Twist on Thread Title

I have read everything I could between last night and this morning on how to keep from asking bad questions and wasting time as well as mining through the threads and info here to find a solution to my problem maybe already seen, - no luck, so here goes with my first post.
I have vista and programs installed on two 40 G ide C:\ and D:\ and a 400G SATA that had some data and a Wubi install of Kubuntu 8.10. After playing around with Kubuntu on the wubi install, long enough to realize it was space limited, I used GParted to create a partion from the unused space on K:\ and then used LVPM to move the wubi install to the partion.
I then had to use EasyBCD to set the correct drive letter in the Vista boot loader to get back into the Wubi install of Kubuntu. That worked, no problem.
When I tried to add the additional entry for the Kubuntu install on the partition, all the combinations that I can find here don't work and dump me out to a grub prompt.

Now here's the interesting part that I can't solve: If I boot the Wubi install, hit escape to get the menu and select "Ubuntu-on-/dev/sdc5" (I think this was put there by the LVPM transfer) I can get into the Kubuntu intall on the legit partition. The commands in that menu.lst file are:

root (hd2,4)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst

Needless to say, I have tried pasting this into the menu.lst file that is in C:\NST with NeoGrub.mbr to no avail.
I have also tried pasting in:

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
root (hd2,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=df2161ed-bac4-445f-8fc4-5012b1de589e ro ROOTFLAGS=syncio quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
(from Kubuntu root/boot/grub/menu.lst)
with combinations of the bootloader switch, understanding that in your extensive testing thread, it is stated not to work because of the UUID entries in the ubuntu 8.10 menu.lst

One other factor, is when I get left at the grub> prompt after failing to load Kubuntu from the partion I can type root (hd2,4) and that command returns the filesystem and partion type, so I'm pretty sure NeoGrub sees the drive it just can't execute either

configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst

or

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=df2161ed-bac4-445f-8fc4-5012b1de589e ro ROOTFLAGS=syncio quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic

Finally, thanks in advance for any help and I appologize for my first post being so long. I really appreciate the active support given EBCD in this forum.

Respectfully,
George
 
ghmason said:
I have read everything I could between last night and this morning on how to keep from asking bad questions and wasting time as well as mining through the threads and info here to find a solution to my problem maybe already seen, - no luck, so here goes with my first post.
I have vista and programs installed on two 40 G ide C:\ and D:\ and a 400G SATA that had some data and a Wubi install of Kubuntu 8.10. After playing around with Kubuntu on the wubi install, long enough to realize it was space limited, I used GParted to create a partion from the unused space on K:\ and then used LVPM to move the wubi install to the partion.
I then had to use EasyBCD to set the correct drive letter in the Vista boot loader to get back into the Wubi install of Kubuntu. That worked, no problem.
When I tried to add the additional entry for the Kubuntu install on the partition, all the combinations that I can find here don't work and dump me out to a grub prompt.

Now here's the interesting part that I can't solve: If I boot the Wubi install, hit escape to get the menu and select "Ubuntu-on-/dev/sdc5" (I think this was put there by the LVPM transfer) I can get into the Kubuntu intall on the legit partition. The commands in that menu.lst file are:

root (hd2,4)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst

Needless to say, I have tried pasting this into the menu.lst file that is in C:\NST with NeoGrub.mbr to no avail.
I have also tried pasting in:

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
root (hd2,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=df2161ed-bac4-445f-8fc4-5012b1de589e ro ROOTFLAGS=syncio quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
(from Kubuntu root/boot/grub/menu.lst)
with combinations of the bootloader switch, understanding that in your extensive testing thread, it is stated not to work because of the UUID entries in the ubuntu 8.10 menu.lst

One other factor, is when I get left at the grub> prompt after failing to load Kubuntu from the partion I can type root (hd2,4) and that command returns the filesystem and partion type, so I'm pretty sure NeoGrub sees the drive it just can't execute either

configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst

or

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=df2161ed-bac4-445f-8fc4-5012b1de589e ro ROOTFLAGS=syncio quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic

Finally, thanks in advance for any help and I appologize for my first post being so long. I really appreciate the active support given EBCD in this forum.

Respectfully,
George
Click to expand...

Hi ghmason. Welcome to NST.
That is correct. UUID commands do not work with any of the versions of EasyBCD, except for 2.0 which hasn't been released yet (though you could maybe try PMing "Computer Guru" and asking him to send you the beta of that version). Try adding the following lines to your NeoGrub menu.lst:

#This is our first entry
title Kubuntu
root (hd2,4) #Load Kubuntu from the 2nd harddrive's 5th partition.
chainloader +1
#End Kubuntu entry

#That's it!
Click to expand...

Let me know if it works.

-Coolname007
 
Cool,
Very Sweeeeet. Thanks, worked like a champ. I need to do some edits to shorten up or eliminate some wait times, and test it a few more times, but it got me into my Kubuntu partition install on the first go.

Thanks again,
VR,
George
 
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