Vista + Linux Multiboot

Arny006

Active Member
Hello Mates

I had "vista" on a "RAID 10" and "Linux-Multiboot" on extra "HDD" in order to maintain the "windows" and "linux's" OS's separately.
Well, the separate Linux-HDD have a small primary (FAT 32) Grub-Partition (Vers. 1.99) from which I boot the four-five Linux's.
On all Linux's OS's is the 30_os-prober deactivated, so each Linux take care to boot self and not other OS's.
Apropos, Linux cannot read nighter the "RAID-10" (with Vista on it) nor the "Samsung HE753LJ" on which himself is installed.
To install Linux on "Samsung HE753LJ" I have to uninstall the "dmraid" & "libdmraid" packages from installations-mediun (a USB-Stick always).

I used Easy-BCD 2.1 or 2.1.2 to make the job. Afterward I upgrade to Easy-BCD 2.2 but don't touch the Boot-loader with it. All was perfect to me.

This week I reinstall Vista and use the newst Easy-BCD 2.2 to make the same as before, but don't work anymore as before.
Vista is booting but...
if I use the entry with "Grub 2" start only the first Linux-OS, if I use the entry with "Grub 1" pointing on the above mentioned small partition, appear only a cursor.

For the emergencies, I backup the old Boot-loaders create by older Easy-BCD versions on additional HDD and have a copy of small "Grub-partition" on SD-memory-card. Actually if I want boot an other Linux, I have to put the SD-card (with Grub 1.99) in the reader and let BIOS boot from them.

That is not a solution for us cause of the seven (7) HHD's ( four in RAID 10), two (2) DVD-drives, two (2) USB-Sticks & four (4) Card-readers listed in the BIOS-menu by pressing the "F8" key.

What is the best, cleanest, easiest method to re-establish the former status?

Thanks in advance and best regards.
 
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Update:

I tried to restore one of the backups stored one year ago...
- First crashed Easy-BCD 2.2
- I recognize the typical file are missed (e.g. in NTS)
- Got a heavy error message from Vista... the PC will reboot in one minute, store your work
- Vista was unable to start and propose to use the RE (recovery enviorement)
- Automatic vista-restore apparently OK but cannot boot again
- Start again RE -> this time no second menu-line (Linux-entry but only Vista (recovered) -> Vista start
- Vista tell me: heavy error occour... investigate which aapp cause the error
- The app was Easy-BCD 2.2 -> uninstall with Revo and clean with ccleaner
- Restart vista, install Easy...2.1 and restore old recovery bootloader, -> same error as before
- this time was also the drive-letters messed up (mixed: vista is drive D:\)-> diskpart (for the drive-letter) & bootrec to restore properly bootloader
- Restart vista, check drive letter & errors in management... who is guity? uninstall easy...2.1 -> clean vista

Conclusion: Easy-BCD is for my fresh installed Vista beyond repair

Have you a way-out? a mix between "OSL2000 Boot Manager" & "Boot-US" that work perfect with Grub2 but newer as the mentioned?
Somethink looking for a bootable partition & "/boot/grub/grub.cfg" or at least to can manupulate your Grub-link to address/point to a drive-letter, /dev/sdxy or UUID?
As you surely have seen/know, Grub is installed in different ways, versions & parts of a HDD. It's not enough to let appear "easy-bcd will find the brub2" in your application.
Just need a link to my Grub-partition or (better) to the five different installed Linux's on my /dev/sde6-10/

Can I help you?

I don't dare to install E-BCD again! An alternative?
 
Back 12 years ago, I did an incredible amount of partitioning and multiple drive configurations. But today it is not necessary. You should install VirtualBox or VMware in your MS Vista and run all your different Linux distros in a VM (virtual machine). If you have enough memory and fast enough processor, you can even run multiple VMs at the same time. If one of your Linux distros is your primary OS, then install it on your RAID and run Vista in a VM. It is possible to copy your Linux distos into VM drives so that you don't have any data loss. I have !-TB of VMs that I use. All get booted from my primary OS And you can move them from HDD to whatever by just copying the VM HDD file.
 
Back 12 years ago, I did an incredible amount of partitioning and multiple drive configurations. But today it is not necessary. You should install VirtualBox or VMware in your MS Vista and run all your different Linux distros in a VM (virtual machine).
Tat's basically correct, the only thing is that VM work like a "Sandbox" = eavy to accede other drives outside VM or VM-OS.
If you have enough memory and fast enough processor, you can even run multiple VMs at the same time.
That's also a topic
If one of your Linux distros is your primary OS, then install it on your RAID and run Vista in a VM.
Cannot, newer Linux's don't recognize my Intel-(Fake)-RAID-10, hence cannot install on it.
It is possible to copy your Linux distos into VM drives so that you don't have any data loss. I have !-TB of VMs that I use. All get booted from my primary OS And you can move them from HDD to whatever by just copying the VM HDD file.
I want to leave Windows in the future and use now Firefox & Thunderbird in common-profiles-mode. It's mean... no matter which OS I boot will be the same e-mails, same pferences & bookmarks.
What do you mean: "It is possible to copy your Linux distos into VM drives..."
Canonical & Microsoft make strange things... I want hold the two companies and their OS completly separate.

Thanks anywas for your answer.

Right now I setup a Vista-Boot-Drive with only use of Vista-own-tools, if I now discover how to make modification of BCD (not Easy-BCD, it's uninstalled now) to insert the menu-entry and UUID for linux-boot-partition... than have I the perfect boot-USB-SD-HDD-Partition.

Bye, ARny
 
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