Newbie need help editing GRUB menu.lst

[menendez]

Hi All,

 

I just installed Spring '07 on the 2nd hard drive of a PC that also runs XP off the 1st hard drive.

The GRUB menu.lst defaults to booting linux. But I want to change it to default to booting XP.

From another page I see that all I need to do is change the entry value associated with default

in the menu.lst file.

My question is how do I get permission to edit menu.lst? I have been navigating to it with Konqueror and

then opening it with KWrite. But I cannot save it.

Please help,

 

Jose

[scarecrow]

kdesu kwrite

or, if using console,

su -c "nano /boot/grub/menu.lst"

Or alternatively, use krusader to navigate to /boot/grub directory and then press alt+k. Editing is done by highlighting the file and pressing F4.

 

On menu.lst you will find a section looking like

# general configuration:
timeout   5
default   0
color light-blue/black light-cyan/blue

 

Change "default 0" to "default 3" or whatever number your XP entry has, save and exit

Edited August 25, 2007 by scarecrow

[{BBI}Nexus{BBI}]

To use konquror, you need to start it in root mode. Type: kdesu konqueror. Or you can do this via the Mandrake Control Centre. Do Alt & F2 now type: mcc. Go to Boot--> Setup how the system boots--> Click next, now select the opsys you want to start first, select modify then select default.

Edited August 25, 2007 by {BBI}Nexus{BBI}

[yossarian]

Hi Menendez,

 

You have another option: using the MCC - Mandriva Control Center. This way you don't need to edit any files, but do things from a GUI.

 

Go to System -> Administration -> Configure Your Computer. Enter root's password when asked. On the MCC choose the last tab, called Boot. From the menu choose "Set up how the system boots". Click Next. Choose the windows entry and click the Modify button on the left. Click the Defualt flag. Click ok and Finish.

 

That's it.

 

In general, in Linux there is a mechanism of users that is intended to protect them, the data and the system itself. There is a special user, called root, who has all the privileges of modifying definitions in the system. Whenever you want to change things like that, most probably you will need to enter root's password, or login as root (either from a terminal or on the Login screen, which is not recommended IMO).

 

in Mandriva there are two ways of doing things, directly by editing the configuration files, of from a GUI (the MCC). If you want to get an impression from the options you have in the GUI, I suggest you take a tour through some of the available windows in the MCC. This way when you want to change things later you'll know where to look for them. Just pay attention not to change anything by mistake and then save the new preferences.

 

And welcome to the board. :)

[menendez]

Thanks for teaaching me how to do this through the system admin GUI. It was so easy and convenient. This computer gets used by my kids and wife too but they are not as interested as I am in exploring and learning the Linux world. Thanks Again.

[yossarian]

You are welcome. If you have any more questions or problems you are most invited to ask them here, from my experience people here are real pros and very patient with newbies like us.