stef_204 Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Win XP Pro Mandriva Free 2008.0 (DVD installation-i586 32 bit) Hi, Linux newbie here. I have just installed Mandriva Free 2008.0 (from DVD iso) on a laptop with Windows Win XP Pro already installed. Here is the screenshot of the hard disk--after installation: http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=fljdrdi1sht&thumb=6 Because I have a Lenovo ThinkPad that uses a "unique" boot process and MBR code (due to IBM Rescue and Recovery pre-installed partition and Rescue Management Software), to be safe and not touch the NBR, I chose to chainload using Windows NTDLR bootloader, with this "standard" procedure. <http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux/grub-w2k-HOWTO.html> I cannot do the part that says use grub-install /dev/sda6 as I get the error message: cannot mkdir /boot, already exists on sda6 (because I already installed it there during Mandriva installation process). Anyhow, the rest of the procedure should work. I used dd command and did the setup in Windows: editing boot.ini and putting the proper file in C:\ etc. When I am presented with the "Linux" option in the Windows boot process, I choose that and it starts to load GRUB. GRUB shows me all of the Operating Systems meaning Mandriva 2008, Mandriva 2008 (safemode), Windows, Windows1 (the Rescue partition). I then choose Mandriva 2008 and it starts to boot: I get the screen booting, press esc for verbose mode--and if I go to verbose mode I can see there is action. HOWEVER, after a short while, the screen goes blank and gets stuck and I can only turn off the laptop to then reboot. I have tried to use the argument acpi=off at boot but it instantly gets stuck so even worse. I have tried booting with CD SuperGRUB, and boot process gets stalled in similar fashion (where in Virtual Machines replicating the setup, it does boot Mandriva). How can I get this fixed and boot into Mandriva? (I can boot into Mandriva safemode if choosing that option--it goes to bash.) Thanks for your help. Here is my menu.lst (and I would be glad to post any other s requested) timeout 10 color black/cyan yellow/cyan gfxmenu (hd0,5)/gfxmenu default 0 title linux kernel (hd0,5)/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=/dev/sda7 resume=/dev/sda8 splash=silent vga=788 initrd (hd0,5)/initrd.img title linux-nonfb kernel (hd0,5)/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux-nonfb root=/dev/sda7 resume=/dev/sda8 initrd (hd0,5)/initrd.img title failsafe kernel (hd0,5)/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=failsafe root=/dev/sda7 failsafe initrd (hd0,5)/initrd.img title windows root (hd0,0) makeactive chainloader +1 title windows1 root (hd0,1) makeactive chainloader +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 GRUB reads: "Windows" is your first partition, which according to your previous posts should be the recovery partition. "Windows1" is the second partition, which I think ought to be the windows installation. Linux is a little odd because it claims to be looking at sda6 {(hd0,5)}but finds root on sda7, with the swap on sda8. My guess is either root is on sda6 or the GRUB identification should read (hd0,6), which I think is where the error is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarecrow Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 And "windows1" shouldn't be bootable using that configuration- as it is on the second harddisk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavaeolus Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 (edited) What type of Thinkpad is it ? is /dev/sdb6 a seperate /boot, judging from your screenshot it seems to be so what is your current /etc/fstab in Mandriva ? btw. I had installed Grub to the MBR and was still able to boot into the rescue partition on my thinkpad. windows seems to be the XP-install and windows1 the recovery partition, they are both on the same hdd, so they should both be bootable on my r60 Lenovo put the installation on the first partition and the rescue and recovery part on the second partition. you could even erase the rescue and recovery partition completely if you have a rescue and recovery CD (you can make them whith the thinkvantage tools, there should be an entry in the menu Edited January 21, 2008 by lavaeolus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef_204 Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 lavaeolus: Hi, I'd love to completely erase the R&R partition but I am told that I would have trouble booting thereafter as the MBR of disk is written with special code that looks for the recovery partition. The problem is that, apparently, the Lenovo ThinkVantage Management software looks at MBR at each boot and tries to rewrite the MBR if it is not the "original" one--at least so I'm told by Lenovo and their website.... Which seems to indicate I would have to remove the ThinkVantage product completely to then be able to 1) remove/delete the recovery partition and 2) put GRUB in MBR.... BUT, as it is, the chainloading is now working as I found out the stall was due to lack of proprietary nVidia graphics driver. So the chainloading process had worked. I would be interested to know more how to really remove that R&R partition without causing unwanted negative effects on my T61. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef_204 Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 GRUB reads:"Windows" is your first partition, which according to your previous posts should be the recovery partition. "Windows1" is the second partition, which I think ought to be the windows installation. Linux is a little odd because it claims to be looking at sda6 {(hd0,5)}but finds root on sda7, with the swap on sda8. My guess is either root is on sda6 or the GRUB identification should read (hd0,6), which I think is where the error is. Ixthusdan: Thanks for your feedback. See my reply above for the solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavaeolus Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) If you put GRUB into the MBR it should be no problem to erase r & r since there is no special boot code anymore (the mbr isn't that big, there is only place for one boot loader, which then would be grub) It seems that different versions of r & r behave in different ways, don't know which version I had since win xp sucked and linux runs without any problems now on my thinkpad I completely wiped xp, therefore no r & r and no problems. but even if you retain the r & r it should be bootable through grub (at least for me it worked) btw. I doubt there is much "special code" in there, the preboot environment/ r & r is just a very trimmed down win something, so in the end it is just a slightly modified nt /xp bootloader sitting in the mbr (grub booted the r & r without any problems on my thinkpad) Edited January 22, 2008 by lavaeolus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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