Debian Boot Configuration

[XTIGMA]

Now I am asking again for a Dual Boot.
I am trying to boot from MBR using my Mepis (debian) distro.
So I need the "code" for boot Madrake, that I think is not debian.
It can be done, isn't it?

So... do I put something like this:

title Mandrake
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

on my /boot/grub/menu.lst ?

I have installed Mandrake on hda5.
my partitions are:

hda1 mepis root
hda2 mepis swap
hda3 mepis home
hda5 mandrake root
hda6 mandrake swap
hda7 mandrake home

last time I posted i had XP, but finally decided for two linux distros. why two? that is another story...

Thanks for all your help.

[masinick]

Now I am asking again for a Dual Boot.
I am trying to boot from MBR using my Mepis (Debian) distro.
So I need the "code" for boot Mandrake, that I think is not Debian.
It can be done, isn't it?

So... do I put something like this:

title Mandrake
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

on my /boot/grub/menu.lst ?

I have installed Mandrake on hda5.
my partitions are:

hda1 mepis root
hda2 mepis swap
hda3 mepis home
hda5 mandrake root
hda6 mandrake swap
hda7 mandrake home

last time I posted i had XP, but finally decided for two linux distros. why two? that is another story...

Thanks for all your help.

First, you are right, Mandrake (or Mandriva, as current versions are called, are not Debian, they are RPM based systems that were once closely related to Red Hat (back in 1998) but are definitely distinct systems with their own unique characteristics today. Mandriva is definitely a GNU/Linux system.

Now on to the questions and issues. /dev/hda1 is (hd0,0) in GRUB naming terms. /dev/hda5 is (hd0,4) using that same logic.

You can use a chainloader, provided you can successfully point to a root partition containing a boot image. IF those conditions can be met, then these commands will work:

title Mandrake or Mandriva on /dev/hda5
rootnoverify (hd0,4)
chainloader +1
boot

Another note, you really do not need separate swap partitions for each distro. I have had as many as a dozen systems that all use the same swap partition - just obviously not at the same time! Since multibooting means you only run one system at a time, one swap partition can suffice. Does not hurt to have separate ones, but it is more work and it is overkill.

Another way to do this is to find out what the name of the Linux image is for each system and explicitly write entries that point right to what you need. If and once you get good at GRUB, you can do this on the fly, running GRUB interactively, editing and modifying existing entries, then you can change them once you are sure of the exact parameters.

This command:

find /boot/grub/menu.lst will tell you what partitions each GRUB menu is on. That can give you some clues. Then you can mount the partitions on one system, poke at the files, reading and possibly copying parts of the content, building one or more GRUB configuration files on one or more partitions. That gets into more advanced use of GRUB, so don't go there until you understand GRUB.

Check out this link: http://www.mepis.org/node/13445
and this one: http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html to work with GRUB on SimplyMEPIS and with GRUB in general. Once you master using GRUB you can do all kinds of amazing things with it, but it does take both reading and practice to learn several of its major capabilities. These two links will get you moving in that direction if you review them carefully.

[XTIGMA]

I thought GRUB was only for boot...
mysterious journeys awaits me.
thanks a lot, it is great that the pros are teaching the newbies.
I'll really appreciate it, for your time and for this bit of knowledge.
I'm looking forward to make my pc GRUBbie... or is it GRUBed?
Thanks again...

I apologize for my "joking" writing... I am very happy today

[zonofabee]

That disk will help you make all kinds of changes to the bootloader to satisfy your needs.