Comments on: Where should you install GRUB? http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/ I've been using Linux since 1995. Now I'm sharing tips, tricks and things you need to know. Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:31:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chompi http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-147 Chompi Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:31:58 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-147 Hahaha.... AS ALWAYS ... It is not clear from the very beginning!! "First, you can install it to the Master Boot Record of your first hard drive." But which is "the first hard drive", in the first place?? a) The first one in the order you tell the BIOS to boot the moment you are running grub? b) The master on the first slot? you are always asked for a place where to install grub, but then you read that it is installed in two parts: in one of the MBR's of the disks you have and maybe somewhere else too. Hahaha... You talk in singular when we have two or more drives. When there's nothing to choose, we don't have questions. Our questions are for the complez cases, obviously: We have these disks: A, B, C, D. How the map to hda, hdab, hdc, ..... Each disk has a MBR: MBRa, MBRb, MBRc,.... etc Then the partitions. There is no "THE boot sector"... there is boot-a, boot-b, boot-c, etc Start talking with symbols, like a perfect mathematiian, so ther's no doubt as to what you say, PLEASE!! What happens if we have a disk with an ntfs partition with data and want to install Linux in another partition, should we install grub in the MBR, are there other possibilities??? ?? -------------- "To avoid this, install GRUB to the boot sector of the active partition instead." But we can make active any partition? Which one should we choose as active?? ------------- The problem is not the BIOS, is not the comlexity, ... it is the language. The use of precise, accurate language. Hahaha…. AS ALWAYS … It is not clear from the very beginning!!

“First, you can install it to the Master Boot Record of your first hard drive.”

But which is “the first hard drive”, in the first place??
a) The first one in the order you tell the BIOS to boot the moment you are running grub?
b) The master on the first slot?

you are always asked for a place where to install grub, but then you read that it is installed in two parts: in one of the MBR’s of the disks you have and maybe somewhere else too. Hahaha…

You talk in singular when we have two or more drives. When there’s nothing to choose, we don’t have questions. Our questions are for the complez cases, obviously:

We have these disks: A, B, C, D.
How the map to hda, hdab, hdc, …..
Each disk has a MBR: MBRa, MBRb, MBRc,…. etc
Then the partitions.
There is no “THE boot sector”… there is boot-a, boot-b, boot-c, etc
Start talking with symbols, like a perfect mathematiian, so ther’s no doubt as to what you say, PLEASE!!

What happens if we have a disk with an ntfs partition with data and want to install Linux in another partition, should we install grub in the MBR, are there other possibilities???
??
————–
“To avoid this, install GRUB to the boot sector of the active partition instead.”

But we can make active any partition? Which one should we choose as active??
————-
The problem is not the BIOS, is not the comlexity, … it is the language. The use of precise, accurate language.

]]> By: Ashkan A. http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-54 Ashkan A. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:39:27 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-54 Hello! I use Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala on an USB flash drive. after updating the system using update manager, where should I install grub?(it asks me in terms of sda and... which I'm not familiar with.) Hello!

I use Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala on an USB
flash drive.
after updating the system using update manager,
where should I install grub?(it asks me in terms of sda and…
which I’m not familiar with.)

]]> By: nikhil http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-53 nikhil Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:56:53 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-53 grub4dos is a much better bootloader incase you wish to dual boot windows and linux. grub4dos is a much better bootloader incase you wish to dual boot windows and linux.

]]> By: haal12 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-52 haal12 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:37:18 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-52 Vista is a domineering monster, Xp is slightly better. You need to develop a Vsta accountable GRUB multi-boot. I am looking at the Open src code for this and it indicates a total isolation of the linux partition designed to fool the windows installation. A pre-cognitive Vista Bootloader. !OR! Make the linux or Unx boot a Vista Slave(2). So far, #2 is just not an option to date. Vista is a domineering monster, Xp is slightly better.

You need to develop a Vsta accountable GRUB multi-boot.

I am looking at the Open src code for this and it indicates

a total isolation of the linux partition designed to fool the

windows installation. A pre-cognitive Vista Bootloader.

!OR! Make the linux or Unx boot a Vista Slave(2). So far,

#2 is just not an option to date.

]]> By: Keith Bowes http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-51 Keith Bowes Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:05:52 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-51 Wow, I really like LILO (much better than GRUB), but I didn't know it was obsolete. GRUB is just too GNU-ish: functional but cryptic and scary. But both tools remind me of Disney movies--Lilo & Stich and The Lion King--as sad as that might be. Wow, I really like LILO (much better than GRUB), but I didn’t know it was obsolete. GRUB is just too GNU-ish: functional but cryptic and scary. But both tools remind me of Disney movies–Lilo & Stich and The Lion King–as sad as that might be.

]]> By: Love Music http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-50 Love Music Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:40:52 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-50 I believe what Jim is looking for is "howto configure grub" I believe what Jim is looking for is “howto configure grub”

]]> By: Jim http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-49 Jim Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:25:38 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-49 Definitely would have been helpful to include commands to install Grub to partition only rather than overwrite MBR. I already know that's what I need to do so that rEFIt Windows icon will work (without going through grub). But I have been scouring the web for the last 20 hours trying to find the commands to do so! Grub man pages and other how-tos (that you alluded to) are completely useless for this objective, as is trial and error at the grub prompt. Nobody--and I mean NOBODY--explains how to make Grub install only to the partition, at least after it has already overwritten the MBR. I appreciate the time and effort you went in to writing this, but without the actual commands (or at least a link to them), you've only succeeded in wasting my time. This is constructive criticism (that you can act on), not a flame, because you were generous enough to do this for free (or without payment from me at least). Definitely would have been helpful to include commands to install Grub to partition only rather than overwrite MBR. I already know that’s what I need to do so that rEFIt Windows icon will work (without going through grub). But I have been scouring the web for the last 20 hours trying to find the commands to do so! Grub man pages and other how-tos (that you alluded to) are completely useless for this objective, as is trial and error at the grub prompt. Nobody–and I mean NOBODY–explains how to make Grub install only to the partition, at least after it has already overwritten the MBR. I appreciate the time and effort you went in to writing this, but without the actual commands (or at least a link to them), you’ve only succeeded in wasting my time. This is constructive criticism (that you can act on), not a flame, because you were generous enough to do this for free (or without payment from me at least).

]]> By: Jon Wickström http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-48 Jon Wickström Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:11:39 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-48 "If you are installing Linux to a secondary hard drive, and no part of it will be on your main hard drive, then you must install GRUB to the MBR" Not true at all! I have the Windows bootloader on my first hard drive and Linux on my third (physical!) drive.Just follow the steps on described in "How-To"s for using the NTLDR to jump into GRUB.(Installing GRUB on the boot partition) BUT you cannot use the grub-install script, you have to go into the grub "shell" and specify on which (physical) harddrive GRUB stage 2 is. First harddrive is apparently assumed otherwise. “If you are installing Linux to a secondary hard drive, and no part of it will be on your main hard drive, then you must install GRUB to the MBR”

Not true at all! I have the Windows bootloader on my first hard drive and Linux on my third (physical!) drive.Just follow the steps on described in “How-To”s for using the NTLDR to jump into GRUB.(Installing GRUB on the boot partition) BUT you cannot use the grub-install script, you have to go into the grub “shell” and specify on which (physical) harddrive GRUB stage 2 is. First harddrive is apparently assumed otherwise.

]]> By: Michael Hampton http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-47 Michael Hampton Thu, 26 Oct 2006 08:09:40 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-47 <em>How</em> to install GRUB has been covered well elsewhere, including in its own manual; it's pretty simple. The point here was to try to answer the question of <em>where</em> to install it. How to install GRUB has been covered well elsewhere, including in its own manual; it’s pretty simple. The point here was to try to answer the question of where to install it.

]]> By: Ram http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/30/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-46 Ram Thu, 26 Oct 2006 05:21:31 +0000 http://linux.ioerror.us/2006/01/where-should-you-install-grub/#comment-46 It's great to read to what had happenned some 5/10 years ago and what size of hard disk sizes were there! Where are the actual steps of installing grub! It would have been great if the author has given a step by step install instructions how to re/install GRUB. It’s great to read to what had happenned some 5/10 years ago and what size of hard disk sizes were there!

Where are the actual steps of installing grub!

It would have been great if the author has given a step by step install instructions how to re/install GRUB.

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