multi boot, grub, PC-BSD, how-to ?

[i2yu]

Hi,

I've searched a lot on google on how to start PC-BSD from grub. But the two most common suggestions don't work.

Here are my Harddisks:
w+ww.ryu.at/hddgrub.jpg w+ww.ryu.at/hddgrub2.jpg
first HDD first partition = WinXP
second HDD first partition = Ubuntu
second HDD first partition = PC-BSD
grub is installed to (hd1)

this is my menu.lst:

## ## End Default Options ##

title        Ubuntu 9.04, kernel 2.6.28-13-generic
uuid        12d7b46c-ab6d-4243-b1c5-7ef50d856158
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-13-generic root=UUID=12d7b46c-ab6d-4243-b1c5-7ef50d856158 ro quiet splash
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-13-generic
quiet

title        Ubuntu 9.04, kernel 2.6.28-13-generic (recovery mode)
uuid        12d7b46c-ab6d-4243-b1c5-7ef50d856158
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-13-generic root=UUID=12d7b46c-ab6d-4243-b1c5-7ef50d856158 ro  single
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-13-generic

title        Ubuntu 9.04, memtest86+
uuid        12d7b46c-ab6d-4243-b1c5-7ef50d856158
kernel        /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title        Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title        Microsoft Windows XP Professional
rootnoverify    (hd0,0)
savedefault
chainloader    +1


# This was added by me on 2009-07-22
title PC-BSD 7.1 - The Free Operating System
root (hd1,b)
kernel /boot/loader
boot

selecting WinXP gives this error:
Error 13: Invalid or unsupported executable format Press any key to continue...

selecting PC-BSD gives this error:
Error 22: No such partition Press any key to continue

I also tried (hd1,1,a) and (hd1,1,b) and (hd0,1,a) and (hd0,1,b) for PC-BSD. None of those work.
For WinXP I don't care so much, because I can simply use the BIOS boot menu.


I hope you can help me.


EDIT:
more info:

My mainboard is GA-965P-DS3 rev3.3
This board has 2 SATA controllers, one is from Gigabyte and supports RAID, the other is on the Southbridge, from Intel (does not support RAID).
I do not use RAID. I have told my BIOS to treat all drives as IDE (or something like that).
The HDD that holds WinXP is connected to the Gigabyte SATA controller (purple connector on the board).
The HDD that holds Ubuntu and PCBSD is connected to the Intel SATA controller (yellow connector on the board).
When I installed Windows, I noticed that when I choose RAID mode in the BIOS, SATA HDDs connected to the Intel SATA controller are not recognized. So I switched to Legacy IDE mode. In this mode I noticed that my brand new 1TB HDD is not recognized properly when connected to the Gigabyte SATA controller (only recognized 31MB, later, with help of Sea-Tools from Seagate, only 3.51GB). Here, the Intel SATA controller helped me out and properly recognized it as 931GB drive.
I am not sure if this information is relevant for my question.

[Segfault]

Welcome to the forums!
First, messing with boot order in BIOS is a good recipe for disaster in multiboot systems.
Second, installing GRUB on hd1 (second drive) is another mistake, BIOS boots first drive, not second. For changing boot order see points one, three and four.
Third, Windows does not boot from second drive, it has to be on primary. This is a Microsoft thing. If you boot from second drive then your first drive becomes second and Windows chokes.
Fourth, FreeBSD may not ask BIOS which drive is primary and which is secondary. It may recognize hard drives by ports they are connected to. That is HDD connected to the first port is the first drive, regardless what you set up in the BIOS.
Fifth, there is no RAID on this mobo. Knowing this fact will help to think clearer.

Solution.
Let first drive be first, install GRUB to the first drive MBR and go from there.

[i2yu]

thanks for the quick response.

Actually, I don't see anything wrong with the BIOS boot priority chooser. Contrary to boot loaders, this ALWAYS works the way one expects it (that's why I have WinXP on its own physical drive, this way, it will always be available to me, even if everything else is messed up).

I installed grub on hd1 for reason stated above. grub can work on any HDD, it doesnt even have to be on the MBR. So I don't see why that would be a mistake, that's like saying, liking the color green is a mistake.

Windows is on the primary drive alright. There's no problem with booting Windows (when using BIOS boot menu to target first HDD), the problem is that grub can't boot Windows.

There is RAID on this mobo (using the Gigabyte SATA controller). I had it running on RAID1 once, so I know for SURE


About those ports... I will look into that. I'm writing on my notebook now, but when I'm home, I will simply try to boot from all four HDD (that is, (hd0,1,a) thru (hd3,1,a))

I'm afraid I can't go with your offered solution - the MBR on the first HDD is reserved for WinXP boot and nothing else.
But I'm grateful you took the time to read my question - thanks again!

-Ryu

[Segfault]

Great, I see everything is working for you as you like, erm ... why did you post here then? Basically, you came here because your setup doesn't work and when I tell you why it doesn't you tell me your setup is OK, it just doesn't work?
About that RAID, I wasn't precise, there is no hardware RAID on this mobo. There is a piece of software in the BIOS that configures Windows software RAID, Linux dmraid (a version of Linux software RAID) works probably too.

Windows is on the primary drive alright. There's no problem with booting Windows (when using BIOS boot menu to target first HDD), the problem is that grub can't boot Windows.

Yes, because if you change the boot order in the BIOS then your second drive becomes first and first drive becomes second!
I think I already once wrote this?

Solution explained:
First HDD connected to the first port, has GRUB on the MBR and Linux and BSD. Second drive, connected to some other port, with Windows, bootable from GRUB and by changing boot order in BIOS if necessary. You have to remap drives within GRUB if you have GRUB and Windows on different drives.

[Lostfarmer]

second HDD first partition = Ubuntu
second HDD first partition = PC-BSD

You have both installed on the same partition ??

Is this your jpg from XP ? http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0309094//hddgrub.jpg If it is just what partition is it ?

[i2yu]

second HDD first partition = Ubuntu
second HDD first partition = PC-BSD

sorry, this should read:

second HDD first partition = Ubuntu
second HDD second partition = PC-BSD

@Segfault
now I understand - I'm very sorry I thought you got it wrong! ^^
So... since I change the boot priority to get to grub, and since this changes drive order, all I have to do is use (hd0,x) for Linux and PC-BSD, and (hd1,0) for Windows, right?

I'll try that a.s.a.p. and post if it worked or not.

many thanks so far ,
br Ryu


Edit:
one more thing

Great, I see everything is working for you as you like, erm ... why did you post here then? Basically, you came here because your setup doesn't work and when I tell you why it doesn't you tell me your setup is OK, it just doesn't work?

sorry if I annoyed you a little. it's just that I want to preserve Windows' entry in the MBR at all costs. I'm a long-time windows user... can't let go, can't trust yet. does that sound weird?

[Segfault]

So... since I change the boot priority to get to grub, and since this changes drive order, all I have to do is use (hd0,x) for Linux and PC-BSD, and (hd1,0) for Windows, right?

Right, only Windows is now on secondary HDD and won't boot unless fooled into thinking it's the primary drive. GRUB can do it: map - GNU GRUB Manual 0.97

[i2yu]

Ok... I did it and it doesn't work (only Ubuntu boots, PC-BSD and Windows don't).

There's always the error: No such partition; or: unknown format (something like that).

I've tried so many different things for PC-BSD... (hd0,1,a) (hd0,1,b) (hd0,a) (hd0,b) (hd1,1,a) (hd2,1,a) (hd3,1,a), without the "a" and "b"s, and so on... -.-

I wonder how Ubuntu is booting with grub... you know there's this line with the UUID. This UUID seems to ALWAYS work, regardless of BIOS boot priority settings, partition order etc. Isn't there a UUID for PC-BSD...?


anyway, I've postponed this to my next holiday, or a weekend, when I might install grub on the primary HDD MBR. Though I have no idea yet, how I'm gonna restore the windows boot loader, if this fails.

thanks for your responses!
Ryu