dual boot

**walley40** · 11-26-2005

I installed Mandriva LE with only the default configurations and then installed SuSe 10 Pro. Suse recognised the partition and I accepted the default configurations on the partition table. When I came to boot up and chose the first partition hd1 I received an error 'magic numbers failed'? and boot up ceased. I then decided to re-install Mandriva and formatted the drive where it had failed to install and accepted the defaut configrations and which also recognised a partition where Suse was installed. But on boot up I now receive the error message 'telling INIT to go to single user.INIT going to single user
sh-3.00#'
Anyone know what I can do?
Thanks

**Punter** · 11-26-2005

Post your fstab file, o/p of fdisk -l and grub.conf here. Most probably it has to be problem with entries in fstab or grub.conf.

edit: also specify on what partition you installed what distro.

**walley40** · 11-27-2005

Thanks for your response. I am a complete Newbie and am struggling here.
When I received the 'going to single user SH3# notice at boot up I typed reboot and was able to access Mandriva. My computer now boots directly into Mandriva with no password required and SuSe remains inaccessible. Can a dual boot up be configured from within Mandriva? I copied the fdisk file to the desktop but was unable to open it so that I could copy and paste the details to you. (The Linux distros are on another computer until I become comfortable with them and use them on my present computer) In the 'open with' dialogue is there a program I can use to open it? In the properties box File permissions for fdisk seem okay. Could not find the grub.conf. file as I think Lilo was the installation program for Mandriva. I have only 128mb RAM on a FAT only disk. Hope these details are helpful. I cannot remember what distro is on what partition but if I was able to access the boot up partition I would be able to identify it, as there are only three partitions including the Swap . I could try to re-install Suse(which presumable would show the partitions) and format the drive it previously was on, but this may result in instabilty.
Thanks

**Punter** · 11-27-2005

My computer now boots directly into Mandriva

Does it not even show the option of SUSE at bootup?. The best guess is, you need to configure lilo.conf. For that you need partition info as to where the kernel image is.

Can a dual boot up be configured from within Mandriva?

Of'course you can.

I copied the fdisk file to the desktop but was unable to open it so that I could copy and paste the details to you.

You mean fstab file? Why dont you mount your partition under Mandriva and access it from here?

Code:

fdisk -l

will show you the partition info.

Code:

mount

will show you which partitions are mounted where. with this you can figure out which are the SUSE partitions.

I have only 128mb RAM on a FAT only disk

128 MB ram is good enough.. but whats a FAT only disk? :-/

I could try to re-install Suse(which presumable would show the partitions) and format the drive it previously was on

dont do that. we can fix it without reinstalling

**walley40** · 11-27-2005

Thanks again for your reply. The command df -h to show partitions ( to find where the Suse kernal is installed) shows no partitions. It reads:
/dev/hda1/ 5.8g 2.7g 2.9g 49%

Using a straight 'mount' command shows the following:
/dev/hda1/om/type ext3 (rw)
none on/proc/type/ proc (rw)
none on/proc/bus/usb type usb fs (rw)
none on /mnt/floppy type supermount (rw,sync, dev=/
fdo, fs=ext2:vFat,--}

The Mandriva boot config program shows the following:
/dev/hda/
/dev/hda1
/dev/hda5
/dev/hda6
/dev/fdo
These are all used by Mandriva. I do have a menu at boot up, but this is onlyshows failsafe and Mandriva. I tried a rescue from the original Suse dvd but this did not recognise my password?
It is difficult to know what to add to the boot menu in Mandriva if I don't know where the Suse kernal is installed. Because I used only the default configurations when installing both distros, would there be a default drive perhaps /dev that Suse (or any other distro) is written to? If so what would the string be?
I am not sure where to go from here to recover Suse and a dual boot partition.

**Punter** · 11-28-2005

your df -h and mount o/ps suggest that Mandriva is installed only on hda1. Then SUSE has to be on hda5,6. Did you use 2 partitions for SUSE? show me o/p of fdisk -l
This will help us configure lilo.conf
also paste your lilo.conf here.

after you have run fdisk -l, mount partitions other than hda1 under /mnt/hdax (where 'x' is your partition number. You may have to create the directories hdax with 'mkdir' command) To mount you can use

Code:

mount /dev/hdax /mnt/hdax

. You have now mounted your SUSE partitions. Then just give me the listing of this directory. (we need the filename of the kernel image and the /boot partition number before configuring lilo.conf... so now you know what you have to put up in your next post.)

**walley40** · 11-28-2005

Thanks for your reply. I hope the info below is what you need. (Please note that I was unable to copy and paste the details from the floppy onto this site because Linux is on another computer and the language will not translate on to this Windows machine?)
Fstab :
This file is edited by fstab.sync - see man fstab.sync
/dev/hd1/ext.3 default 1.1
/dev/hdc/ mnt/cdrom auto
umask=0,user, iocharset=1808859 -15, codepage=850, noauto,ro, exec, user 0 0
/dev/hdd/mnt/cdrom2auto
umask=0, user, iocharset=1808859 15, codepage 850 noauto, ro, exec, users 00
none /mnt/floppy/supermount
dev=/dev/fdo, fs-ext2: vfat,--,umask=0 iocharset=iso859,15,sync,codepage 00
none/proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hda5 swap default 00

Boot Grub file (I changed it from Lilo):

/boot/grub/device.map
same /menu.lst
/mdv.grub splash_xpm gz
/menu.lst.example
/install. sh
/e2fs_stage 1_5
/fat same
/ffs
/iso9660
/jfs
/minix
/reiserfs
/stage 1
/stage2
/ufs2
/vstafs
/device.map.old
/menu.lst.old
/install.sh.old

The fdisk -l :

disk /dev/hda.20.4gb 204905594880 bytes, 255 heads, 63 sectors/track,2491 cylinders
units=cylinders of 1605=8225280bytes

DEVICE START END BLOCKS ID SYSTEM
/dev/hda1 1 764 61367981+ 83 linux
/dev/hda2 765 2491 13872127+ 5 extended
/dev/hda5 765 964 1124518 82 linux swap/ solaris
/dev/hda6 965 2491 12747548 83 linux

Hope this is what you want.
Thanks

**Punter** · 11-29-2005

You still have missed out on the main detail.. the kernel file in /boot directory of SUSE!!! seems you have posted the one from mandriva's /boot. One of the files is " /mdv.grub splash_xpm gz ". anyways, the kernel image file on my RedHat system has the name /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.EL

So, roughly, you have to add the following lines on your grub file (grub.conf(either in /etc or /boot directory) or menu.1st file in /boot directory). We assume that hda6 is your SUSE partition.

Code:

title SUSE
        root &#40;hd0,5&#41;
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.EL ro root=/dev/hda6

NOTE:

Code:

replace "vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.EL" above with the kernel-image name in your /boot of SUSE

Just in case you dont understand how to see the /boot of SUSE, follow exact steps from below.
mount the /dev/hda6 partition (again assuming hda6 as your SUSE partition) with

Code:

mkdir /mnt/hda6 ; mount /dev/hda6 /mnt/hda6

Now do

Code:

ls /mnt/hda6/boot

See if you have something by the name "vmlinuz" or "kernel" or "2.6" in it. Thats your suse kernel-image.

**walley40** · 11-29-2005

Thanks for your reply. As superuser, any command prompt, for example /dev/hda6 or /boot/ hda5 or /boot vmlinuz shows 'permission denied.' ??

**Punter** · 11-30-2005

hda5 is swap. so it would obviously show you "permission denied".
mount hda6 partition on /mnt/hda6, then do listing of _that_ folder by

Code:

ls     /mnt/hda6/

If you can see 'boot' directory inside, then proceed to to get a listing to that directory with

Code:

ls     /mnt/hda6/boot

. Now what do you see in this directory?
PS: Remember You are doing _all_ of this as superuser.

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