i need some serious help i have a major problem

[abierstedt]

hello

first i have been looking all over for a solution to this all day and i have had some help but none that resolves my problem. im trying to learn linux and i need to keep windows vista because of familiarity and for gaming.

after a long period of research for trying to configure x800 for ubuntu, i installed on a dual boot with yes.. windows vista. from some of the replies i have gotten and from my usage of vista in the last month, i am dissapointed in it. mostly because its trouble with grub and from some of the stuff i have been informed about on a myspace thread pertaining to this issue.


so.. first things first


vista was installed before ubuntu

-i have vista on a 40gb hdd which is ata so im assuming that in the grub menu it should be (h0,0)
-i installed ubuntu 6.10 on a 250 gb hdd on its own partition so i think it should be (h1,1)
- and GRUB was installed to the mbr


ubuntu works fine and vista does not, im sure you have all heard this one many times by now but i am honestly loosing it over this because i have wireless on that computer and i have not yet leaped the fence of getting that to work in ubuntu( although i have an idea) and im pounding out this thread on a really really warm laptop that is starting to burn my legs :/


i am super frustrated right now and a bit worried because none of my windows recovery disks will boot now

i really really really would appreciate any help because i am usually unlucky with forums and my threads usually fall right away

i am super out of it right now because this has exhausted me and its past midnight right now so im trying to be a specific as i can

this is my grub menu list and what it looks like right now



## ## End Default Options ##
title Windows Vista
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1


title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic
root (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-generic root=/dev/sda2 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-generic
quiet
savedefault
boot

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-generic root=/dev/sda2 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-generic
boot

title Ubuntu, memtest86+
root (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet
boot

### 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/hda1
title Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
makeactive
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb1
title Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root (hd2,0)
savedefault
makeactive
map (hd0) (hd2)
map (hd2) (hd0)
chainloader +1





and for some reason grub added 3 vista options at the bottom which i dont know why but they dont work anyway

im geting either a black srceen after the the m$ cor boot

or a screen prompting me to insert my windows disk to fix the mbr

which i cant even do now


and the one i added at the to also just goes to a black screen

i added it because i followed this tutorial


http://apcmag.com/5046/how_to_dual_b...nstalled_first

like i said im not great with linux but have learned more just today than ever trying to fix this haha

please help me out i dont want this thread to fall with only 6 views

here are the other links that may be useful to what i am dealing with and have already done


http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?f...51F3F6B9553109

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=376038

[devils casper]

most of time GRUB doesn't boot Vista or XP if you install it in the MBR of Windows Harddisk. solution is, install GRUB in the MBR of Ubuntu Harddisk and add an entry of Vista in it.
is it possible for you to SWAP harddisks? i mean could you plug-in Ubuntu Harddisk as Primary and Vista Harddisk as Secondary (slave) ?







Casper

[abierstedt]

thats for the reply


yes i could certainly do that, after this issue i am about to completly move to linux. but none the less i bought vista and i do like games and some of the newer ones comming out in spring


anyway how should i uninstall grub from the mbr and add grub to the ubuntu partition?

would you know why my vista disk isnt working?
because the disk loads the windows files but then nothing. im guessing it has something to do with my problem since it has worked every time before the install


thanks

[devils casper]

GRUB is not chainloading or in other words, not giving control to Vista boot loader correctly.
execute this

sudo fdisk -l
sudo less /boot/grub/device.map

post output here.

[abierstedt]

ok back to square one

i un installed linux cause i was confused on what the partitions should have been but i like what has been recommended to me.

no grub, no ubuntu,

fixed the boot sector and the mbr for vista and working fine

i think i am going to do this--------------


FIRST-DISK (MBR=Vista MBR)
Primary - NTFS with Windows VISTA

SECOND-DISK (MBR=ANYTHING)
Primary - Linux swap
Primary - Linux ext3 root filesystem (grub in boot sector)
Primary - FAT32 for Windows and Linux to share


a few other questions


how big does the FAT32 partition need to be have to be?

or is this the partition that can have existing windows data?

because thats how i understand it

like i said earlier, the hdd this is going on is for games, but this drive is 100% clean righ now so i think im going to go ahead ad set this up soon.

and does the swap partition need to be twice the size of my RAM or does it matter???


thanks

[devils casper]

how big does the FAT32 partition need to be have to be?
or is this the partition that can have existing windows data?

FAT32 partition size depends on you only. there isn't any size limit. there is limit on FileSize. FAT32 partition doesn't support files having size more that 4GB.

a general rule, 2x of RAM = SWAP space. but if you have 512MB or more RAM, 750MB SWAP space is OK imho.

[abierstedt]

ok i understand, but i need one more thing answered,

im now going to install and i need to know how to install grub to the linux partition

i went through the steps and made my partitions within the live cd install

but when it asks where to install grub, it doesnt have advanced options and has hd0 by default.


how can i select my linux partition as opposed to installing grub to the mbr of the disk

thanks

[devils casper]

Ubtunu Desktop CD's Installer doesn't give any option for GRUB location. it installs GURB in the MBR of Primary Master Harddisk. if you are planning to use Vista Boot Loader, GRUB must be installed in the Boot Sector of / (root) partition.
download Ubuntu Alternate CD. its installer gives option for GRUB location.