On Sun, Jul 15, 2012 at 11:41 AM, Stephen Powell <zlinux...@wowway.com> wrote: > On Sat, 14 Jul 2012 19:11:41 -0400 (EDT), Tom H wrote: >> >> Thanks for the info and the links. You've misunderstood me. I didn't >> say that Linux could boot without a bootloader. I said that I didn't >> understand the purpose of the "Generic Boot Code" since other >> distributions don't use it when installing grub to a PBR. > > I realize that your remarks above are directed to Camaleón, but some > kind of boot code has to be in the Master Boot Record (MBR). Otherwise, > the BIOS cannot boot from the hard disk. If you install GRUB2 (or any > other boot loader for that matter) to a Volume Boot Record, then > some kind of generic boot code, boot code which chain loads whichever > partition is marked active, must be installed in the Master Boot Record. > Either other distributions install such boot code without asking, or > they either assume or verify that such boot code is already there. > > For example, an install of Linux on a hard disk that already has Windows > (and only Windows) installed on it would not need to install "generic > boot code", since it is already there by means of Windows. On the other > hand, if you have a hard disk that has been wiped clean by DBAN, or > something similar, then there is no generic boot code in the MBR. > If you have previously installed a Linux boot loader to the hard disk's > MBR, then you probably need to install generic boot code in the MBR > to wipe out whatever boot loader used to be there if you now want > to install GRUB2 (or any other Linux boot loader) to a VBR.
Very true. I should've known better given that I was bitten by this (or bit myself!) when installing Debian or Ubuntu in the past using debootstrap, installed grub to a PBR/VBR, and had to chroot to fix the MBR. Apologies... -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/CAOdo=sxdndb+3rpgilzs8tvxmhls-jnyn51lcvpmkpsedva...@mail.gmail.com