Re: [ubuntu-uk] dual boot problem
On 13 May 2012 21:20, Barry Drake ubuntu-advertis...@gmx.com wrote: On 13/05/12 21:03, Bill Baker wrote: Norman, please wait for further advice before trying my suggestion; but if this was my machine I would now boot directly to Ubuntu from the live CD from there I would try grub-install /dev/sda [or sdx where x is the boot drive] from a terminal. However, *please* do wait for my idea to confirmed as good or rubbish before doing anything [it may not work with your set-up]. It is not my machine - it is yours as such, deserves a 2nd opinion ;) Maybe that on its own might work; the full sequence might be necessary. It depends so much on where grub is - and it must be on the drive that Noman is booting from. And this drive must be mounted first at a known mountpoint. Re-install grub from live-CD sudo -i mount /dev/sda2 /mnt #assuming that Ubuntu is on sda2 - check with gparted #mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/boot #skip this one if not have a separate /boot partition grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda Then update-grub to complete. The first step is usually need to access the drive. If it is mounted already and you know where it is mounted, you can use this as an alternative. Any third opinion? That is true and correct, AFAICS, but to be honest, it would probably be easier just to reinstall. Norman: at a minimum, you need 2 partitions. I suggest you shrink the Windows partition by about half and use the rest of the space for an Extended partition. In there, you put the Linux logical drives. As a minimum: / - also known as the root partion. swap - which Linux uses for virtual memory. Make this twice as much as the physical RAM in your computer and put it on the end of the drive. Better still is to have root, home and swap, in which case you give say 16GB to root, 2x RAM to swap and all the rest to /home. This makes it much easier to back up, dual-boot multiple distros, wipe and reinstall distros and so on. When it asks where to install GRUB, tell it to use the main hard disk, not a partition. Before you launch the installer, boot to the desktop - pick Try Ubuntu - and then run GParted. So let's say you had 2 drives. They'd be: /dev/sda /dev/sdb Assume we're leaving sdb alone. It probably contains a Windows partition, sdb1. Ignore this for now. On sda1, shrink the Windows partition to half its size. In the remaining space, create sda2 as an Extended partition. In there, create sda5 for root, say 16GB, using ext4, then sda6 for /home, all the remaining space less twice your physical RAM, also ext4, and then at the end, sda7 for swap. Now, save your changes and quit Gparted. Then run the installer. When it asks what to do, pick something different and do a custom install. Choose sda5 as the partition for / followed by sda6 as the partition for /home and sda7 as the partition for swap. If you formatted them in Gparted, you don't need to format them again now, so untick the format box. It should suggest installing Grub to /dev/sda - in other words, the whole drive. This is what you want. Leave it alone. If it does not, for some reason, pick /dev/sda as the destination for the GRUB bootloader. This will enable you to choose between Linux and Windows at power-on. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] dual boot problem
On 14/05/12 13:41, Liam Proven wrote: That is true and correct, AFAICS, but to be honest, it would probably be easier just to reinstall. Norman: at a minimum, you need 2 partitions. I suggest you shrink the Windows partition by about half and use the rest of the space for an Extended partition. In there, you put the Linux logical drives. Liam, go back to the beginning of this problem. The Ubuntu installer insists (probably quite reasonably) on wanting to have Windows on one drive, and Ubuntu on the other. Norman wants both OS's dual booting on /dev/sda There are only two ways to achieve this. One is to disconnect /dev/sdb temporarily while installing Ubuntu, and the other is to partition manually. This is what Norman has been attempting; it's just that he installed grub to the partition instead of installing it onto /dev/sda What you suggest above is actually what Norman has done already. Regards,Barry. -- Barry Drake is a member of the the Ubuntu Advertising team. http://ubuntuadverts.org/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] dual boot problem
On 14 May 2012 18:13, Barry Drake ubuntu-advertis...@gmx.com wrote: On 14/05/12 13:41, Liam Proven wrote: That is true and correct, AFAICS, but to be honest, it would probably be easier just to reinstall. Norman: at a minimum, you need 2 partitions. I suggest you shrink the Windows partition by about half and use the rest of the space for an Extended partition. In there, you put the Linux logical drives. Liam, go back to the beginning of this problem. The Ubuntu installer insists (probably quite reasonably) on wanting to have Windows on one drive, and Ubuntu on the other. Norman wants both OS's dual booting on /dev/sda There are only two ways to achieve this. One is to disconnect /dev/sdb temporarily while installing Ubuntu, and the other is to partition manually. This is what Norman has been attempting; it's just that he installed grub to the partition instead of installing it onto /dev/sda What you suggest above is actually what Norman has done already. I know. I was trying to fill in a little more detail about what to do, how to do it, and when. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] dual boot problem
Many thanks to those who went to the trouble to help and guide me. I am now a little older and a lot wiser. Without doubt, the easiest way to do what I wanted is to open the box, disconnect the second drive, install the OSs, test, reconnect the second drive and close the box. Norman -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Flossie 2012
Flossie 2012, 25/26 May, is a conference Fossbox, G.Hack and Codasign are organising for women interested in open source, open culture - and all things open. Women involved with tech projects, arts, non-profits and VCOs equally welcome. View the programme here: http://www.flossie.org/?page_id=125 Still a few tickets left - book here: http://flossie2012.eventbrite.co.uk/ (tickets free, donations appreciated) We're looking for a couple more female volunteers who can commit to the whole two days or at least one whole day. Email i...@flossie.org if you can help woman the reception desk or help with tech support - or if you just want more info. Hope to see some of you there! Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] dual boot problem
On 14 May 2012 20:41, Norman Silverstone nor...@littletank.org wrote: Many thanks to those who went to the trouble to help and guide me. I am now a little older and a lot wiser. Without doubt, the easiest way to do what I wanted is to open the box, disconnect the second drive, install the OSs, test, reconnect the second drive and close the box. Not really, no! Leave disk 2 attached. Boot off a LiveCD to the desktop. Repartition as I described using GParted. THEN run the install program and pick do something else, i.e. the custom partitioning option, and choose the 3 partitions you just created. Then just continue as normal. No cable-fiddling needed. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
