GRUB failure after WinXP re-install or complicating grub.conf

[Jim Cornette]

Scott Talbot wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-07-19 at 00:04 +0000, Jim Cornette wrote:

> 
> 	Jim:
> 
> 	Nice setup!  I also have multiple distros: FC2, FC3T1, Mandrake10,
> Win2k, and am glad to see how you chainload the other distros.

Thanks! I was going to try installing lilo on the mbr, then chainload 
the others that use grub. I forgot so much about grub parameters, so I 
gave up on that idea.

> 
> 	In my case I have Grub in the MBR which loads the .conf from hdc6. the
> grub-install command is still pointing to the hda as that is what the
> machine will boot from, and of course from there, I can chainloader to
> anywhere I want.

The actually config file for my setup is on /dev/hdb5. I imagine the 
general concept is pretty similar.

/dev/hdb5            2538        2550      104391   83  Linux -/boot
/dev/hdb6            2551        3460     7309543+  83  Linux -/

> 
> 	When the windows wiped your mbr that is the only one you should have to
> replace, no?

Windows never touches the mbr on this machine. (no windows partitions)
I used to have to reinstall  grub to mbr through the use of either 
rescue mode or by chroot to the other distributions. I noticed recently 
that you can choose the edit the grub settings during the anaconda 
install. Before, I was busy chrooting and rescue disc booting.

Since I have seperate /boot partitions for each distributions. Three 
distinct grub loaders are there. The trick is in getting them to load 
and preventing grub in mbr from changing away from the installation in 
the extended partition.

Jim

-- 
May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse.