I had managed to clone old hard disc to a new one - multiboot WinXP-DOS-Opensuse 11.3 with Acronis. After solving all (perhaps) problems, I have one question. The last problem - I had to rewrite fstab file.
Old fstab:
/dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST380811AS_5PS0EVE3-part3 / …
New fstab:
/dev/sda3 / …
Perhaps there are more configuration files, that use ‘by-id’ identification. Question - Why Open Suse uses ‘by-id’ identification? There is a problem when we change hard disk. How can I rewrite all values with new hard disk id?
Adapting the fstab to the new ID is quite easy actually; just boot via a live-System, mount the new HD, take a look into /dev/disk/by-id/ for the new ID and edit your fstab according to it.
UUIDs don’t change when you duplicate a disk with dd (unlike disk/by-id) . They only change when you format a partition. Whether you use the one or the other depend on your configuration. You can also instruct YaST to mount by UUIDs at installation time in the ‘mounted’ or ‘fstab’ options (i don’t remember how it is called exactly).
Thank you. I used Yast - Hardware Identifacitation, I found HD id, edited fstab and it works. I used to have problems with multiboot systems. When something failed, I had to reinstall Windows and then Linux on Windows.
Now I found a way how to repair grub. The last question - on old HD I had bootloader on Linux root partition, now I changed it to MBR (advice from forum - how to bouild a new Grub loader). What is better? Thanks and I am sorry for my English.
Thank you. I used Yast - Hardware Identifacitation, I found HD id, edited fstab and it works. I used to have problems with multiboot systems. When something failed, I had to reinstall Windows and then Linux on Windows.
Now I found a way how to repair grub. The last question - on old HD I had bootloader on Linux root partition, now I changed it to MBR (advice from forum - how to bouild a new Grub loader). What is better? Thanks and I am sorry for my English.
What is better, Loading Grub boot loader into your MBR (Master Boot Record) or installing Grub into one of the four Primary Partitions? This might be a matter of preference perhaps more than anything.
However, I prefer to load the Grub boot loader in to the openSUSE main software “/” partition and to leave the MBR as generic booting code. I do this because my systems are typically dual boot between Windows and openSUSE. If for any reason openSUSE fails to load OR if I need to upgrade or load a service pack into Windows, I merely boot from a disk like Gparted, change the Active booting Partition to Windows and Windows works as per normal.
If you do not dual boot with Windows, have many partitions (more than four), use more than one version of Linux or have a really old PC BIOS, you may be better served by loading the Grub boot loader into the MBR.
On 2010-11-24 09:36, please try again wrote:
>
> or run blkid to see UUIDs and use this form in /etc/fstab (example):
>
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> UUID=316bc15c-b355-4857-98e2-3c623651c1c9 / …
> etc
> --------------------
>
>
> UUIDs don’t change when you duplicate a disk with dd (unlike
> disk/by-id) . They only change when you format a partition. Whether you
> use the one or the other depend on your configuration. You can also
> instruct YaST to mount by UUIDs at installation time in the ‘mounted’ or
> ‘fstab’ options (i don’t remember how it is called exactly).
You can use Labels instead of UUIDs. They are normally created when a
partition is formatted, and you choose them - I find easier to know what
“disk1_boot” is than the rigmarole of letters and numbers above
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
IIRC, I’ve had the opposite action using MBR. When the Linux partition can’t boot the system automatically boots to Windows.
Anyone reading this thread have experience losing a Linux partition?
Grub written to partition boots what?
Grub written to MBR boots what ?
tararpharazon, when grub is loaded into the MBR and the partition where the rest of it is loaded, most often the openSUSE partition fails, you do not boot into anywhere per say, depending on what is wrong and changing the active partition to Windows does not fix the problem in the short run. If grub is loaded into the openSUSE partition and fails, you still do not boot, but the error is different, you get no operating system error from your BIOS. A simple change of the Active partition allows Windows to boot. Further, if you decide you need to load a Windows service pack, you put Windows as active, load the SP, then put openSUSE back as the active partition.
Now when something goes bad and you can not boot, no matter what your configuration, depending on the type of error, you will still need to take some sort of action. The problem is replacing the Master Boot Record with Generic booting code (So you can boot Windows without Grub), when you stuck grub in there first. There is no straight forward approach to fix this problem in Linux. So, I suggest you do not do it (load Grub into the MBR) in the first place and then this is one problem you don’t have to fix, ever. No installation of openSUSE really requires this (put grub in the MBR) if the openSUSE installation is done right. By right we mean, loading a booting version of grub into the active Primary Partition numbered 1, 2 3 or 4 only.
I am not a linux expert, I use it only at home. I am learning basic skills. After the cloning problems I found this link - it was the best manual I could find so far:
It worked, the last part is:
"APPENDIX: Installing a brand new bootloader once you’ve booted into openSUSE
Well the major hurdle has been cleared. Now you (probably) just need a brand new bootloader to overwrite everything and hopefully that will fix the underlying problem.
Go to Yast → System → Boot Loader. The Grub configuration screen comes up with the Tab “Section Management” activated. In the lower right is a drop-down selector labelled “Other”. Select from “Other” the option “Propose New Configuration” and then wait for Grub to analyse your partitions and display a new configuration. This may take a while. Important: When that finishes, activate the tab labelled “Boot Loader Installation” and select to “Boot from the Master Boot Record”. [Yast will often default to booting from the root or boot partition rather than from the MBR but that’s for experts only – [b]always choose the MBR.] Then click Finish to save the changes and install the reconfigured Grub into the hard drive’s MBR."
There is “Always choose the MBR…”, that was reason why I asked this question. I obeyed this advice and now I have bootloader in the MBR not “root”.
Thanks for helping me to learn linux.
I am not a linux expert, I use it only at home. I am learning basic skills. After the cloning problems I found this link - it was the best manual I could find so far:
It worked, the last part is:
"APPENDIX: Installing a brand new bootloader once you’ve booted into openSUSE
Well the major hurdle has been cleared. Now you (probably) just need a brand new bootloader to overwrite everything and hopefully that will fix the underlying problem.
Go to Yast –> System –> Boot Loader. The Grub configuration screen comes up with the Tab “Section Management” activated. In the lower right is a drop-down selector labelled “Other”. Select from “Other” the option “Propose New Configuration” and then wait for Grub to analyse your partitions and display a new configuration. This may take a while. Important: When that finishes, activate the tab labelled “Boot Loader Installation” and select to “Boot from the Master Boot Record”. [Yast will often default to booting from the root or boot partition rather than from the MBR but that’s for experts only – [b]always choose the MBR.] Then click Finish to save the changes and install the reconfigured Grub into the hard drive’s MBR."
There is “Always choose the MBR…”, that was reason why I asked this question. I obeyed this advice and now I have bootloader in the MBR not “root”.
Thanks for helping me to learn linux.
Personally, such advise is simply the opinion of the writer and as I said before, it comes down to preference. However, dual boot computers with Windows should reconsider any such recommendation to place grub into the MBR.
Glad you said it come down to preference. Even when Grub is loaded to MBR it’s far easier for me to Fdisk /MBR to boot Windows than setting partitions active that may or may not boot. Also, Grub still has to write something to MBR to tell the BIOS to finish booting using boot code on partition X.
