Was using linuxos2007 and decided to add suse 10.3 . I created a new partition on the disc . Some problems happened with the hard disc (long story short) somehow Suse end up installing itself and not asking me where I wanted the bootloader ( which was going to be in the partition not to the mbr where the os2007 bootloader was). I think pclinux2007 is still there somewhere. I want to try to modify the grub menulst to add linux os and see if it gives me the option of dual boot.Have been trying to access the menulst but only get permission denied . I do not know , maybe I am using the wrong commands. I f anyone can help with this I will thank you greatly.
Welcome to the openSUSE Forums liamkincaid25
menu.lst is rw for root and forbidden for all else (-rw-------). To open/see it you use one of these:
kdesu kwrite /boot/grub/menu.lst
gnomesu gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
sudo cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
and so on
To get Grub to search for and include other kernels goto Yast → system → bootloader → other → propose new configuration
Thank you for your help. Your first and third suggestion worked.But now I am confused. I installed suse in dev/sda8NOw I am getting this information
linux:~ # fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 20.0 GB, 20003880960 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2432 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0004c57d
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1019 8185086 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1020 2432 11349922+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 1020 1368 2803311 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 1369 1626 2072353+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 1627 1757 1052226 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda8 1758 2432 5421906 83 Linux
linux:~ # gnomesu gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
linux:~ # sudo cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Thu Jul 3 04:55:30 BST 2008
default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd0,7)/boot/message
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 vga=0x317 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux (/dev/sda1)###
title linux (/dev/sda1)
root (hd0,0)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 vga=normal showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
And also I am getting this
# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Thu Jul 3 04:55:30 BST 2008
default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd0,7)/boot/message
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 vga=0x317 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux (/dev/sda1)###
title linux (/dev/sda1)
root (hd0,0)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 vga=normal showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
For my dual boot I read that I needed to edit the menu.lst adding something like “PSLINUXOS2007 CHAINLOADER +1” But after seeing all this I do not know where to put it ( sorry I am still quite new to linux and barelygraspping a few concepts now). Can you point me in the right direction? Thank you
I performed your last suggestion and YAST was not able to find any other kernell. So it appear that for the 12 time in the last 6 weeks my attempt at a dual configuration went south. Can you look throught my data already in this post and tell me if there is hope for a dual boot system? Thank you again.
I suggest this:
For the time being, live with the fact that Suse’s Grub overwrote the other Linux code in the MBR, and work to improve on that.
Backup your current menu.lst with this command in a console window:
sudo cp /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/menu.lst.backup
Then recalibrate Grub, letting Yast do the work:
GoTo 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.] Then click Finish to save the changes and install the reconfigured Grub into the hard drive’s MBR. If you get a message that "The bootloader boot sector will be written to a floppy disk … don’t bother with the floppy – just click OK to proceed and install to the MBR.
At that stage you can check to see if Suse’s Grub has included PCLInux2007 in menu.lst for the bootloader by looking at the output from this console command:
sudo cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
Hopefully you will be able to reboot and get to PCLinux.
If not, continue on to Suse and post the output from
sudo cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
Swerdna
Reference: GRUB Boot Multiboot openSUSE Windows (2000, XP, Vista) using the Grub bootloader.
You must have posted while I was typing. So if you followed the EXACT steps, INCLUDING the second half about the MBR, then post the menu.lst, else redo it EXACTLY as suggested.
Thank you for your answer. What I meant I did was this (“To get Grub to search for and include other kernels goto Yast → system → bootloader → other → propose new configuration”) from your first answer. The other post I have not tried it yet. As soon as I get home I will follow your directions and post the result. Thank you for your time an help (yeah I imagined that suse overwrote the mbr as soon as I saw it was the OS that loaded upon restart , but do not know why it did not give the option of where to install the loader I guess the problems with the hard disk caused this) Thank you
Greetings once more!
Did all the steps as you instructed but when rebooted no option for linuxos2007 appeared.The result of the menu.lst is as follow
linux:~ # sudo cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Thu Jul 3 10:09:43 EDT 2008
default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd0,7)/boot/message
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 10.3
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux (/dev/sda1)###
title linux (/dev/sda1)
root (hd0,0)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: floppy###
title Floppy
rootnoverify (hd0,7)
chainloader (fd0)+1
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE 10.3
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: memtest86###
title Memory Test
kernel (hd0,7)/boot/memtest.bin
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: Kernel-2.6.22.5-31-default###
title Kernel-2.6.22.5-31-default
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.5-31-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_HTC426020G5CE00_L6VP1U-part8 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.5-31-default
It seems I did something wrong.Can you make an evaluation of this and enlighten me on WTHIDW? (what the hell I did wrong) or at least if there is a chance to fix it?. I have no problem erasing the hard disk and starting from scratch , as this is a machine I am using to test linux ( boy I think this is the 10 or 12 time the dual boot goes wrong )
Thank you for your time and help
This one:
###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux (/dev/sda1)###
title linux (/dev/sda1)
root (hd0,0)
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
looks like Suse’s estimate of PCLinux. (hd0,0) is Grub-speak for sda1. Suse thinks there’s a configuration stored in (h0,0)/boot/grub/menu.lst – but that’s not working. There’s two things you can try. One is to add an entry below the one I quoted, an entry like this:
title PC Linux (/dev/sda1)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1
Try that first. You can open the file for editing with command
kdesu kwrite /boot/grub/menu.lst
The other (if that fails) is to boot to PC Linux using the install media (I’ve no idea whether that’s possible) and reinstall grub there.
??
I performed your instructions. Upon rebooting the pclinux option
appeared on the menu 
I selected it and the this message appeared “ERROR 13 INVALID OR UNSUPPORTED EXECUTABLE FORMAT”
The las part of your post when you say to use the install media from pclinux , do you mean running it until I reach which point?
Error 13 generally means that Grub is pointing to a non bootable partiton, e.g. a simple storage partition. Sda1 is the first partition – is that where you installed PCLinuxOS – or somewhere else?
The las part of your post when you say to use the install media from pclinux , do you mean running it until I reach which point?
Well it’s getting vaguer now – but I meant maybe you find a repair option or a way to boot the existing PCLinux rather than to reinstall it, a common feature in install media. I know nothing of that distro so you’d be flying solo now. You could of course reinstall it completely. Regarding PCLinux, I’m out of suggestions really.
Thank you for all your ideas and help.I am really starting to get frustrated with this thing about dual boot.There is no big deal installing one OS but 2 well that is different story ( at least in my case). I just want to use one and experiment on the other.Being in a dead end alley I think my best option is start from scratch , I am going to erase the hard disc install first Suse and start from there ( there is a saying that goes “the 13 time is a charm” lol).Hope you can help me with this new endeavor.THANK YOU for your help
P.S. is there a way to close this thread?
It looks like you are moving on. But if you want to try one more thing, and you can mount the pclinuxos partition and re-install grub in that partition’s boot sector. Multi-booting with linux distros is pretty easy; the gotcha to look out for is that diff distros use diff methods of managing grub. In my experience, it’s best to choose one distro as the master, the only distro that installs to the MBR. From there you can point grub to the /boot partition of any other distro using a single common menu.lst, or alternatively you can install grub to the boot sector of each of the other distros and chainload to grub there (in which case that distro’s menu.lst is also used).
Can you explain how to do that? ( sorry but I am close to illiterate when it comes to linux I am learning a little with every post) Multiboot is not a difficult thing but for me it has been a nightmare
Well I gave it a last shot at dual boot before starting from scratch. I installed linuxos2007 once more , restarted and the screen with the 2 os appeared:) . I selected each one and boot and both are now working. I am having some problems with suse , it freezes you move the cursor and nothing happens and then you see multiple images of the cursor on the screen , but this was happening prior to the dual boot installation.I wanted first to address the issue of the dual boot and for now is solved. I want to thank all of you for your help.
Glad that’s fixed. Regarding the new problem: Not too many people will look at the end of this long thread on Grub and see this new problem. Better advice if you post a separate thread.