Failed attempt at triple booting (Suse, XP, Ubuntu)

English Install/Boot/Login
1

So last night I decided to get crazy and install SUSE 11.2 since I’d been hearing such wonderful things. I installed from a live CD when it came to selecting the partition I re-sized the partition that Ubuntu was on because it was 68 gigs I shaved off 15 gigs for SUSE. Then I selected this new 15gig partition to install SUSE on, everything went fine with the installation I was tinkering around on SUSE but of course I needed internet access, so I go to get on Ubuntu where I had my file with my network key. I restarted expecting to see the usual GRUB boot-loader screen only now with an added option for SUSE. Instead I see an entirely new layout for the GRUB boot loader and all that is listed is SUSE, Failsafe SUSE, Windows XP, and Floppy. The Windows is my XP install and it loads fine sadly it is actually what I’m using now because it is the only thing left that I have my network key saved so I can get on this forum.

Looking on SUSE I notice that the 50gig partition formerly known as Ubuntu still exists I figure no problem add the partition back on to the boot-loader and I’m good to go. Added it and when I select to load it nothing happens it starts to then reverts back to the OS list.

Does anyone A) Know how to resolve this or have any ideas. B) Think I can at least copy files off that 50 gig partition to an external hard drive.

Any and all advice is appreciated feel free to give me a good ribbing if I did something extremely stupid that caused all of this I can take it :stuck_out_tongue:

2

This thread may help;

or a very good guide here

IG

3

The problem is that ubuntu uses grub2. Your ubuntu still exists, but the grub2 bootloader is incompatible with grub used by suse and many other distros.
If you want to still boot ubuntu, the easiest is to reinstall ubuntu or look at this thread:
Getting grub to add Linux Mint 8 KDE CE (pre openSUSE installed) - openSUSE Forums

If you just want to recover your files/network key, just mount the partition and you will be able to read it and recover your key.

4

The problem is very simple.

The openSUSE installer has installed in the openSUSE boot menu for grub, has left out the entry for Ubuntu. It doesn’t matter that Ubuntu iuses Grub2. Just put this entry into the Gub menu that exists in openSUSE and Ubuntu will be bootable again:


#Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: none#
title Ubuntu booting via symlinks
root (hd0,8)
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda9 ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img

That’s from the link that ignz gave you, it generally works for your situation.

But you have to change (hd0,8) and sda9 from the example to match your Ubu partition. If you don’t know how to do that, then post here the return you get from this command and point out the Ubu root partition:

sudo /sbin/fdisk -l
5

Thank you all for your responses. I really appreciate them. I will try to resolve it later tonight and let you know how it turns out. Hopefully it goes smoothly after writing batch files all day I’m not sure I can handle anymore frustration. lol

6

Output from fdisk -l:


linux-yq7z:/sbin # fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 98.5 GB, 98522403840 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 11978 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x41ab2316

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        6920    55576867   83  Linux
/dev/sda2            8925       11604    21527100    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3           11605       11978     3004155    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda4            6920        8924    16105131+  83  Linux
/dev/sda5           11605       11978     3004123+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

From this it is my understanding that the entry I would make to menu.lst would be:


#Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: none#
title Ubuntu 9.04 booting via symlinks 
root (hd0,0) 
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash 
initrd /initrd.img

Just want to confirm this is right before I go through with it.

7

Looks ok. There is no reason not to try it since you can reverse it by reediting the file.

8

I inserted that line of code to the menu.lst when I try to boot Ubuntu it gives me a message saying the partition at that location is ext2fs but when I pull up sda1 in the Exper Partitioner (by the way I love YaST2) it gives me this:

Device:
Device: /dev/sda1
Size: 53.00 GB
Encrypted: No
Device Path: pci-0000:00:1f.2-scsi-0:0:0:0-part1
Device ID 1: ata-TOSHIBA_MK1032GSX_669M2221T-part1
Device ID 2: scsi-SATA_TOSHIBA_MK1032G_669M2221T-part1
FS Id: 0x83 Linux native
File System:
File System: Ext4
Mount Point: /
Label:

As long as school hasn’t failed me I am pretty sure that it reads as Ext4 file system… Which I’m officially perplexed…Unless I did something really dumb and installed SUSE on the 53gig partition

9

Hi could yo use the Ubuntu cd boot from cd reinstall grub? I have triple booted but loaded Ubuntu last all went ok all 3 OS worked straight away

10

Sda1 has a mount point of /. So sda1 is the root partition for openSUSE, it’s not Ubuntu. So maybe you overwrote (wiped out) the Ubuntu installation.

To check this, let’s see where the /home partition is, perhaps on sda4. Run this command:

df -TH

and report the results here.

11

@fuzzyLogic: Don’t do this until you see whether you’ve killed Ubuntu. If you’ve killed Ubuntu, doing this will kill openSUSE booting, and maybe openSUSE too.

12

Swerdna,

I had the same gut feeling the more I thought about it at work today… If that is the case so be it I’ll reinstall Ubuntu, but SUSE is really growing on me I may make this my primary OS.

anywho here is the output from df -TH


failboat@linux-yq7z:~> df -TH
Filesystem    Type     Size   Used  Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1     ext4      57G   592M    53G   2% /
udev         tmpfs     1.1G   218k   1.1G   1% /dev
/dev/sda4     ext4      17G   2.9G    13G  19% /usr
/dev/sda2  fuseblk      23G    15G   8.1G  64% /windows/

Luckily I was able to obtain my network key from my roommates PC, so I am on SUSE now and in the process of getting it all setup because I’ve got a feeling Ubuntu is gone.

13

Looks like Suse didn’t use that 15gig partition you mentioned in your first post then and the install has replaced Ubuntu so no other Linux to boot. Which is why folk like Swerdna always ask the right questions and don’t just assume (like I did) that all really was as you first suggested lol!

One thing I have noticed with a few distros is that the partitioners have the same “look” to them but you really need to pay attention to what is being proposed and understand just how the partitoner tool is going to implement what you think you told it when you didn’t like the first proposal :wink:

Apologies if my first reply was a bit brief - just flew in and noticed your question had been sitting unanswered for half an hour (almost unheard of round these parts ).

At least you have your network key and you can always carefully re-think your partitioning design and throw Ubu back on there if you so desire, and still let openSuse take care of booting…or just enjoy openSuse !

IG

14

This line is really weird:

/dev/sda4     ext4      17G   2.9G    13G  19% /usr

Most likely you made a finger-trouble error when using the expert form of the partition manager while installing openSUSE and mistakenly altered the default mount for sda4 from /home to /usr, thus the weird result. And /home would end up inside sda1 along with the root files.

I see two options to correct openSUSE.

  1. put the data from /usr back into the partition sda1 (very carefully using an external CD) and move the home files to sda4
  2. the second option is to leave it as is, wonky.

If you wanted to fix openSUSE, I could guide the steps, but maybe you’re happy with it as is.

15

The funny thing is I knew I should have created the new partition prior to doing the install but when it is 2am and you need to be up to do server maintenance at 6am the usual precautions fly out the window.

Swerdna I also thought that line was strange I’d never heard of the usr file being used as a default mount, I know I must’ve messed that up when creating the partition. I’d greatly appreciate your help to correct it. I don’t want to put Ubuntu or any other OS for that matter back on here until this can get sorted out.

So I do have a semi-open night tonight if it isn’t too much trouble for you Swerdna I’d really appreciate your help in correcting this.

16

No need to have the partitions laid out before beginning the install, but just to have an idea of how you want it to be.

/usr IIRC is offered as one of the first partition options when you go into openSuse custom/expert partitioner…and in the past I’ve known a lot of folk think /usr is “user” is “home” (i.e. it where “my” files go)

But the partitions will be mountable/readable from your working install so it can be re-organized to a more “typical” layout.

IG

17

Sure, here’s a few thoughts in preparation:

The drive is 100 Gb and it’s fully allocated, so no room for Ubuntu or anything else later.

I suggest a line up like this:
sda1 – primary partition maybe 15 Gb for the openSUSE root partition
sda2 – existing NTFS partition - it is 23 Gb fairly full
sda3 – home parttiion for openSUSE maybe 15 Gb
sda4 – an extended partition to house the empty space 45 Gb and carry everything else as needs arise (e.g. maybe Ubuntu later, or video storage, whatever). This is where the swap partition should go too.

Does that sound sensible, or what do you want in sizes?

Couple more questions:

  1. how much RAM do u have?
  2. Also, was the NTFS partition once the first partition on the drive and is it running windows?
  3. If it is windows, does it still boot?
  4. Also let’s check the cyliner distribution for background inf. Run this command and report the results back:
sudo /sbin/fdisk -l
  1. You’ll need a live CD for working on the filesystem when openSUSE isn’t running, Ubuntu CD would do, do you have one?
18

lol man of a million questions :stuck_out_tongue:

Allow me to answer the best I can.

I suggest a line up like this:
sda1 – primary partition maybe 15 Gb for the openSUSE root partition
sda2 – existing NTFS partition - it is 23 Gb fairly full
sda3 – home parttiion for openSUSE maybe 15 Gb
sda4 – an extended partition to house the empty space 45 Gb and carry everything else as needs arise (e.g. maybe Ubuntu later, or video storage, whatever). This is where the swap partition should go too.

Excellent I love it! My hard drive got this way because I’m more of a throw-it-where-ever-it-will-fit kinda guy :shame: The only suggestion for change would be to add some extra gigs to the openSUSE I’ve decided to make it my new baby I’m really diggin’ the SUSE.

  1. how much RAM do u have?
    2. Also, was the NTFS partition once the first partition on the drive and is it running windows?
    3. If it is windows, does it still boot?
    4. Also let’s check the cyliner distribution for background inf. Run this command and report the results back
    5.You’ll need a live CD for working on the filesystem when openSUSE isn’t running, Ubuntu CD would do, do you have one?
  1. 2Gb
  2. Yes, originally the entire drive was NTFS running XP currently it is running XP.
  3. Yes it is there soley because I couldn’t watch Netflix on Ubuntu. lol
Disk /dev/sda: 98.5 GB, 98522403840 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 11978 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x41ab2316

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        6920    55576867   83  Linux
/dev/sda2            8925       11604    21527100    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3           11605       11978     3004155    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda4            6920        8924    16105131+  83  Linux
/dev/sda5           11605       11978     3004123+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
  1. I’m sure I have an Ubuntu cd laying around if not I’ll burn another real quick.
19

OK we’ll build 30 GB root, 30Gb home (and spare space can be tacked in easily enough when/if needed).

Step 0 – get ready: backup all your important data because you could lose it when moving partitions around if you have finger tremors. Boot to windows and defrag the drive because you’'re going to move sda2 later. And finally, get the Ubuntu disk ready.

Step 1 – free up sda4 and make it ready for /home

Boot into Suse and make a new directory to replace /usr, temporarily calling it /usrnew. Run this command in a console window:

sudo mkdir /usrnew

Copy the files, directories and attributes from sda4 across to /usrnew with this command:

cp -a /usr/. /usrnew

that is a real period after usr/ not a typo.

Edit the file fstab with this command if using KDE:

kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab

Locate the line containing the mount point for sda4. It will look a bit like this:

/dev/disk/by-id/ata-etc-etc-part4 /usr  ext4    acl,user_xattr   1 1

Put a hash mark at the front to of the line turn it off when next you boot.

Now you rename the directory /usrnew to /usr but in this roundabout way: reboot but **don’t **boot to openSUSE – instead boot the Ubuntu CD. When settled, make a directory to mount openSUSE in with this command in a terminal window:

sudo mkdir /mnt/sda1

Then mount sda1 in the directory using this:

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1

now rename the directory /usrnew with this command:

sudo mv /mnt/sda1/usrnew /mnt/sda1/usr

Now you can reboot and let openSUSE boot this time.

How did it go?

20

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner. I’ve been swamped with work (**** deadlines getting moved up) and classes. I am going to get to it tonight when I get home.

Just didn’t want you to think I went and gave up on this.