I’m a recent convert to Linux after having only used windows in every other computer I owned. I have two laptops, an older one where I installed Kubuntu 11.10 about a month ago, and a Compaq 610 duo core 2 that used to have Windows 7. I installed OpenSUSE 12.1 on it last week. During installation I checked the partition setting options of “propose separate Home partition” and “use btrfs as default file system”, but not the “create LVM based proposal”. I didn’t record exactly which partitions were made so I can’t say what was made just yet. it all worked though, and I did have a working system for a good few days
I decided, for the sake of experimenting, to also install kubuntu on a 16G thumb drive, which I successfully did. I did this by physically removing the HD from the old laptop while the thumbdrive was inserted and ran the installation cd.
then yesterday I used the OpenSUSE laptop with the kubuntu thumb drive in there and I managed to successfully run Kubuntu on it. but then when I took it out and rebooted the screen gets stuck in the grub> screen :’(.
like I said, I’m a relatively recent Linux user so I’m still somewhat unfamiliar with managing grub settings. I’ve looked everywhere online and there’s lots of info on grub. I’m going through it of course, but so far I’m making very slow progress in terms of getting info that could help my situation.
at my disposal are the 5+yo laptop with kubuntu (the one I’m using to type this), the usb thumbdrive with kubuntu (which allows me access to the home partition from the OpenSUSE install, in case I need to transfer those files to an external HD and start over in a worst case scenario), and I also have the OpenSUSE 12.1 i586 install DVD.
please let me know what additional information I may need to provide. I would greatly appreciate any help. thanks
I must admit I am confused after reading your post. It might be best to describe only the laptop that does not boot and nothing else. Here are a few facts:
While you can select btrfs for an openSUSE install, btrfs does not work with Grub legacy, the default for openSUSE and why it offered LVM as a choice.
Kubuntu is using Grub2, which must be used for Kubuntu and openSUSE if placed together.
My suggestion, is to reinstall openSUSE and use EXT4 as it main partition using Grub (Legacy). You could then come back and install Kubuntu if you want use its boot manager to serve up both Linux distros. However, when you are new to it all, it might be best to stick with a single Linux distribution and consider using its default settings.
sorry for the confusion. hope you got the jist of things though:
laptop with OpenSUSE was installed with default btrfs and separate home partition options checked during installation (lvm was not checked)
booted same laptop with usb thumbdrive that has kubuntu in it
laptop now gets stuck in grub screen when thumbdrive is not there
I think I’ll go ahead and reinstall and start from scratch. thankfully I have access to the files I have in that laptop and all in all I didn’t really put in that much time changing the settings. this time I’ll do a manual partition setup with ext4 and not btrfs.
I did think about sticking with just one distro since I’m a noob, but even from the beginning I was split on going with either kubuntu or OpenSUSE. so far I like them both about the same so I think I’ll stick with this setup. even if uncomfortable, I appreciate these learning experiences since they give me more insight into the inner workings of my computer. as it is I know more about GRUB than I did before the weekend started.
The only way to learn is to dive in as you have done. Its just a shame that knowing a few simple details could save you all sorts of heartache later. There is no doubt in my mind that openSUSE is the best distribution between the two you mention, hands down. Now if you want to know another good distro to look at, then give Linux Mint a try. You will be comparing a good GNOME desktop to a good KDE one then. I prefer KDE, but a whole lot of folks prefer GNOME. So its up to you. However, no one has as good as support as you can get here in the openSUSE forums, so keep that in mind. And, if I have not done so already, welcome to the openSUSE forums.
When you choose btrfs and accept the default partitioning, the setup creates a separate /boot partition in ext4 and one (or two in case of a separate /home) btrfs partitions. And so, it boots in Legacy Grub, of course.
# fdisk -l
Disk /dev/vda: 8589 MB, 8589934592 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 16644 cylinders, total 16777216 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00018748
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/vda1 * 2048 321535 159744 83 Linux
/dev/vda2 321536 2377727 1028096 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/vda3 2377728 16777215 7199744 83 Linux
# mount | grep '/dev/vda'
/dev/vda3 on / type **btrfs** (rw,relatime)
/dev/vda1 on /boot type **ext4** (rw,relatime,user_xattr,acl,barrier=1,data=ordered)
Thanks for the welcome. I’ve been lurking this and other Linux forums and in general most everyone is pretty helpful.
My very first install was actually Ubuntu, but I didn’t like Gnome all that much, especially when compared to KDE.
I do have another related question now. not sure if I should make this a new thread (I don’t wanna spam this place right off the bat), but I’m now setting up my new OpenSUSE configurations. I was wondering what updates I should make in grub in order for this not to happen again. that is, so that I could run Kubuntu from a thumbdrive on the OpenSUSE laptop without its boot process getting messed up afterwards.
Stricly speaking, booting a LiveCD from a Thumb Drive should have no effect on an installed copy of any operating system. You would have had to run something that made a modification to the installed OS. On occasions, failed booting deices can cause your computer BIOS to changes its default booting order, but that’s about it. When you install openSUSE, it is suggested you make a visit to Software Management and update your entire install from the online sources. Just ask if you don’t know how to do it. I have a link on how to make a bootable USB thumb drive from any openSUSE LiveCD installation.