To install opensuse without grub...

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I have a three os load using grub ( legacy).

  1. Ubuntu 9.04 (grub controls the load from here)
  2. Ubuntu 9.04
  3. Windows XP Pro.

I want to install opensuse, but I don’t want to mess up what I have. I have a 30 GB, ext4 ready-to-use partition waiting for opensuse.

So, is there a way to install opensuse, and then let my existing grub find it and place it on the startup menu?
I have read the installation threads but can’t understand if I can do this or not.:X

2

When you install openSUSE, either choose to not install a bootloader or to install the bootloader into the partition boot record. In the first instance you have to edit Ubuntu’s menu.lst yourself. In the second case, you can either chainload the PBR, or use the generated menu.lst to obtain the required stanza for Ubuntu’s GRUB.

Since you are not doing anything to the MBR, you will have to do further steps in Ubuntu after installing openSUSE.

3

Thank you for the quick reply.

In the second case, you can either chainload the PBR, or use the generated menu.lst to obtain the required stanza for Ubuntu’s GRUB.

That is a bit confusing to me. Sorry.:X

But it appears to be a better choice than my original plan.
Would it be possible to link me to an explanation on how I go about doing this?

4

When you install openSUSE it likely will be far along the drive because there are three other distros already there. In those circumstances the loader that comes with Suse can be confused, but the loader further down the drive, say in Ububtu would be OK with it. So you could put an entry for openSUSE in the Ubu file “menu.lst” and go there via that. Here’s the entry you need in the file /boot/grub/menu.lst in Ubuntu:

# Entry to boot the openSUSE installation on /dev/sda5 by symlinks
title openSUSE 11.2 (on /dev/sda5) by symlinks
root (hd0,4)
kernel   /boot/vmlinuz    root=/dev/sda5
initrd /boot/initrd

This is an example where you put openSUSE on partition sda5 [in Grub speak that’s (hd0,4)]. You have to change the sda5 and (hd0,4) to match where you actually put openSUSE.

Of course, it requires you to not overwrite the Ubuntu loader that works OK now, not to overwrite it when you install openSUSE.

FFI: HowTo Multiboot openSUSE from Ubuntu using the GRUB bootloader

5

That’s just great…I really appreciate the response. Hopefully, no make that prayfully, I won’t be bothering the forum for awhile.:smile: