I have a dual boot notebook with Windows 7 (Prof, 64 bit) and OpenSuse 12.2 (32 bit)
Below is the output from fdisk -l
I had no real problem installing windows 7 (64 Bit) first and then OpenSuse 12.2 (32 bit).
(Apart form the fact that I had to enable compatibility support in bios (for legacy bios) - I only had a windows 7 recovery dvd, and it seemed to require this).
Im a bit unsure as to whether I have grub or grub2 as the bootloader. On startup “welcome to grub!” very briefly flashes and I have eg both /boot/grub and /boot/grub2 dirs, but Yast->BootLoader shows “Grub2” as selected, with option “boot from extended partition”. So I suppose Grub2. How can I tell for sure?
Recently, however I wanted to “update” (actually a fresh install seemed necessary) to a 64 bit opensuse.
It seems that the 64 bit installer was only happy to install the grub2-efi boot loader, which didnt like my partitioning.
If I tried to select grub, or grub 2 as the bootloader I got a warning
“unsupported combinaton of hardware platform x86_64 adn bootloader grub”
and “unsupported…grub2” respt.
And when I proceeded with the default selection of grub-efi it wanted to delete my windows partitions and
"create boot volume /dev/sda1 (156MB) with vfat ", “efi boot”).
Is it not possible to use the same bootloader (grub2?) with the 64 bit OpenSuse as the 32 bit version?
Why do I have to use grub-efi?
Why does it want to delete my windows partitions?
Will this behaviour likely be better if I wait for opensuse 12.3?
Does the fact that I enabled legacy bios support mean that Im not using efi? Does this matter?
How can I tell if Im currently using grub or grub2?
Many Thanks in Advance.
> sudo /usr/sbin/fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa3aaf7bc
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 206848 409599999 204696576 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 * 409600000 1953521663 771960832 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 409602048 921602047 256000000 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda6 921604096 925825023 2110464 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7 925827072 967772159 20972544 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 967774208 1953503231 492864512 83 Linux
The decisions the installer makes on the bootloader are not related to 32/64 bit, but to hardware. AFAICT you’ve made changes in the BIOS, changing from a situation where the openSUSE install went fine, to one that runs into trouble. Revert the changes made, install openSUSE and see what happens. Looks like you activated UEFI somewhere in between.
You’re adressing more than one aspect of the installation of openSUSE which doesn’t make it that easy to reply.
In addition, the output you passed for ‘fdisk -l’ to me seems to be a bit special for you /dev/sda7.
Strange enough. You should have installed 64bit openSUSE right away !!
(there doesn’t seem to be absolutely no reason to do it different !)
That’s the usual experience, if one does it in that order, independent of whether you install a 64bit or a 32bit openSUSE !
“to enable compatibility support in bios” probably means here, that you used the CSM (Compatibility Support Module) of your BIOS,
and that you have a recent laptop with UEFI BIOS !! Right ?
You’re absolutely right that a fresh install would be required in that case, because otherwise probably more than 95% of the installed software
would have to be replaced, which doesn’t appear to be reasonable.
Of course it is.
However:
This is likely.
Usually, before booting, you can choose by means of the BIOS setup in which mode (UEFI or non-UEFI) booting actually takes place from a selected device.
I didnt. The only changes I made in bios were before I installed any os. The only setting I can see in bios relate to uefi is “compatibility support module (for legacy bios)” and this is still set to “enabled”
I installed the 32 bit version by mistake actually (since I had a dvd burned for another older laptop), but Im glad I did now because I didnt have time then to spend on os issues
That’s the usual experience, if one does it in that order, independent of whether you install a 64bit or a 32bit openSUSE !
But the order of the linux installs apparrently does even if one is replacing one with the other!
“to enable compatibility support in bios” probably means here, that you used the CSM (Compatibility Support Module) of your BIOS,
and that you have a recent laptop with UEFI BIOS !! Right ?
Yes. I can see no other UEFI related setting in the bios.
[QUOTE]Is it not possible to use the same bootloader (grub2?) with the 64 bit OpenSuse as the 32 bit version?
Of course it is.[/QUOTE]
So why is the opensuse installer not letiing me then?
Usually, before booting, you can choose by means of the BIOS setup in which mode (UEFI or non-UEFI) booting actually takes place from a selected device.
Like I said I only disabled uefi because the windows 7 recovery dvd seemed to require it (was imaged on the laptop with same setting, it seems)
My questions still remains however:
Am I currently using grub 2 (or how can I tell for sure)?
Why does the 64 bit version try to stop me using grub or grub2 (“unsupported platform x86_64 and grub(2)”)?
Its also warning me that grub 2 is experimental.
To be able to use the grub-efi, I suppose Id have to move all partitions to create the required 156 Fat at front of drive, which would mean the whole disk would be messed up if I used the windows recovery dvd to restore windows (since it would put itself back there again)
Which Is not really a feasible option.
So It seems I cant really use grub, grub2 or grub-efi … I cant install the 64 bit opensuse?
Like ratzi explained: there should be no difference between 32 and 64bit. The decisions the installer makes at this level are not depending on architecture. Retry the 32bit disk the same way you tried the 64bit and the result should be the same.
Good suggestion. I just tried this and it did behave differently however (to the 64 bit installer).
It set Grub2 to be the boot loader, and was perfectly happy with my existing partitioning except that it (understandably) wanted to reformat “/” (ie /dev/sda7).
I tried to switching bootloaders back and over a few times in case it would cause it to exhibit behaviour like the 64 bit installer but to no “success”…it remained happy with grub and grub2.
grub-efi was interestingly not an option (it wasnt in the list)!
It seems there is a difference between the installer for the 64 bit and the 32bit one.
On 2013-02-19 16:56, p8mode wrote:
> It set Grub2 to be the boot loader, and was perfectly happy with my
> existing partitioning except that it (understandably) wanted to reformat
> “/” (ie /dev/sda7).
I would recommend that you go with the formatting.
If you want to attempt an upgrade from 32 to 64 bits it is done via
choosing “upgrade” when you boot the DVD, and then you have to force it
to select the root partition, because it will refuse to see it (wrong
arch). Then it will issue a big warning (and it is not a vain warning).
I have done this, but it is not that easy. I don’t think it is worth the
effort on a new install. And of course, absolutely not supported. Some
hints here:
It should keep the same boot configuration as you already have, but I
have absolutely no idea how well it copes with grub2 and EFI issues,
even less with an arch change.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)
“grub-efi”, as you call it, would always mean grub2, because legacy grub is too old to know anything about EFI / UEFI.
If you’re talking about the installer DVD (instead of the live CD), then this difference is, that the 64bit version of the DVD
can boot in UEFI mode.
Now a real necessity to boot in UEFI mode only arises, if
(a) you have a hard disk of more than 2 TB that you want to use as your boot disk,
(b) you want to use windows 8 in its original setup (but windows 8 seems to run just as well if another boot method than secure boot/UEFI boot is chosen
after you purchased the PC).
Otherwise, with a hard disk of 1TB size - as you have -
UEFI booting isn’t providing any advantages.
Look, I’m using legacy Grub to boot a 64bit openSUSE 12.1, and I currently don’t see a single reason why you shouldn’t be able to do just the same
Or to be more precise: I’m dual booting windows 7 64bit (which you use as well) and openSUSE 12.1 64bit using legacy grub from a 2 TB hard disk on a recent core-i5 PC.
>
>Hello.
>
>I have a dual boot notebook with Windows 7 (Prof, 64 bit) and OpenSuse
>12.2 (32 bit)
>Below is the output from fdisk -l
>
>I had no real problem installing windows 7 (64 Bit) first and then
>OpenSuse 12.2 (32 bit).
>(Apart form the fact that I had to enable compatibility support in bios
>(for legacy bios) - I only had a windows 7 recovery dvd, and it seemed
>to require this).
>Im a bit unsure as to whether I have grub or grub2 as the bootloader.
>On startup “welcome to grub!” very briefly flashes and I have eg both
>/boot/grub and /boot/grub2 dirs, but Yast->BootLoader shows “Grub2” as
>selected, with option “boot from extended partition”. So I suppose
>Grub2. How can I tell for sure?
>
>Recently, however I wanted to “update” (actually a fresh install seemed
>necessary) to a 64 bit opensuse.
>It seems that the 64 bit installer was only happy to install the
>grub2-efi boot loader, which didnt like my partitioning.
>If I tried to select grub, or grub 2 as the bootloader I got a warning
>“unsupported combinaton of hardware platform x86_64 adn bootloader
>grub”
>and “unsupported…grub2” respt.
>And when I proceeded with the default selection of grub-efi it wanted
>to delete my windows partitions and
>"create boot volume /dev/sda1 (156MB) with vfat ", “efi boot”).
>
>Is it not possible to use the same bootloader (grub2?) with the 64 bit
>OpenSuse as the 32 bit version?
>Why do I have to use grub-efi?
>Why does it want to delete my windows partitions?
>Will this behaviour likely be better if I wait for opensuse 12.3?
>Does the fact that I enabled legacy bios support mean that Im not using
>efi? Does this matter?
>How can I tell if Im currently using grub or grub2?
>
>Many Thanks in Advance.
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Code:
>--------------------
>
>
> > sudo /usr/sbin/fdisk -l
>
> Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0xa3aaf7bc
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/sda1 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
> /dev/sda2 206848 409599999 204696576 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
> /dev/sda3 * 409600000 1953521663 771960832 f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
> /dev/sda5 409602048 921602047 256000000 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
> /dev/sda6 921604096 925825023 2110464 82 Linux swap / Solaris
> /dev/sda7 925827072 967772159 20972544 83 Linux
> /dev/sda8 967774208 1953503231 492864512 83 Linux
>--------------------
The nature of sda3 makes it a legacy MBR partition table. Grub2-efi may
not install at all, and will do nothing for you if it does.
