install woes, SUCCESS! and a bit about GRUB added

[Nigel Henry]

On Wednesday 30 July 2008 17:59, whoosh wrote:
> On 30-Jul-08 15:35:08 Nigel Henry wrote:
> >On Wednesday 30 July 2008 17:09, whoosh wrote:
> >> thanks for the info,
> >>
> >>
> >> looking at the Fedora 9  64bit DVD:
> >>
> >> the first option is:
> >>
> >>
> >> vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img
> >>
> >> I  tried
> >>
> >> vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img noapic nolapic
> >>
> >> but that also  was frozen up.
> >>
> >>
> >> the second option is
> >>
> >> vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img text
> >>
> >> I tried instead:
> >>
> >> vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img text noapic nolapic
> >>
> >> that is also frozen up at the:
> >>
> >> "disc found   To begin testing the media ...." screen.
> >>
> >> can you suggest any other boot commands to try?
> >
> >I'd try the acpi=off, but I didn't need any boot options, as far as I
>
> remember
>
>
> I tried that just now and the test media screen now responds!
>
> vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img text acpi=off

Ok, it's booting ok now, and hopefully will install with no problems. Bear in 
mind that you will probably still have to append the kernel line 
in /boot/grub/menu.lst, with acpi=off, as otherwise, a post-install reboot 
will probably result in a lockup again.

Also, when you have a kernel update, you will also have to append the kernel 
line for the new kernel, in /boot/grub/menu.lst with acpi=off. A bit of a 
nuisance I know, and all part of the fun in working with Linux, but will 
avoid a lockup with the new kernel, and keep your mind on the ball (possibly 
reducing altzheimer problems, myself included).

A bit OT, and don't know if you still have FC3 installed, along with MS 
Windows. If so, and you have FC3's Grub in the MBR, thus allowing you to boot 
both, and want to keep FC3, I'd install Fedora 9, and put Grub in the / 
partition of Fedora 9. Write down the partition number for the root partition 
where Grub is installed, then reboot into FC3. Yes, that's FC3 (presuming 
that FC3's Grub is in the MBR, and you're not using the Windows bootloader to 
boot FC3). su to root on the CLI, and open kwrite, gedit, or whatever, and 
navigate to /boot/grub/grub.conf (may be /boot/grub/menu.lst depending on the 
distro). Now add a chainloader entry to point to the / partition where you 
have Fedora 9's Grub. This is set out the same as the one which is 
automatically set up if you also have Windows on the machine. Only the 
partition reference is different, and obviously the title.

I think that I'm getting a bit carried away here, as you probably are very 
familiar with working with Grub. Anyway, I don't get many opportunities to 
answer questions with good results. Usually it's only sound related stuff, so 
please humor me.

So here goes. The printout below is what I have in Fedora 
8's /boot/grub/grub.conf on the new machine with the Asus M2N-X Plus mobo.

#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=30
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.25.4-10.fc8)
 root (hd0,0)
 kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.4-10.fc8 ro root=LABEL=/1 noapic nolapic
 initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.4-10.fc8.img
title Fedora (2.6.23.1-42.fc8)
 root (hd0,0)
 kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=LABEL=/1 noapic nolapic
 initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.23.1-42.fc8.img
title Other
 rootnoverify (hd1,0)
 chainloader +1
title Kubuntu Breezy
 rootnoverify (hd0,4)
 chainloader +1

title Archlinux Don't Panic
        rootnoverify (hd0,6)
        chainloader +1

title Gutsy Gibbon
        rootnoverify (hd0,8)
        chainloader +1

title Debian Etch
        rootnoverify (hd0,10)
        chainloader +1

The title: "Other", is what you normally see if Grub has detected a Windows 
install on the machine, when you have installed Grub in the MBR. In my case, 
this is simply a second sata drive on the machine, that has at present 2 
FAT32 partitions on it, where I can save data, and which is easily accessable 
by all Linux distros installed on the machine. Grub is always making this 
mistake, but you know if you actually have a Windows install on your machine 
or not.

Identification of partitions by Grub is a bit different. hda, or sda (in the 
case of sata drives), Grub identifies as (hd0) , and that includes the 
brackets. So we get hda1, or sda1, and Grub says (hd0,0). hdb, sdb, are seen 
by Grub as (hd1). You no doubt see how this works.

I'll shut up here, because I'm sure you see the way to set up chainloaders 
from the printout from my new machine above.

Apologies for the ramble, as you no doubt know this stuff.

Nigel.



>
> >to get Fedora 8, or 9 to boot, although as I said, I do see that I have
> >appended the kernel, probably post-install. Mind you that's a different
> >machine, different hardware to yours.