Grub does not appear

[Rick Stevens]

Nofriyadi Nurdam wrote:
> 
> I would like to do a "grub-install' because I do not have rescue disk.
> But I have read in manual that the procedure "grub-install" can make my 
> computer unbootable.
> Can you tell me please, how to avoid the risk?
> I need Windows XP, Windows ME and RH9 on my computer. What is your 
> opinion if I install RH9 once more on my computer? Will it solve my 
> problem?
> I don't need the old files in linux partition anymore.
> Thanks in advance.

All "grub-install" does is overwrite the MBR (master boot record) of
your boot disk, thereby installing grub.  Since grub depends on the
/boot/grub/grub.conf file correctly describing your hard drive layout
(at least where the Linux' /boot and / filesystems are as well as the
Windows partition is), if that file is correct, you should be fine.

I'd highly recommend making emergency boot disks of both operating
systems.  Under RH9, there's a "mkbootdisk" utility (I think that's
what it's called..."man -k boot" should give you the manpage on it)
that will allow you to make such a floppy for Linux.  Windows also has
some utility that does a similar thing.

I'd also recommend that you update your Linux to FC3.  RH9 has been dead 
for almost a year now (RH support stopped in April, Fedora Legacy has
taken over but I don't know for how much longer).
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
-      A day for firm decisions!!!   Well, then again, maybe not!    -
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