no boot XP after FC4 (REPHRASING OF THE QUESTION)]

[Bob McClure Jr]

On Mon, Jan 09, 2006 at 02:17:13AM -0500, John Wirt wrote:
> 
> 
> Bob (and Ian),
> 
> I checked further and the,
> 
>  grub-install /dev/sdXY
> 
> command installs Grub to the "boot directory" of the "root partition." 
> See http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=232 .  (note only 
> one "r" in terabyte). My understanding is that the root partition is the 
> one where Linux is installed.

Methinks TBU knows more about Windoze than Linux.  And Rick Stevens
knows a good deal more than I about Linux and SCSI.  I'll let him
weigh in.

> But this is only when one is booting from the same Linux installation 
> that  one is reinstalling Grub for.
> 
> If one is booted to a Linux shell.  then the two commands that  should 
> be used are:
> 
>   a) when the /boot  directory is included in the /root partition, 
> which may be the 2nd partition
>        on the 2nd disk:
>        
>         root (hd1,1)     (this tells Grub that /boot directory is on 
> the 2nd partition of
>                                      the 2nd scsi disk --- i.e.,  
> /dev/sdb2 )
>         setup (hd1,1)  (tells Grub to install boot code in the boot 
> sector of partition /dev/sdb2)
> 
>    b) when the /boot partition is separate from the /root partition.
> 
>         root (hd1,0)    (tells Grub that the /boot directory in the 1st 
> partition on /dev/sdb1
> 
>         setup (hd1,0)    (tells Grub to install the boot code to that 
> first partition on  /dev/sdb1
> 
>           -- or  the boot code can be installed to the second (or root) 
> partition.
>              Then the command would be --
> 
>         setup (hd1, 1)
> 
>         The kb article on the Boot-it site recommends the second 
> alternative even if the
>          /boot partition is separate from the the /root partition.
> 
> Because I want to boot to Linux from the 1st CD of RedHat Enterprise 
> Workstation v.3, this is my situation. So currently, I plan to follow b) 
> with the second option. 
> 
> My first question is, does this make sense?

Yes.

> My second question is, how do I figure out whether the Linux installed 
> on my computer has the /boot partition separate from the /root partition 
> or in the root partition?
> 
>   --  Is the /boot partition the same thing as the "swap" partition?

Absolutely not.

>   -- if not how do I need to tell Linux where the swap partition is? 
> Does it know since it is on the same disk that it was, even though the 
> drive number has changed?

Here's the result of "fdisk -l" on one of the machines I admin:

Disk /dev/hda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1               1          19      152586   83  Linux
/dev/hda2              20          38      152617+  83  Linux
/dev/hda3              39         282     1959930   82  Linux swap
/dev/hda4             283        9964    77770665    5  Extended
/dev/hda5             283        1256     7823623+  83  Linux
/dev/hda6            1257        2230     7823623+  83  Linux
/dev/hda7            2231        2353      987966   83  Linux
/dev/hda8            2354        2840     3911796   83  Linux
/dev/hda9            2841        3327     3911796   83  Linux
/dev/hda10           3328        3814     3911796   83  Linux
/dev/hda11           3815        4788     7823623+  83  Linux

See, /dev/hda3 is marked as partition type "Linux swap".

The applicable line from its /etc/fstab looks like this:

/dev/hda3               swap                    swap    defaults        0 0

My guess is that some /dev/sdax was defined as type swap.  That will
now be (probably) /dev/sdbx.  That designation will need to be changed
in /etc/fstab.

> Thanks for any further comments you have on these four issues.
> 
> John Wirt

Cheers,
-- 
Bob McClure, Jr.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
robertmcclure at earthlink.net  http://www.bobcatos.com
Peace begins not at a Mideast table, but at a Mideast stable