How do I Multi Boot XP/Solaris/Kubuntu?
Hi. i have already dual-booted XP and Solaris together and it worked but i heard Solaris GRUB wont recognize Linux automatically. I temporarily replaced Solaris with Kubuntu Fiesty to see if i liked it, and i did, and the dual boot still worked. Now i just need to know how to get all three on there so i can boot any of them...
my HDD is partitioned like this:
Win/XP FAT32
Kub/Fiesty ext2
swap
FAT32 for Solaris (yes i know it will be replaced with solaris file sys)
how will i get them all to multi boot? it is all on one HDD (30 GB)
# 1
Both solaris and linux use GRUB to load the operating system. When you have installed the first, copy the contents of /boot/grub/menu.lst to a USB stick.
Then you install the other OS, it will generate a new menu containing the boot menu options for the newly installed OS and windows (usually they both recognize windows). The you just edit the new /boot/grub/menu.lst and paste the lines from you previous configuration, it is a text file.
Please be warned: if you screw up the configuration file you won't be able to bootup ANY system. You don't have to paste the whole file, just the lines referring to the boot of the previous OS.
I think the file structure is quite self-explanatory, but if you have any doubt you better ask before proceding.
If you screw up the file, you can try again using the ubuntu live-cd, or the grub advanced console.
# 2
Hello.
It's true. Linux's variant of Grub cannot read Solaris partitions and Solaris' version of Grub cannot read Linux partitions.
You should do the following:
- Install the Linux Grub OR the LiLo loader on the Linux partition
- Install the Solaris Grub on the Solaris partition
Add a boot entry for a legacy (= non-multiboot) partition to the Grub boot menus (the Linux partition in the Solaris boot menu or vice versa).
The following thing will happen:
One Grub (let's say the Solaris Grub) will be loaded.
One choice in the boot menu is the Linux partition.
If you choose this entry the Linux Grub will be loaded.
In the Linux Grub boot menu you would have only one entry (Linux) and select a wait time of onle one second.
Martin
