multi Linux system /w Windoze

[shadoman]

I am running a dual boot system w/Windoze ME on hda and SuE 8.1 on hdb, using GRUB (as installed by SuSE) as my boot manager... I would like to HDinstall Knoppix also, and have it appear as an option at boot time, but cannot find the documentation I am looking for on how to do this...Please help this idiot...Thanks !

[rickenbacherus]

Nothing could be easier. Run the knx-hdinstall script, toward the end of the install you will have the opportunity to install LILO to the MBR. Choose NO and LILO will instead be installed to the /root partition of your Knoppix install. Then just add your Knoppix partition into /grub/grub.conf file. That's it.

[gkp]

Nothing could be easier. Run the knx-hdinstall script, toward the end of the install you will have the opportunity to install LILO to the MBR. Choose NO and LILO will instead be installed to the /root partition of your Knoppix install. Then just add your Knoppix partition into /grub/grub.conf file. That's it.

That's precisely what I did (without the aid of having read your advice) and it works fine. I just want to add one comment:

If you plan your partitioning a little you can possibly save yourself some grief later by setting up a couple of separate partitions.
Grub can have difficulty loading load images if they are located too deep in the disk, a problem that can easily occur if you install multiple OSs. Setting up a separate /boot partition can reduce your problems later or eliminate them entirely - particularly if /boot is the first partition on the drive. You can then arrange for grub to find all of the boot images in one place (preferably in separate directories, such as /suse, /rh90 and /knoppix).
Taking things one step further, setting up a separate /home partition allows you to use the same user data regardless of which Linux you boot - you just setup fstab to automount it over the regular /home (you *do* have to be a bit careful setting up the same user/group IDs though). I find this to be particularly handy when I'm online as all my e-mailboxes and browser bookmarks are readily available...
My Red Hat munged "/" when my machine suffered a memory glitch and it was apparently irreparable. However, all my user data was on a separate partition and was unaffected. All I had to do was to reinstall Red Hat - and replace a DDR module - and all my data was perfectly fine...

Just a thought.

GKP

[wg]

Nothing could be easier. Run the knx-hdinstall script, toward the end of the install you will have the opportunity to install LILO to the MBR. Choose NO and LILO will instead be installed to the /root partition of your Knoppix install. Then just add your Knoppix partition into /grub/grub.conf file. That's it.

My problem is a bit different. I said yes for the Lilo and now i have no access to my old Suse8.2 it stops with kernel panic.

hda1 Win 98
hda3 Suse 8.2
hda4 Knoppix from cd installed

How to boot now suse at hda3 without Kernel panic?
Any ideas to solve the problem?

Thanks in advance.

[rickenbacherus]

Nothing could be easier. Run the knx-hdinstall script, toward the end of the install you will have the opportunity to install LILO to the MBR. Choose NO and LILO will instead be installed to the /root partition of your Knoppix install. Then just add your Knoppix partition into /grub/grub.conf file. That's it.

My problem is a bit different. I said yes for the Lilo and now i have no access to my old Suse8.2 it stops with kernel panic.

hda1 Win 98
hda3 Suse 8.2
hda4 Knoppix from cd installed

How to boot now suse at hda3 without Kernel panic?
Any ideas to solve the problem?

Thanks in advance.

Well I've never even seen SuSE in actionh before let alone installed it so I really have no idea how it boots. What's in the suse /etc/lilo.conf file? Is there an initrd image? Post your lilo.conf file from suse.

[wg]

Well I've never even seen SuSE in actionh before let alone installed it so I really have no idea how it boots. What's in the suse /etc/lilo.conf file? Is there an initrd image? Post your lilo.conf file from suse.

There is a initrd image and a initrd.shipped image now in /mnt/hda3/boot

In Debian what boots now is in hda4 /boot/initrd.gz The thing is 1. to start with suse again at hda3 than 2. to delete Debian at hda4 without destroying Suse and set up debian later properly together with Suse but first i have to rearrange the harddisk partitions.

Thats the /etc/lilo file from suse

# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Sun Jan 12 03:52:33 2003


boot = /dev/hda3
change-rules
    reset
read-only
lba32
menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg
prompt
timeout	= 80
message	= /boot/message

image = /boot/vmlinuz
    initrd = /boot/initrd
    label = linux
    root = /dev/hda3
    vga = 788
    append = " "

image = /boot/vmlinuz.shipped
    initrd = /boot/initrd.shipped
    label = failsafe
    root = /dev/hda3
    vga = 788
    append = "ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off"
    optional

image = /boot/memtest.bin
    label = memtest86

######

and the debian lilo

vga=791
# /etc/lilo.conf - See: `lilo(8)' and `lilo.conf(5)',
# ---------------       `install-mbr(8)', `/usr/share/doc/lilo/',
#                       and `/usr/share/doc/mbr/'.

# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# |                        !! Reminder !!                         |
# |                                                               |
# | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this     |
# | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel.  The |
# | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image      |
# | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'.      |
# |                                                               |
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+

# Support LBA for large hard disks.
#
lba32

# Overrides the default mapping between harddisk names and the BIOS'
# harddisk order. Use with caution.
#disk=/dev/hde
#    bios=0x81

#disk=/dev/sda
#    bios=0x80

# Specifies the boot device.  This is where Lilo installs its boot
# block.  It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which
# case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR.
#
boot=/dev/hda

# Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/')
#
root=/dev/hda4

# Enable map compaction:
# Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
# read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the
# map smaller.  Using `compact' is especially recommended when
# booting from a floppy disk.  It is disabled here by default
# because it doesn't always work.
#
# compact

# Installs the specified file as the new boot sector
# You have the choice between: bmp, compat, menu and text
# Look in /boot/ and in lilo.conf(5) manpage for details
#
install=/boot/boot-menu.b

# Specifies the location of the map file
#
map=/boot/map

# You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines
# in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must
# be typed to boot anything but a default configuration.  If a
# command line is given, other than one specified by an `append'
# statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a
# standard default boot will not require one.
#
# This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the
# console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh',
# and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization.
#
# Note that if you really need this type of security, you will
# likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR
# program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from
# removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the
# BIOS configuration as well.  Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'.
#
# password=tatercounter2000

# Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should
# wait before booting the first image.
#
delay=20

# You can put a customized boot message up if you like.  If you use
# `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you
# must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting
# for a keypress.  `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the
# `image' configurations below.  eg: You can press `1' to boot
# `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'.
#
# message=/boot/bootmess.txt
prompt
timeout=150
#	prompt
#	single-key
#	delay=100
#	timeout=100

# Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go
# here.  See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in
# the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory.
#
# append=""
append="hda=scsi hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi apm=power-off nomce"

# Boot up Linux by default.
#
default=Linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22-xfs
	label=Linux
	initrd=/boot/initrd.gz
	read-only
#	restricted
#	alias=1

image=/vmlinuz.old
	label=LinuxOLD
	read-only
	optional
#	restricted
#	alias=2

# If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the
# following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to
# where your other OS' partition is.
#
# other=/dev/hda4
#	label=HURD
#	restricted
#	alias=3
other=/dev/hda1
  label="Windows(hda1)"

other=/dev/hda3
  label="Linux(hda3)"

[Stephen]

Boot with the Knoppix CD and open a console window then:

sudo mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/hda3
sudo chroot /mnt/hda3 /sbin/lilo -v -b /dev/hda3

The second command will install lilo to your Suse root partition and allow you to do the chainloading that lilo is trying to do in the Knoppix lilo.conf, you will get a second lilo prompt to start the Suse install this way.

[wg]

Boot with the Knoppix CD and open a console window then:

sudo mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/hda3
sudo chroot /mnt/hda3 /sbin/lilo -v -b /dev/hda3

The second command will install lilo to your Suse root partition and allow you to do the chainloading that lilo is trying to do in the Knoppix lilo.conf, you will get a second lilo prompt to start the Suse install this way.

That is the output Stephen. I now do a reboot and hope it helps...

LILO version 22.3.2, Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger
Development beyond version 21 Copyright (C) 1999-2002 John Coffman
Released 11-Jul-2002 and compiled at 21:42:48 on Oct 14 2002.

Ignoring entry 'boot'
Reading boot sector from /dev/hda3
Using MENU secondary loader
Calling map_insert_data
Mapping message file /boot/message
Calling map_insert_file

Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz
Mapping RAM disk /boot/initrd
Added linux *

Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz.shipped
Mapping RAM disk /boot/initrd.shipped
Added failsafe

Boot image: /boot/memtest.bin
Added memtest86

/boot/boot.0303 exists - no backup copy made.
Writing boot sector.

[wg]

Boot with the Knoppix CD and open a console window then:

sudo mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/hda3
sudo chroot /mnt/hda3 /sbin/lilo -v -b /dev/hda3

The second command will install lilo to your Suse root partition and allow you to do the chainloading that lilo is trying to do in the Knoppix lilo.conf, you will get a second lilo prompt to start the Suse install this way.

It helps but during booting Suse a lots of mistakes comming on the screen. The monitor flashes a bit (think its trying to make startx) and its ending with a boot prompt

KDE is not available after login and using startx command