Solved Clean install over dual boot XP's with Ubuntu

[theog]

BIOS boot try F12.

 

[Coastalguy]

theog,

Am I replying out of sequence by doing a Quick Reply. Not sure about your last reply to try F12 Bios Key, has to do with my replies #19 and #20 to gregrocker, asking if he could confirm that the steps I need to do, are correct. On these replies, I did mention that my F8 key is my BBS key that brings up a selectable list of partitions. F12 does nothing.

thanks,

 

[theog]

Boot up, & at the BIOS screen look at the boottom for list of F key's.
All your hardware is unknown. It would help us.

Can you post your specs.
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/22550-filling-out-system-specs.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/6936-dont-know-what-hardware-you-have.html
VistaForums SysInfo Tool - Vista Forums

 

[gregrocker]

You should always boot the Installer to install an OS. Boot Win7 DVD with XP/Ubuntu unplugged, install it normally while set first to Boot in BIOS setup.

After install plug back in Ubuntu/XP, tap the F8 key at bootup, choose Ubuntu HD (not partition) to see if it will boot correctly. You can then delete XP.

You may want to delete GRUB which is a topic for an Ubuntu forum since we deal with Win7 here and only see problems with GRUB corruption of Win7.

 

[Coastalguy]

BIOS Key

gregrocker,

I tested the F8 key which did bring up a list of selectable drives. When selecting the slave drive (Ununtu & XP(2), I was left with just a blank screen. Rebooted and selected the master drive (Working XP), it took me to GRUB, as does the normal bootup. I assume when I selected the main drive, it just took me to the MBR, which then loaded GRUB, again as it normally does.

It doesn't look like I will be able to load Ubuntu, if I install Win7 which I assume will redo the MBR for just Win7 and the XP on the master drive, removing GRUB.

Did you say that once I have Win7 & XP up on the master drive, that I can install EasyBCD on Win7 and then possibly add GRUB to the MBR? I understand you are a Win7 forum and will check with the Ubuntu forum on this also. Anything else you can add would be appreciated, especially on EasyBCD solutions. If not, no problem... Thanks again,

 

[oboedad55]

You don't have to reinstall Ubuntu. Simply reinstall grub after Windows overwrites the MBR. You can do that from the LiveCD, there are tutorials all over the place. Then boot into Ubuntu, run "sudo update-grub" and it will find your Windows installs.

 

[Coastalguy]

Reinstall GRUB

oboedad55,

Thanks, great information. Solves my problem.

Coastalguy,

 

[oboedad55]

Great, glad it helped. I printed out the commands to restore grub so I always have it for these situations.

 

[Coastalguy]

Ubuntu Partition to reset Grub

On the steps to reinstall Grub2, it advises to run sudo fdisk -l to find the Ubuntu partition. What I am not sure of is what partition this would be, as I have 3 partitions where Ubuntu is installed:
sdb7 = Swap
sdb8 = Root
sdb9 = Home

Thanks,

 

[oboedad55]

On the steps to reinstall Grub2, it advises to run sudo fdisk -l to find the Ubuntu partition. What I am not sure of is what partition this would be, as I have 3 partitions where Ubuntu is installed:
sdb7 = Swap
sdb8 = Root
sdb9 = Home

Thanks,

The Ubuntu partition in this case would be /dev/sdb8. I'm assuming you have grub installed to /dev/sda which is the first drive? That would be normal. Worst case scenario is it won't boot, meaning grub was not installed on the correct drive, so you just load the liveCD and do it again.

 

[Coastalguy]

Grub

oboedad55,

Sorry to be thick, but I am somewhat lacking on this, but willing to learn. You advised that my Ubuntu "root" (sdb8) would be the partition to perform the mount on, but advised GRUB would be on sda, which would by my 1st (master) drive. Are you saying that GRUB is installed with or in the MBR, on the first drive, rather than the MBR just passing the boot to the GRUB which I thought was located in the Ubuntu partition?

I guess the reason I am confused is that your instructions first advise to run sudo fdisk -l to find the Ubuntu partition, but then with the assumption that it is on sda1, which would be the first drive. So do I mount it to the Ubuntu partition, or to sda, the first drive?

 

[oboedad55]

oboedad55,

Sorry to be thick, but I am somewhat lacking on this, but willing to learn. You advised that my Ubuntu "root" (sdb8) would be the partition to perform the mount on, but advised GRUB would be on sda, which would by my 1st (master) drive. Are you saying that GRUB is installed with or in the MBR, on the first drive, rather than the MBR just passing the boot to the GRUB which I thought was located in the Ubuntu partition?

I guess the reason I am confused is that your instructions first advise to run sudo fdisk -l to find the Ubuntu partition, but then with the assumption that it is on sda1, which would be the first drive. So do I mount it to the Ubuntu partition, or to sda, the first drive?

No problem, it's a little different than Windows. Have a look here; chroot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux can be on any partition on any drive. The boot loader normally goes on the MBR of the boot drive. So, your Ubuntu is on sdb8, and I'm assuming that sda is your boot drive, so that's where Grub goes. sda= drive 1, sdb=drive 2.

 

[Coastalguy]

Confirmation

I think I have it but just anxious and would like to confirm 2 commands shown after = signs.

sudo mount /dev/sdb8/mnt/ = Mounting the Root partition of my Ubuntu (sdb8)
(Found online that sdb9 (Home) should be mounted also - should I mount it too?) What about Swap sdb7?

sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc

chroot /mnt

grub-install /dev/sda = Is this installing grub to the beginning of drive 1 to the MBR (sda)?

sudo update-grub

 

[oboedad55]

You don't have to mount swap, I've never mounted /home to reinstall grub. And yes, installing grub to /dev/sda will put it in the MBR of disk 1. Make sure you have the syntax right, the spaces are important. As I said earlier, the worst that can happen is you'll install grub to the wonrg partition, so you do it over again. It must be mentioned that nothing pays off like having your data backed up to an external drive, DVD, thumb drive, or whatever. Hopefully you won't learn the hard way like I did...

 

[Coastalguy]

Win7

From Windows, is there a way to confirm the MBR is on disk 1 (sda), or is it best to check from Ubuntu "sudo fdisk -l"? Also, as all of my data is on my working XP, and that it is all backed up to 3 locations, no problem on that. However on Ubuntu, I have a bunch of settings made that I would hate to do all over, such as auto mounting of my NTFS Windows partitions, getting my XAMPP working again, Email and tons of other things.

Lastly, I mentioned this initially, but on my 2nd drive, with Ubuntu, I have another version of XP installed that I will no longer need and would like to remove to provide that space for data. I am reading on Microsoft that you cannot uninstall Windows XP but only replace it with another version. The only thing I can see then, is when I install Win7 on my main drive, with my working XP, having disconnected my 2nd drive so that the alt. XP isn't included in the MBR, that after reconnecting the drive I can just reformat that partition? Does that sound ok?

Thanks again,