[INFORMATION] Multi Boot for three operating systems

[andrew-lohmann]

After some Mageia updates the start menu does not include Ubuntu. This has happened a number of times.

The problem can be resolved by running the Mageia 4.1 installation Dualarch USB stick and adding the partition that contains Ubuntu as a Windows or Other operating system to Grub or Grub2.

My Computer;
* Samsung R50 Notebook with 1GB of DRAM.
* Operating systems;
Windows XP, SP3
Ubuntu 14.04
Mageia 4.1
* 160GB Hard Disk

When these operating systems were installed during the summer I found that Ubuntu or Mageia would provide me the choice of anyone of the three operating systems. It was either the Ubuntu or the Mageia opening screen depending which one I had installed last. I can also add Windows last then use the Mageia install USB stick to do nothing but make Grub or another the bootloader

Some other information; - I don't think this relevant though.
The BIOS has an automatic setting for the Hard Disk - this option does not boot under any condition and reports no operating system. I use the manual setting with Ultra-DMA - disabled.
The partitions in order are
2 Windows XP
3 Ubuntu
4 Extended
5 Mageia system
6 Linux Swap
7 Mageia Home

[benmc]

Hi

After some Mageia updates the start menu does not include Ubuntu.

do you mean the grub / boot screen?
You shouldn't need to use the install media to reset your grub or grub 2 menu entries,
they should be able to be edited / added through MCC- bottom tab : Boot

The problem can be resolved by running the Mageia 4.1 installation Dualarch USB stick and adding the partition that contains Ubuntu as a Windows or Other operating system to Grub or Grub2.

Your installer should be finding the other O/Ses and listing them automatically [ It does for me ]. This method also requires, sometimes, that you reset your repos.
Depending on how you have set up your grub menu, the missing entries could actually be below the bottom of the displayed list, as kernel updates may have pushed them out the bottom.

If this is repeatable, you should file a bug report, https://wiki.mageia.org/en/How_to_report_a_bug_properly

regards

[filip]

Please note that Grub 2 is not yet fully supported by Mageia control center.

[gohlip]

Try with

Code: Select all

 # grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

as root.

[andrew-lohmann]

Thank you for replying.

I did mean the boot screen.

I suspect there is a problem with the Lilo, Grub as well as Grub2 because I have had other similar difficulty in the past using the Mageia control centre. That is a while ago and I have not got the detail now but I did go round in circles a lot trying to resolve it and concluded that the Mageia control centre did not work well with more than 3 OS's on the same hard disk but was fine with one or two or many OS's on different disk drives.

The boot screen is not long and none of it has scrolls off the screen.

Reading the comments it is possible (I suspect that anyway) that the problem is with this computer and hard disk. That is why I added the extra information you will note that there is on partition No.1 (I had deleted it and resized partition No.2).

I will look at the suggestions above but because updates that change Grub don't happen often I shall probably stick with the work around that I have noted. Leaving this posting as information for others. Although I don't plan to use the Grub/2 editing E or C commands they look too complicated, the USB installer is much easier and has a range of tools including one that will put the windows boot-loader back.