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how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

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kaykav
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Joined: 2009-03-09 02:01

how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#1 Post by kaykav »

Hi,
I have a puzzle of a problem. Upon booting, the existing grub menu shows the Debian OS, but I also have Ubuntu installed on the same hard disk. It does not show in the menu. Previously I had Debian, Ubuntu, and Mint. In Ubuntu config file (menu.lst) I wanted to delete Mint and an old Ubuntu. I did so. In doing this I must have removed the 'full' menu.lst,leaving only Debian. So now I cannot boot into the new Ubuntu. I presently have only two OS on the hard disk:
Debian and Ubuntu. I cant see Ubuntu, How do I correct this problem? :roll:
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Bulkley
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#2 Post by Bulkley »

Have you upgraded to grub2 (grub-pc)? For most of us, it came in a dist-upgrade. The reason I ask is that menu.lst doesn't exist in grub2. If you now have grub2, try running "update-grub".

kaykav
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#3 Post by kaykav »

ok I'll trythat
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kaykav
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#4 Post by kaykav »

So now how do I remove old entrys in the boot menu? Tha grub.cfg file says not to edit that file.
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roseway
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#5 Post by roseway »

Eric

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jheaton5
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#6 Post by jheaton5 »

kaykav wrote:So now how do I remove old entrys in the boot menu? Tha grub.cfg file says not to edit that file.
What I do is remove the linux-image I don't want then run update-grub again.

Code: Select all

# aptitude remove linux-image-x.xx (replace the x's with the specific linux-image to be removed
debian sid

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Robin T Cox
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#7 Post by Robin T Cox »

kaykav - You need to install and run os-prober, which will then update your boot menu automatically.

StanTheMan
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#8 Post by StanTheMan »

I am multi-booting with nine distros.
With a grub2 bootloader , I found a somewhat round-about way to set up a complete boot list.

There is a file in grub2 - /etc/grub.d/40_custom - which is initially empty except for a few comment lines.
If you copy all the menuentry paragraphs from - /boot/grub/grub.cfg - (which file is read only) into ' 40_custom ' and then edit them there as you wish. Next you remove the exec flags from the files - /etc/grub.d/20_os-prober (and) /etc/grub.d/30_memtest86+ - this way - -

Terminal (Root)
cd /etc/grub.d
chmod a-x 20_os-prober
chmod a-x 30_memtest86+

Now run update-grub.
The 20_os-prober and 30_memtest86+ will not set up a boot list , but your menuentry s in 40_custom will create a bootloader list.

kaykav
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#9 Post by kaykav »

Well this can get interesting. ok i'll try it. i'll get back to you.....
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drokmed
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#10 Post by drokmed »

StanTheMan wrote:I am multi-booting with nine distros.
Nine? Is that all? :wink: You definitely have too much time on your hands...
Author of the Debian Linux Security Appliance Firewall howto, found here
Thread discussing it is here

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MeanDean
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#11 Post by MeanDean »

kaykav wrote: How do I correct this problem? :roll:
you start by running os-prober to see if it recognizes the other install, then you go from there

StanTheMan
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#12 Post by StanTheMan »

If you are using Debian Lenny as bootloaer , it runs on ext3 , and I don't think it will mount an ext4 partition
My bootloader distro is an ext4 format and it WILL mount ext3 partitiopns,as well as NTFS partitions.

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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#13 Post by Absent Minded »

StanTheMan wrote:If you are using Debian Lenny as bootloaer , it runs on ext3 , and I don't think it will mount an ext4 partition
My bootloader distro is an ext4 format and it WILL mount ext3 partitiopns,as well as NTFS partitions.
This isn't completely true. There are things that one can do to boot using Grub-leagacy in Debian Lenny to an ext4 partition. If you get the kernel from backports Lenny will recognize the ext4 partitions. Then you just need to pass a switch in Grub that makes it recignize ext4 as ext4 and not ext3. I have seen Dean post about it. Unfortunantly, I can't remember the switch but it is not difficult.
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kaykav
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#14 Post by kaykav »

All in all,if I have to I'll just insert the CD and reinstall grub that way. All this configuring is good practice,but in this case not entirely necessary. Good thoughts...........thanks
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Re: how do I restore the 'full' grub menu

#15 Post by Absent Minded »

Okay, looked through a thread or two and found the switch needed for Grub-leagacy to make it boot to an ext4 partition:

Code: Select all

rootfstype=ext4
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