Installing mint

On my PC I had vista. I then made it dual boot with Mandriva.
I then replaced Mandriva with Oracle Linux (long story) and then dual boot stopped working.
I tried to install Mint and everything stopped working.
I rescued vista (the PC works again!!!).
However I would like to use Linux and windows.
When I use Mint live drive and do sudo fdisk -l
I get

Code:

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sudo  fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x70000000

  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System
/dev/sda1              63      128519      64228+  6  FAT16
/dev/sda2          129024    21100543    10485760    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3  *    21100544  497452724  238176090+  7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4      497452786  976768064  239657639+  5  Extended
/dev/sda5      497452788  497661569      104391  83  Linux
/dev/sda6      497661633  976768064  239553216  8e  Linux LVM

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x75e28ca9

  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System
/dev/sdb1              63      128519      64228+  6  FAT16
/dev/sdb2          128520    21109409    10490445    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb3  *    21109410  497468789  238179690    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb4      497468851  1953523711  728027430+  5  Extended
/dev/sdb5      497468853  1235662257  369096702+  8e  Linux LVM
/dev/sdb6      1235662848  1953523711  358930432  83  Linux

---

Your hard disk information tells us that you have two physical drives; one 500Gb and another 1Tb. Unless you intervene the smaller drive would boot first according its position in the bios as it has been assigned as sda meaning it is the first in the booting queue.

Both sda abd sdb have 3 Windows partitions but the first is Fat16 and is so small that it can only be vendor's partition for drivers and not much use for other things. The 2nd and 3rd would have the Vista inside. Since both hard disks have about the same size MS Windows partitions the second drive could be a back up drive.

You have a Linux in each of sda and sdb but the one in sdb is much larger. Only you would know which has Mandriva and which has Mint.

I would put my money on Mandriva in sda since this is your first Linux according to your first post.

Unless you have damaged Mandriva and Mint, which will take some doing, you should be able to triple boot Vista, Mandriva and Mint.

Assuming you have installed Mint properly and it has a Grub2 configuration inside /boot/grub directory called grub.cfg which you could check with a terminal in Mint while running it as a Live CD as follow

Code:

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sudo su
mkdir /mnt/sdb6
mount /dev/sdb6 /mnt/sdb6
ls /mnt/sdb6
cat /mnt/sdb6/boot/grub/grub.cfg

---

If you do have the grub.cfg as indicated above you can restore Mint's Grub immediately as follow

Code:

---

mount --bind /dev /mnt/sdb6/dev
grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/sdb6 /dev/sda

---

The above will restore Grub2 of Mint to the MBR of sda thereby booting up Mint's menu if you reboot.

If you run into any problem of the above commands report back the error message.

Every operating system's boot loader can be restored by its installation CD/DVD.

My Mandriva is a 2010 version and I specified Lilo. Its last 2011 version still used Grub1 which could be your choice of the boot loader in sda5. Therefore if you have difficulty post the output of /boot/grub/menu.lst in sda5 and /boot/grub/grub.cfg in sdb6.

You have used LVM for Mandriva and Mint. None of the Linux boot loaders can read a LVM so your Mandriva boot loader has to be in sda5 and for Mint it is in sdb6.

If you lose the Vista bootmge boot loader don't panic as it can be restored just as easy. For minimum work use Linux to triple boot. Using bootmgr is between 3 to 5 times more work.

Thanks for that. I would like to get rid of Mandriva (and the space it has) so that I can use the space for vista and mint. How do I do that?

just use fdisk.

Code:

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sudo fdisk /dev/sda

---

use d to delete, specify the partition number and confirm with w (to write the new partition table).

You can either delete partition 4 and the logical partition 5 & 6 will be gone automatically or delete 6, 5 & 4. I assume your Mandriva is in sda as only you would know where. If you are not sure post here the content of /boot of sda5.

One the partitions gone the space is unallocated. Use Vista's disk management to expand the partition to take up the space. Vista can do this in seconds. The other method is to use gparted in Linux but Vista's version is the fastest.

Thanks for the quick response.
I would tried it earlier but
a) I had to get presents for Christmas
b) I am always very nervous with operating system stuff on my PC.

That didn't quite work.
I did from the live cd

Code:

---

sudo su
mint mint # /mnt/sdb6
bash: /mnt/sdb6: No such file or directory
mint mint # mkdir /mnt/sdb6
mint mint # mount /dev/sdb6 /mnt/sdb6/
mint mint # ls /mnt/sdb6/
bin  etc        initrd.img.old  media  proc  sbin    sys  var
boot  home        lib            mnt    root  selinux  tmp  vmlinuz
dev  initrd.img  lost+found      opt    run  srv      usr

---

As grub wasn't there I then did

Code:

---

find . -name grub.cfg
mint mint # find /mnt/sdb6/ . -name grub
/mnt/sdb6/etc/bash_completion.d/grub
/mnt/sdb6/etc/default/grub
/mnt/sdb6/boot/grub
/mnt/sdb6/lib/recovery-mode/options/grub
/mnt/sdb6/usr/lib/grub
^C
mint mint # ^C
mint mint # grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/sdb6/boot/grub /dev/sda
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot (is /dev mounted?).
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
Installation finished. No error reported.

---

Now I turned on my PC and I just got a grub prompt nothing else.
Can anyone help?

A grub prompt is one of the best sign in Linux to me because you now in a position to talk to Grub directly yourself. Since I went into Linux there has not been an installed operating system that cannot be fired up by a Grub prompt!

What can be established now are

(1) The device /dev/sdb6 has grub.cfg inside /boot/grub directory.
(2) grub.cfg means sdb6 must has a Linux that uses Grub2 as Mandriva according to Distrowatch.com stopped at leagacy Grub (or Grub1) that has the corresponding confihuration file "menu.lst". grub.cfg is exclusively used by Grub2 which is the current boot loader used by Mint.

My suggestion to you is to fire up your MS Windows with the Grub prompt first. This you can do in a Grub2 prompt (indicated as version 1.x or 2.x at the top of the screen as Grub1 is 0.x) with these command

Code:

---

set root=(hd0,x)
chainloader +1
boot

---

AT this moment of time not knowing the content of sda1, sda2 & sda3 I suggest you try x=3 and then x=1 or 2.

Normally A MS Windows boots to an active partition that is always marked with a * as indicated in sda3 of your post #1. My guess is "set root=(hd0,3)" should fire it up and sda1 and sda2 could be hidden once the MS Windows is booted up as it like to operate in the C drive and does not tolerate mounted partition in front to grab the c: drive status.

Once you get MS Windows working you can try to boot up Linux Mint as follow

Code:

---

set root=(hd1,6)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda6 ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot

---

Let us know the results. If you manage to fire up Mint post here the content of /boot/grub/grub.cfg.

As I indicated before no boot loader can read a LVM so the kernel vmlinuz and its ram disk file initrs.img has to be place in a separate partition which is not a LVM. IN your case it is sda6. You should therefore able to fire it up manually in a Grub prompt.

In the booting process Grub is respossible to place the kernel and ram disk files in the memory only and it is up to the kerel, which has the driver, to sort out the LVM.

I have probably done something wrong.
When I turned on the PC I got the grub prompt (btw it is version 1.99).
On the first line I type

Code:

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set root=(hd0,x)

---

No problem.

Then I did

Code:

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chainloader +1

---

It said no partition.

Any ideas?

I was going to try earlier but I had a migraine for a day.
Any ideas?

Code:

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try x=3 and then x=1 or 2

---

You can see every partition if you issue this command to Grub

Code:

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ls -l

---

or just

Code:

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ls

---

well x=3 got into windows.
Although I still don't have Linux.
However thanks so much for your help.

I have already provided you with the instructions in Grub prompt on how to boot up Mint! I now amend the instruction to take account of the latest information marked in red.

Code:

---

set root=(hd1,6)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb6 ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot

---

Once you can fire either system up "manually" let's us know what you wish as a permanent solution.

Remember once you can tell Grub to boot up several operating systems "manually" you should never have a problem in booting. The above are techniques of booting a MS Windows indirectly (or chainloading) and a Linux directly (by specifying a kernel with the "linux" command) with Grub.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saikee

I have already provided you with the instructions in Grub prompt on how to boot up Mint!

Once you can fire either system up let's us know what you wish as a permanent solution.

---

Sorry I was being dopey. I will try that tonight.
What I hope to do is get both windows and mint working as dual boot and then I will follow your advice about resizing.
Thanks for all your help.

I tried

Code:

---

set root=(hd1,6)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb6 ro

---

And I got file not found.
When I did ls from the grub prompt. I got :-
(hd0) (hd0, msdos6), (hd0, msdos6) (hd0,msdos3) etc.
None are linux which seems strange to me as when I did fdisk earlier it was all there.
Any ideas?

Thanks so much for the help if you ever have any oracle ebs questions please pm me.

It is quite easy to solve your problem because ls is to list the content of the directory. Therefore according to the information provided by you your Linux Mint is in the 2nd hard disk and that is (hd1). The only partition that has the kernel (should be vmlinuz) is the sdb6 so to Grub2 this is (hd1,6) as Grub2 counts disk from zero but for partition it is from one.

Therefore if you want to see the content of partition sdb6 the command in Grub prompt is

Code:

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ls -l (hd1,6)

---

or

Code:

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ls -l (hd1,msdos6)

---

from the above you can see if vmlinuz and initrd.img are there or not.

You should be able to see from command "ls -l" all the partitions and the one for sdb6 should be (hd1,msdos6)

You can also try to boot up Mint by these commands if it has /boot/grub/grub.cfg in sdb6

Code:

---

set root=(hd1,msdos6)
configfile  /boot/grub/grub.cfg

---

When I booted up my Mint13 and list the contents of root directory / I got

Code:

---

Mint13-sda7 saikee # ls /
bin  boot  dev  etc  home  initrd.img  initrd.img.old  lib  lib64  lost+found  media  mnt  opt  proc  root  run  sbin  selinux  srv  sys  tmp  usr  var  vmlinuz

---

It is a Linux standard to make available the latest kernel and called it vmlinuz and the latest ram disk file initrd.img (if used) in the root directory "/" for booting purpose.

Thank you I can now get into Mint. I am amazed that you managed to fix this
Although I would rather have grub working properly but this is a big progress.
Here is my grub file. Do you know how to change it so I can login properly?

Code:

---

#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
  set have_grubenv=true
  load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
  set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
  save_env saved_entry
  set prev_saved_entry=
  save_env prev_saved_entry
  set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
  if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
    saved_entry="${chosen}"
    save_env saved_entry
  fi
}

function recordfail {
  set recordfail=1
  if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}

function load_video {
  insmod vbe
  insmod vga
  insmod video_bochs
  insmod video_cirrus
}

insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd1,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
  set gfxmode=auto
  load_video
  insmod gfxterm
  insmod part_msdos
  insmod ext2
  set root='(hd1,msdos6)'
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5
  set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
  set lang=en_GB
  insmod gettext
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
  set timeout=-1
else
  set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/06_mint_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=white/light-gray
### END /etc/grub.d/06_mint_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
function gfxmode {
        set gfxpayload="$1"
        if [ "$1" = "keep" ]; then
                set vt_handoff=vt.handoff=7
        else
                set vt_handoff=
        fi
}
if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then
  if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
    if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
      if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
        set linux_gfx_mode=keep
      else
        set linux_gfx_mode=text
      fi
    else
      set linux_gfx_mode=text
    fi
  else
    set linux_gfx_mode=keep
  fi
else
  set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'LinuxMint, with Linux 3.2.0-23-generic' --class linuxmint --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
        recordfail
        gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
        insmod gzio
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ext2
        set root='(hd1,msdos6)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5
        linux        /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-23-generic root=UUID=6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5 ro  quiet splash $vt_handoff
        initrd        /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-23-generic
}
menuentry 'LinuxMint, with Linux 3.2.0-23-generic (recovery mode)' --class linuxmint --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
        recordfail
        insmod gzio
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ext2
        set root='(hd1,msdos6)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5
        echo        'Loading Linux 3.2.0-23-generic ...'
        linux        /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-23-generic root=UUID=6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5 ro recovery nomodeset
        echo        'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
        initrd        /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-23-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_lupin ###
### END /etc/grub.d/10_lupin ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ext2
        set root='(hd1,msdos6)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5
        linux16        /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ext2
        set root='(hd1,msdos6)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6b60bd14-4d1c-4044-bcc2-152bf5a80ac5
        linux16        /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Windows Vista (loader) (on /dev/sda3)" --class windows --class os {
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ntfs
        set root='(hd0,msdos3)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 5E9A9E1E9A9DF32F
        chainloader +1
}
menuentry "LinuxMint, with Linux 3.2.0-23-generic (on /dev/sda6)" --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ext2
        set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 4e596377-d3f4-4ef9-b690-940fdb69eb76
        linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-23-generic root=/dev/sda6 ro quiet splash $vt_handoff
        initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-23-generic
}
menuentry "LinuxMint, with Linux 3.2.0-23-generic (recovery mode) (on /dev/sda6)" --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ext2
        set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 4e596377-d3f4-4ef9-b690-940fdb69eb76
        linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-23-generic root=/dev/sda6 ro recovery nomodeset
        initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-23-generic
}
menuentry "Windows Vista (loader) (on /dev/sdb3)" --class windows --class os {
        insmod part_msdos
        insmod ntfs
        set root='(hd1,msdos3)'
        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 5E9A9E1E9A9DF32F
        chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries.  Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment.  Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f  $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
  source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###

---

Your grub.cfg confirms Mint is in the sdb6 and your Windows is in sda3 but probably not all booting choices are bootable.

You can restore Mint's Grub in the MBR of the first disk sda after booting up Grub with the Live CD. The commands are

Code:

---

sudo su
mkdir /mnt/dude_said_mount_here
mount /dev/sdb6 /mnt/dude_said_mount_here
mount --bind /dev  /mnt/dude_said_mount_here/dev
grub-install /dev/sda

---

What I did was to ask you make a subdirectory /mnt/dud_said_mount_here and mount the device /dev/sdb6 there. You then bind the /dev of the boot-up Linux with the mounted /dev of Linux Mint (so that Grub can find the required devices, not always needed by good practice to include) and then ask Grub to restore itself in device /devsda which has no partition number and so for the whole disk which means its MBR.

if Grub doesn't complains then you shall see the Grub booting menu after a reboot which you can trigger at the terminal by

Code:

---

reboot

---

My guess is your Mint should fire up by choice No. 1 and Windows by Choice No. 5 (one immediately after the memory test choices of No. 3 & 4)

Lest us know if this is how you want in the end. You could edit grub.cfg to remove the unwanted choices in future.

Well I tried that and I got this

Code:

---

mount /dev/sdb6 /mnt/dude_said_mount_here
mint mint # mount --bind /dev  /mnt/dude_said_mount_here/dev
mint mint # grub-install /dev/sda
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot (is /dev mounted?).
error: unknown LVM metadata header.
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot/grub (is /dev mounted?).

---

Now when I reboot I just a grub prompt which is a pain although thanks to your help not the end of the world.

Sorry it was my mistake of not telling you exactly what to do.

Choice #1:

If you are able to boot up Mint manually using the Grub prompt, which you said you can in Post #14 then try these commands in a terminal

Code:

---

sudo su
grub-install /dev/sda

---

Choice #2 (if Choice #1 fails)

Boot up Mint Linux as Live CD and try these instructions

Code:

---

sudo su
mkdir /mnt/dude_said_mount_here
mount /dev/sdb6 /mnt/dude_said_mount_here
mount --bind /dev  /mnt/dude_said_mount_here/dev
grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/dude_said_mount_here  /dev/sda

---

You can do either but the first one is a lot faster. Try Choice #2 only if #1 fails. I missed out the red bit in my last post.

The two choices are essentially the same but in the 1st choice you boot up the resident Mint already and have no necessity to mount the partition or to tell Grub what is its root directory. The second choice work with any distro that has Grub2 inside.

Code:

---

sudo su
grub-install /dev/sda

---

Worked fine, thank you so much.
Now one last - sorry question
[CODE]Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 128519 64228+ 6 FAT16
/dev/sda2 129024 21100543 10485760 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 * 21100544 497452724 238176090+ 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4 497452786 976768064 239657639+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 497452788 497661569 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 497661633 976768064 239553216 8e Linux LVM
CODE]
Are all of these partitions being used? Or are some of them just rubbish created by letting someone who should have been messing
around with it doing so? (i.e. me).

yes they are all used for specific purposes.

My guess is sda1 is a partition the PC vendor stores the hardware drivers as it is very small.

Your Windows occupies sda2 & sda3. One of them is likely the boot partition called System Reserved which is normally hidden when Windows in operation and the other is the actual partition of Drive "C". one of the two could also be created it for back up purpose.

sda4 is an extended partition which is just a border with sda5 & sda6 inside. sda4 itself is not a working partition. You will find the its start point is same as sda5 and it ends at the tail of sda6.

sda5 & sda6 are for Linux and two were created only at your explicit instruction of allowing the installer to use LVM partition (sda6). All Linux (and Windows too but need a bit of persuasion) can be installed in one partition if the user wishes to do so. Modern MS Windows prefer to have two partitions though.

Thank you so much for your help. This is a great weight off my mind.
It has been a long process (nothing to do with you I was going to start in November but got pneumonia).