Re: [Fsfe-uk] Mac OS X refund

[Jon Grant]

Just replying to my own email!

> Kubuntu has significant issues with my Dell laptop too..
> http://jguk.org/2007/11/ubuntu-killed-my-laptop.html
>
> I tried again last night with 7.10, i put /boot on a USB stick, and
> the GRUB on the MBR of that USB stick. GRUB appeared, but nothing
> would boot, couldn't find the kernel from external USB root drive.. I
> had though putting /boot on the USB stick it would have found that at
> least.. or maybe I need to munge the device table or something..? The
> USB devices were all connected in the same order that worked in the
> installer.
>
> GRUB couldn't even load MS-Windows off the main drive, I had to unplug
> the USB drive and USB stick to get it to do anything. Flakeyness like
> this is what puts people off, all my friends want to try GNU+Linux,
> but if it can't dual boot on a laptop they're not interested.

Perhaps someone can tell me how to use GRUBs interactive mode, I typed
"help" but it was pretty unintelligible. Tried typing "boot hd0" etc
but it wouldn't boot off my MBR on the "C" drive. I would have been
happy to boot from the /dev/hda1 bootsector too, but again it wasn't
clear how to do that either. I was just reading again online and it
seems I might be able to enter:   grub> root (hd0,1)  but mabye this
is a better guide:

http://www.linuxselfhelp.com/gnu/grub/html_chapter/grub_4.html#SEC21

grub> rootnoverify (hd0,0)
grub> chainloader +1
grub> makeactive
grub> boot

All of this information is of cause unavailable when I am sitting at
the grub> prompt in my hotel with no way to get online to read it.
They should have provided a "bootmenu" command, which will let me
scroll through drives (MBR) and partitions(bootsectors) and select the
one to boot from. I don't see why GRUB has to be so obscure in use.
Another reason my friends aren't going to figure out how to get a dual
boot install working.

Cheers, Jon