Re: [Bug-grub] Windows kills GRUB

[Jason Thomas]

On Sun, Dec 02, 2001 at 03:58:33PM -0800, Jeffrey A. Cobb wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I installed RH 7.2 with GRUB and everything worked fine.  Then I created a 
> bootable DOS partition at the backend of my hard drive and added this 
> partition info to the GRUB configuration file, rebooted and everything worked 
> great!  Switching between Linux and DOS was easy.  Then I installed Windows 
> 98 on the DOS partition (turning on virus checker in BIOS hoping this would 
> keep Windows from over-writting the MBR - didn't work).  Windows very 
> inconveniently killed GRUB from the MBR and just boots Windows now.
> 
> Now I've been attempting to find ways to reinstall GRUB without having to 
> re-install Linux (this is a Windows foible I'd rather not experience in 
> Linux).  These are the problems I'm running into:
> 
> 1) Can't get a list of partions in GRUB (how GRUB sees them) -- would be 
> handy.  Maybe I'm not interpreting the "help" correctly.

at the grub prompt type:

root (

and then hit tab it will list all the options available.
you can use tab completition for most things.

> 
> 2) Tried to "find" the stage1 file using "find /boot/grub/stage1" - GRUB 
> reports "Error 15: File not found",  it's there, I checked.
> 
> 3) Tried to use "root (hd0,0)...(hd0,1)..etc." to find stage1 again.  Didn't 
> work, same error message.
> 
> 4) I know "find" is working because GRUB will "find" a test file such as a 
> script in the /usr/sbin directory and display the device.
> 
> 5) Attempted to install GRUB to the boot record using "install".  This 
> doesn't seem to work.  Plus I'm uncertain of the device to specify (see #1 
> and #2).

don't use install use setup.

once you figure out the grub name for your linux partition, just do
something like:

root (hd1,0)
setup(hd0)

substituting 'hd0' with whatever drive is your boot drive, and subing
'hd1' with the drive that has the grub images in /boot/grub.

> 
> I hope whoever wrote this program is working on a more streamlined user 
> interface as well as an option to save the MBR to floppy so it can be 
> restored in the event of a Windows instrusion.

you can create a grub floppy from linux 'grub-install /dev/fd0', subing
the device for your floppy device.

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