[nmglug] Grub2 too new, we are Ubuntu beta testers

[WA7BSZ]

I have seen a couple articles about the new grub, and trouble with it.  It is such a basic program to just change and see what happens.

Anyway, I wonder if a person could opt to use the old grub during the install, such as an option like noapic or something like that.  Grub2 is not mature enough to become the default boot loader for a Linux distro, in my opinion.

I suppose that running the grub-install wouldn't help unless it brought up the old grub installer.  Maybe it would work if we can find the old grub-install on the Ubuntu 8.X live CD, and copy it to the install, then run that command:

sudo grub-install --rootdirectory=(whatever the root directory is) /dev/xdx(whatever the linux install says the boot drive is called, such as hda or sda or sdb, whatever it is).

Of course you have to mount the root partition while booted up in the live CD before issuing this command.  An example command line is:

sudo grub-install --rootdirectory=/mnt/sda7 /dev/sda

Where the root directory is on /dev/sda7 which has been mounted on /mnt/sda7, and the drive is of course /dev/sda

I certainly don't know if that will work.  No guarantees.  I have never done it.  I installed 9.10 once and when I saw the grub and other new things I installed right over it, preferring to wait till later.  Seems if you wait 3 to 6 months the really irritating things have been fixed.

I use that from Knoppix Hacks to repair the grub after it has been removed by windows or whatever.  I have used it to install grub when it wasn't there before either.  That is more complicated as you need to generate a menu.lst file in the correct directory and maybe a few other things.  I have to follow the narrative in Knoppix Hacks whenever I do it.  

It sounds like probably the new kernel can't be found and that would be a bug I guess.  Ubuntu is using those long strings lately to refer to the partitions, I think they usually start with UUID.  Seems like it makes it more complicated.  In fstab swap partitions used to be

/dev/sda9

But now they are a lot more complicated.  like:

UUID=24cb3245-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

I don't know how they generate that number.  I have gone into fstab and just changed it from the UUID=incomprehensible to /dev/sdx and it works fine so this seems to be unnecessary obfuscation.

Lately they have been changing xorg so that much of it is autodetected, so if you need to change something it is a new learning curve again.  

Anyway I would hope there is an opt for old grub or lilo in 9.10 installation, and we will use grub 2 in a couple years when it works?


--- On Tue, 12/22/09, nmglug-request at nmglug.org <nmglug-request at nmglug.org> wrote:

> From: nmglug-request at nmglug.org <nmglug-request at nmglug.org>
> Subject: nmglug Digest, Vol 75, Issue 14
> To: nmglug at nmglug.org
> Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 12:00 PM
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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. Re: Grub2 (Ted Pomeroy)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:01:08 -0700
> From: Ted Pomeroy <ted.pome at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nmglug] Grub2
> To: "NMGLUG.org mailing list" <nmglug at nmglug.org>
> Message-ID:
>     <217374430912220801o749e8a92xbebd2012d111e3bb at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> Anthony, I am using 9.10, but don't like many features in
> new kernel. I am
> thinking of going with Debian 5.0, Lenny. I saw a review by
> the LA News tech
> writer who came to the same conclusion. There are problems
> with the
> progression envisioned at Ubuntu, maybe they are looking at
> keeping up with
> newer machines. What is your hardware? I am working with a
> Thinkpad from
> 2000. Ted P.
> 
> On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 6:51 AM, a_kaluta <akaluta at taosnet.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > After fresh Ubuntu 9.10 install,then followed install
> w/ package update
> > which including change from "Linux 2.6.31-14-generic"
> to "Linux
> > 2.6.31-16-generic",thereafter,boot would no get past
> splash screen.
> >
> > Limping along with the following mods:
> > /etc/default/grub:  grub default changed from=0
> to =saved.
> > sudo grub-set-default "Linux 2.6.31-14-generic"
> >
> > Have not located the elegant solution,can anyone lend
> clarity,
> > Thanks,Anthony
> >
> >
> >
> >
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