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So I have searched all over the wiki and I couldn't find anything about deleting a partition while triple booting.
I have arch linux installed and I have been satisfied with it so far and I want to delete the ubuntu natty partition and keep the Windows partition as there are a few programs I need on there.
So what information I have gathered is that I need to install GRUB in arch linux before deleting ubuntu since the GRUB is booting from Ubuntu. The only thing I am confused about is how to find the right commands to do this properly. I looked at the GRUB wiki and it specifies that I should find the GRUB's root with the find command.. such as:
grub> find /grub/stage1
(hd0,0)
Arch linux is located at /dev/sda7 on my computer. I can't seem to find the root from using the grub menu in arch linux.
grub> find /grub/stage1
Error 15: File not found
grub>
I know I read the wiki right but I guess I am missing some key information here?
Last edited by rg_arc (2011-06-16 20:49:10)
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Do you have a separate /boot partition? If not
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
would be the right command (sda7 is hd0,6). However, I think all you should have to do to replace is deleting ubuntu's GRUB from MBR (as root) using
# dd if=/dev/zero of=<your_disk> bs=440 count=1
and then install GRUB following the wiki instructions.
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So the grub> find /boot/grub/stage1 command came up with the same result as the last command. I am guessing that Ubuntu is on hd0,0 but I am not sure about that.
Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders, total 625142448 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: 0xbdf5b4b2
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2048 20482047 10240000 27 Hidden NTFS WinRE
/dev/sda2 * 20482048 313450797 146484375 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 313452544 348606463 17576960 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 348608510 625141759 138266625 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 617330688 625141759 3905536 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 451008512 617328639 83160064 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 348610560 379330559 15360000 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 379332608 451006463 35836928 83 Linux
Partition table entries are not in disk order
This is the result when I put in fdisk -l... so I am just confused about where the ubuntu partition is..
Last edited by rg_arc (2011-06-12 09:12:37)
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Maybe I am missing something here, but I think you don't need the find command at all as long as you are sure that where your arch root partition is (check /etc/fstab). If it is on sda7, GRUB will refer to it as hd0,6. If you do not have a separate /boot partition, your menu.lst entry for arch should look something like this:
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda7 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
To find out where your ubuntu partition is I'd simply mount the two "Linux" partitions left over and see what's on them
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Your Arch root partition (or boot partition, if you have one) is where GRUB will go; If this is your third partition on your first/only disk, it will be (hd0,2). Counting of partitions starts from 0. The wiki page has the commands used to install it.
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Ok so I think I have narrowed it down.. and.. this is really just a double check so I don't put something where it shouldn't be.
This is /boot/grub/menu.lst:
# Config file for GRUB - The GNU GRand Unified Bootloader
# /boot/grub/menu.lst
# DEVICE NAME CONVERSIONS
#
# Linux Grub
# -------------------------
# /dev/fd0 (fd0)
# /dev/sda (hd0)
# /dev/sdb2 (hd1,1)
# /dev/sda3 (hd0,2)
#
# FRAMEBUFFER RESOLUTION SETTINGS
# +-------------------------------------------------+
# | 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
# ----+--------------------------------------------
# 256 | 0x301=769 0x303=771 0x305=773 0x307=775
# 32K | 0x310=784 0x313=787 0x316=790 0x319=793
......
# boot sections follow
# each is implicitly numbered from 0 in the order of appearance below
#
# TIP: If you want a 1024x768 framebuffer, add "vga=773" to your kernel line.
#
#-*
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux [/boot/vmlinuz26]
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda3 ro
initrd /kernel26.img
# (1) Windows
#title Windows
#rootnoverify (hd0,0)
#makeactive
#chainloader +1
And here is my fstab:
#
# /etc/fstab: static file system information
#
# <file system> <dir> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
devpts /dev/pts devpts defaults 0 0
shm /dev/shm tmpfs nodev,nosuid 0 0
/dev/sda5 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/sda7 / ext4 defaults,noatime 0 1
/dev/sda8 /home ext4 defaults,noatime,user_xattr 0 2
So I will just put (hd 0,0)?
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grub> root (hd0,
Possible partitions are:
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x27
Partition num: 1, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 2, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
Partition num: 5, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 6, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 7, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
I found this finally.. but I believe
grub> root (hd0,6)
is the right place for GRUB. I can't seem to get the other commands to work.
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Yes, hd0,6 is right according to your fstab. All you have to do now is to write it to your MBR
# grub-install /dev/sda
and change your menu.lst to
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,6)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda7 ro
initrd /kernel26.img
Then you have to uncomment the windows entry and change the rootnoverify line to your windows partition (Taking a look at your fdisk output I strongly believe it is hd0,1). Also consider a arch fallback entry.
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I know I read the wiki right but I guess I am missing some key information here?
Actually, if you look at the Wiki it is quite clear the command you used only applies to setups with a seperate /boot partition (from your fstab, /boot resides on /). Grub should find its stage1 files from the console, otherwise double-check if grub is installed correctly in Arch. The Wiki recommends using grub shell instead of grub-install.
To check which partitions belong to Ubuntu, just have a look at Ubuntu's fstab.
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... and after doing all of the above - you will not be able to boot into your windows partition ...
gawd - I just hate grub2 which wants to take over absolutely everything!!
So here it is - short and sweet:
1) boot into arch from your current setup
2) You must allow windows in your menu.lst - more specifically:
default 0
timeout 10
title archlinux
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
title windows
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
3) make sure grub is properly installed - like this:
# cp /usr/lib/grub/i386-pc/* /boot/grub
# grub
grub> root (hd0,6)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> exit
#
Now you should be able to reboot and reaching both windows and arch - and you can just 'empty' your ubuntu partion(s) (mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sda3 and mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sda6).
The latter is (of course) _after_ you have checked that ubuntu /boot is on sda3 and ubuntu root on sda6 (which is what I assume after reading the above - but I may well be wrong!! - so proceed with caution)
[edit]
I have several times experienced grub barfing at the 'setup (hd0)', but just repeat the command and it will be ok the 2nd time
[/edit]
Last edited by perbh (2011-06-13 16:12:35)
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Ok this is the change I made in menu.lst:
# (1) Windows
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
I just uncommented the Windows section.. and since I don't use Windows 7 I kept the make active part.
This is basically telling me that GRUB is installed properly:
grub> root (hd0,6)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
grub> setup (hd0)
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes
Running "embed /boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"... 16 sectors are embedded.
succeeded
Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+16 p (hd0,6)/boot/grub/stage2 /boot/grub
/menu.lst"... succeeded
Done.
So, I should be able to use Gnome Partition Editor to delete Ubuntu and still be in the clear? If so, I can use this thread for future reference... thanks
Edit: Ok so now I can't access arch linux but I can access Windows, so I believe I must have installed GRUB in the right partition but failed to specify the proper root. I should have put (hd0,7) instead of (hd0,6). Is there any way to come back from this?
Here are the error messages:
embed /boot/grub/e2fs_Stage1-5 (hd0,6)" ...failed (This is not fatal)
This was after I booted into the grub after restarting.
Last edited by rg_arc (2011-06-14 07:08:47)
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So - why did you do 'rootnoverify (hd0,0)' for windows?? It is a 'hidden' windows partition - and judging by the size - it is a recovery partition. You want to use 'rootnoverify (hd0,1)'
And - _you_ have to know which partition you installed arch on - we can only go by what you tell us - and in all the above it has been assumed that arch is on /dev/sda7 (ie hd(0,6)).
And - if you delete your ubuntu partition - all bets are off as to which partition arch will end up on. When you partition a disk - you are kinda caught - you cant just delete and create partitions at will and think that the remaining will automagically adjust themselves .
No Sir, you can wipe the partition(s) by 'mkfs' and then mount it under (say) /data or /data2 or /whatever and use the reclaimed space that way (I know, for _some_ filesystems it is possible to shrink/expand them - within limits - but that is an exotic way of eventually getting into trouble.
Anyways - if your arch partition really is on (hd0,7) ie /dev/sda8, then the best you can do is just to boot off a live-cd - or your arch-install-cd , do a changeroot and reinstall grub.
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This was the first time I tried this. So I made a mistake or two, thankfully I haven't deleted ubuntu yet and I still can access Windows. My friend has a boot cd we can use, we should be able to fix everything and eventually delete Ubuntu. So thankfully I have some help. But I want to use this as an example for the next time I want to make changes like this again. Thanks for the help
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