Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

desm · 2009-02-15 16:22:49

I've just installed Archlinux, and I triple boot with Ubuntu and Windows XP. I used the Archlinux disk to install GRUB, overwritting the previous version installed by ubuntu. Grub no longer lists ubuntu, and so I cannot boot to it.

I want to manually add the entry to menu.lst but I have no idea how to find the kernal information or the UID of my ubuntu partition. How would I go about finding these two things?

Last edited by desm (2009-02-15 23:02:39)

pressh · 2009-02-15 16:43:55

mount your ubuntu partition and check the grub config file you have on that partition. Copy the relevant part of that config file to your arch grub config file.

pyther · 2009-02-15 16:44:16

EDIT: pressh beat me and has a much more elegant solution

You can get the disk uuid by doing

ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid/

title        Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-server
root        (hd0,4)
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-server root=UUID=338b0261-d17f-4e27-9918-3dd982c66b68 ro quiet splash
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-16-server
quiet

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubunt … 51512.html

You should be able to mount your ubuntu partiton and look in /boot for the right kernel and initrd versions and of course change the disk UUID from the example I pasted up above.

Last edited by pyther (2009-02-15 16:45:13)

desm · 2009-02-15 19:42:26

Thankyou! It works just fine now. I used pressh's method.

I do have one question though. Entries in Arch's menu.lst (which I'm using now) are formatted in the following way:

title           Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
root            (hd0,2)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=8db72e84-5653-4863-87$
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
quiet

Wheras entries in Ubuntu's are formatted in a different way, including a UUID line and with a "root (hd0,1)" line. Before I edditted the Ubuntu entries to look like the above Grub threw up an "error 15: file not found".

title           Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic
uuid            8db72e84-5653-4863-872b-077321996c48
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic
root=UUID=8db72e84-5653-4863-872b-077321996c48 ro quiet splash
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic
quiet

My question then, is why is there a difference in formatting? Seeing as GRUB is the same program for both distros, right?

haxit · 2009-02-15 19:44:23

Please put [Solved] infront of the title if it is solved. Thanks

desm · 2009-02-15 20:09:20

I figure I best ask my supplementary question here as opposed to waste threads. And no one will answer my supplementary question if I mark this as [solved]. Or is that not consistent with general forum practice? I've never posted before today -- not even lurked.
I'll happilly create a seperate thread if that's more consistant with precedent

Last edited by desm (2009-02-15 20:10:40)

pyther · 2009-02-15 20:31:35

I'm guessing ubuntu patched grub. Maybe root is defined else where in the file and it doesn't have to be redefined.
As for the uuid part maybe it is just there for reference as it is in the kernel config.

Asking you question in this topic was fine. You brought up a good point, however I'd still mark it as solved.

moljac024 · 2009-02-15 20:36:32

Perhaps Ubuntu has a newer version of grub ? I'd bet that's the answer, since the grub in our repo is rather outdated.

Last edited by moljac024 (2009-02-15 20:36:52)

pressh · 2009-02-15 21:21:51

moljac024 wrote:

Perhaps Ubuntu has a newer version of grub ? I'd bet that's the answer, since the grub in our repo is rather outdated.

there is nothing outdated to the grub in our repos, it is the latest stable version available.

pyther · 2009-02-15 21:25:01

And even if by some odd chance ubuntu was using the beta/devel grub2, the config syntax would be different.

Inxsible · 2009-02-15 21:54:54

pyther wrote:

And even if by some odd chance ubuntu was using the beta/devel grub2, the config syntax would be different.

No Ubuntu has had that format since I have used Ubuntu some years back.

and grub2 has a completely different format - grub2 has disks as 0-based and partitions as 1-based. Also, grub2 has a grub.cfg instead of menu.lst file (unless its a grub2 fork that I don't know about)

Last edited by Inxsible (2009-02-15 21:55:24)

pyther · 2009-02-15 22:00:53

^^
ahh yeah that is exactly what I said... read what you quoted!

moljac024 · 2009-02-15 22:18:03

pressh wrote:

moljac024 wrote:
Perhaps Ubuntu has a newer version of grub ? I'd bet that's the answer, since the grub in our repo is rather outdated.
there is nothing outdated to the grub in our repos, it is the latest stable version available.

My bad then, I recall someone commenting about it being outdated, I never really cared much myself...

Inxsible · 2009-02-15 22:21:02

pyther wrote:

^^
ahh yeah that is exactly what I said... read what you quoted!

My bad....I read it as, it could also be different if it uses grub2 -- which as you point out is not what you meant.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-02-15 16:22:49

Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#2 2009-02-15 16:43:55

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#3 2009-02-15 16:44:16

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#4 2009-02-15 19:42:26

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#5 2009-02-15 19:44:23

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#6 2009-02-15 20:09:20

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#7 2009-02-15 20:31:35

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#8 2009-02-15 20:36:32

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#9 2009-02-15 21:21:51

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#10 2009-02-15 21:25:01

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#11 2009-02-15 21:54:54

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#12 2009-02-15 22:00:53

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#13 2009-02-15 22:18:03

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

#14 2009-02-15 22:21:02

Re: Adding an Ubuntu entry to GRUB [Solved]

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