Arch Linux

Xs1t0ry

Member

From: Canada

Registered: 2007-07-01

Posts: 181

Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

I have two HDDs--one with Windows 7 and one with Arch64. I recently installed Arch to the second HDD and I can't override the Windows Bootloader; when I start my PC, GRUB is skipped entirely and I boot right into Windows 7. I have already made the Arch HDD the first boot priority in my BIOS, so I'm not sure where to go from here. I thought maybe remove the bootable flag from the Windows HDD, but I can't do that with the LiveCD (cfdisk can't read that drive).

Suggestions?

Last edited by Xs1t0ry (2009-10-06 01:03:01)

MP2E

Member

Registered: 2009-09-05

Posts: 115

Re: Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

I have two HDDs--one with Windows 7 and one with Arch64. I recently installed Arch to the second HDD and I can't override the Windows Bootloader; when I start my PC, GRUB is skipped entirely and I boot right into Windows 7. I have already made the Arch HDD the first boot priority in my BIOS, so I'm not sure where to go from here. I thought maybe remove the bootable flag from the Windows HDD, but I can't do that with the LiveCD (cfdisk can't read that drive).

Suggestions?

Neither partitions should have the bootable flag on, actually. Make sure that the GRUB loader is being installed to the actual MBR. For instance, if your harddrive partitions are marked as SDA1, SDA2... etc.. then make sure that the bootloader is being installed to just SDA.

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17:23 < ConSiGno> yeah baby I release the source code with your mom every night
17:24 < ConSiGno> you could call them nightly builds if you know what I mean

Xs1t0ry

Member

From: Canada

Registered: 2007-07-01

Posts: 181

Re: Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

Thanks, MP2E. But if I make separate boot/swap/root/home partitions, wouldn't I install GRUB to the boot partition? i.e. if sda is the drive and sda1 is the boot partition, then I install it to sda1 (which also has the boot flag)

MP2E

Member

Registered: 2009-09-05

Posts: 115

Re: Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

Thanks, MP2E. But if I make separate boot/swap/root/home partitions, wouldn't I install GRUB to the boot partition? i.e. if sda is the drive and sda1 is the boot partition, then I install it to sda1 (which also has the boot flag)

Nope, the /boot/grub/menu.lst will automatically be installed to your boot partition by the Arch Installer. Just don't check anything as bootable under cfdisk(or rather, now uncheck the partition that was marked bootable), and make sure GRUB is installing to the MBR(which seems to be in your case /dev/sda)

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17:23 < ConSiGno> yeah baby I release the source code with your mom every night
17:24 < ConSiGno> you could call them nightly builds if you know what I mean

Xs1t0ry

Member

From: Canada

Registered: 2007-07-01

Posts: 181

Re: Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

Thank you, I will try this.  I was unaware that the Arch Installer that sophisiticated. For my own knowledge, why are we unchecking the boot partition?

Xs1t0ry

Member

From: Canada

Registered: 2007-07-01

Posts: 181

Re: Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

Thanks, MP2E. Installing GRUB to /dev/sda instead of /dev/sda1 worked.

tavianator

Member

From: Waterloo, ON, Canada

Registered: 2007-08-21

Posts: 859

Website

Re: Cannot Override Windows Bootloader [SOLVED]

Thank you, I will try this.  I was unaware that the Arch Installer that sophisiticated. For my own knowledge, why are we unchecking the boot partition?

So that nothing thinks there is actually a boot record on that partition, and tries to boot it directly.  This is unlikely, but it's still good practice.