New approach to my Linux ...

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Not sure of what to ask here, but here we go anyway ...

Right now I have Mint 9 running from a DVD, and I also have the same ISO on an 8gb USB stick in a PCI card inside my machine ... but I have not been able to get this machine to boot from there. However, I can now access my Debian partitions with this Mint running, and I think that means I should be able to use this "live" Mint to work on my GRUB and get my multi-boot menu working again, yes? The problem I have at the moment came about when Windows messed up my boot menu (like CloudWalker explained in a previous thread of mine).

Also, I have read a little about "PLOP" for a multi-boot menu running from a floppy or a CD, but then I would still have to do something with GRUB since it is not already on my Debian root partition, yes?

Like I have said elsewhere, my goal here is to hopefully do something like "PLOP" might be able to do so I can have simple access to and complete control over my multi-boot menu. But, maybe GRUB is better?

All suggestions other than scrapping this concoction are welcome!

Oops, I wrongly hit the edit button again ...

Last edited by leejosepho on 01 Sep 2010, 1:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Linux is ok on one hand, but I tried Linux Mint but it just got too boring for me since it didn't have much things that I wanted to use on there so I gave up on it, then when I found out I could get Windows 7 for a very cheap price since I'm a student, I got that instead and have never used anything else since.

With all that you have learned, have you considered some sort of blog or web site detailing your adventures?

You have taken multi-boot far beyond the ken of most people, and you are edging into the realm of specialist.

I understand, but I will still say this Mint 9 is truly impressive! I could not get it installed a few weeks ago because of some kind of formatting bug I just read about last night, but it very easily slipped into the partitions I already had in place for Debian. In any case, enjoy your Win7!


Well maybe, but I really just kind of stumble around here until stuff works ... and this present challenge might soon find me reaching for a nitro pill!

I do have some licensed XP-Pro machines I intend to set up with new drives and Linux options as soon as I get this system straightened back out, but I suspect the bit of entertainment some folks here might get from my "adventures" is about as far as anything like that will ever go.

edit: Oh, and now my gallimaufry is also minty!

Well, I almost have things fixed. After I had used EasyBCD to re-write my MBR, the new link to Mint worked but the one for Win98 did not. However, that re-write did make it possible for Win7 to then bring itself back into the mix at bootup, and then that made it possible for easyBCD to find Win98 and bring it on back in ... yet my Win2k and XP are still inaccessible, and my first attempt at using XP's repair console for fixing that has not worked since that console somehow saw my XP on a drive with a letter I do not have anywhere. And overall, and as mentioned in the article Ancalagon had mentioned elsewhere, Windows is at least sometimes the problem in cases like this even though I think a recent Debian (and possibly GRUB?) update is what kicked things off this time. From that article:

Personally, I still long for those days when machines came up at DOS prompts and a couple of keystrokes at an easily-edited menu of your own in BASIC could take you off to wherever you wanted to go!

Have you ever installed doxbox inside your other operating systems? Its in the minty repos, or for windows, go here: http://www.dosbox.com/

Yes, I used DosBox for older stuff for my younger grandchildren -- there is a thought to ponder -- back when I only had Win2k and had never tried multi-booting, and I think I still have some stuff that needs it to run even in Win98!

To get GRUB working again you could burn Super GRUB to a CD.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFOmwZ-_zA8[/youtube]

Thanks leejosepho.

I will try again Mint 9 again sooner or they're release a new version before I go ahead and try it out.

Every six months to a year. Mint 9 just came out trailing its parent Ubuntu by a month or so. There is a new ubuntu out in October, so its possible that a new Mint comes out this November.

I thank you, and I will go try that right now! XP's "repair console" has fixed things for 98, 2k and XP, and reinstalling Win7 has brought it back into the mix but left Mint 9 out. So, if SuperGrub can now bring all systems into one boot menu, I will not have to either re-install Mint to do that or find/learn some other way.


My Win7 Ultimate is (also, like yours?) a "student and faculty" copy with some kind of corporate license, and just this morning I learned that low price does not include free support at MS. You might never need any, but you will likely have to pay if you do.

I installed Windows 7 after Ubuntu which deletes GRUB and replaces it with Windows boot loader that only loads Windows. The trick is to install Windows first and then the Linux OS. Super GRUB reinstalls GRUB so when you start up your computer there will be a list of operating systems for you to choose from. That's how I fixed it.

Win7 is back in and I just finished the re-installation of Mint 9, so figuring out SuperGRUB is next ...!

Okay, so SuperGRUB made a loader for your Mint and then added Win7 to its "menu.lst", correct?

I have yet to figure out how to get that done, but SuperGRUB just let me just go directly to Mint's \boot and manually start Mint from there ... so I will just do that until I know exactly what to do. All systems are working now, and re-installations are wearing me out!

I say this again and again, if you ever work out your bootloader problems leejosepho, write a detailed summary and stuff for future reference and for people like me who end up making apps.