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Ubuntu dapper writes grub to mbr w/out asking!

post #1 of 10
5/26/06 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 
Why, if I didn't have my system rescue cd with me I would have been totally screwed in this case. I just can't believe the installer doesn't even ask.
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post #2 of 10
5/26/06 at 5:49pm
this is typical for linux it seems to me. Actually a distribution like dapper should have warnings for windows users like me - telling me how to set it up using windows standard os loader instead of installing grub.
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post #3 of 10
5/26/06 at 5:55pm
I would disagree that they should tell you how to set up the windows loader myself. GRUB is actually more flexible in my opinion, and is the better choice for linux distros for most people. It is also not typical for linux distros to write to the MBR without asking, that is very atypical in fact. I am surprised to hear this, as I havent tried out Dapper's installer yet I cant comment though.

Seablade
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post #4 of 10
5/26/06 at 11:22pm
as far as i remember during the ubuntu install it tells you that it found some other os (WinXP for example) and you have to confirm it and then it will go ahead and install, won't ask you though to confirm mbr or partition, will do mbr by auto. doesn't surprise me though, the goal is to be an easy distro, and 95% of all users will want it on MBR anyway
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post #5 of 10
5/27/06 at 4:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollingstash
Why, if I didn't have my system rescue cd with me I would have been totally screwed in this case. I just can't believe the installer doesn't even ask.
Sorry, you must have missed something there. When it comes time to install Grub, if another OS is found, it does ask where GRUB should be installed: MBR or at start of the linux partition. I know this because I only just finished reformatting my laptop with dual boot. Dapper didn't autmoagically install to the MBR. I had to choose that option.

Which version of the Dapper installer were you using? Flight 7?
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post #6 of 10
5/27/06 at 10:23pm
Well I didn't get what it told. It definitely did find windows and set it up correctly - however it didn't find out how to not set up grub in the mbr but leaving my old windows bootloader. In case it finds windows it should first - set windows as default option - or even better just not install grub at all but tell me what lines to insert into windows bootloader to start linux.

Damn already installt linux the 6 time from scratch during 2 weeks. I shouldn't try out any more distros. Keep coming back to dapper anyhow as all other don't really work on my laptop and sometimes even badly crash my grub (arch) and I haven't enough free place to set up a 3rd partition for linux.

BTW - did anyone compile 2.6.16 and lost his Wifi? I compiled 2.6.16 with CK11 patch and phcp patch to undervolt. However now I lost my wireless lan adapter. Might just patch 2.15.23 - damn it takes a shitload of time to compile a kernel. Why can't they just preconfigured ubuntu kernels on universe?
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post #7 of 10
5/27/06 at 10:58pm
when you recompile the kernel, your restricted-modules, which most likely contain your wireless driver, stop working. so you either have to 1) use stock kernel or 2) install the modules your self. i had this conflict once where i used a custom kernel in ubuntu and had to compile madwifi and fglrx myself, couldn't use restricted-modules.

that said, if you want the kernel to compile faster, first things first, make sure you're only compiling the things you need, and nothing you don't. notice by default it has something like 50 lan cards, and 50 pci soundcards, disable all but the one in YOUR system, will save you lots of compile time. secondly, make sure you have the performance governor loaded, or userspace with it set to 100%, if you make CPU go full speed it will compile faster. (i learned this lesson from compiling gentoo @ 800mhz once...xorg took like 4 hours! firefox took 2! openoffice well over 10
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post #8 of 10
6/6/06 at 7:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by extremecarver
Well I didn't get what it told. It definitely did find windows and set it up correctly - however it didn't find out how to not set up grub in the mbr but leaving my old windows bootloader. In case it finds windows it should first - set windows as default option - or even better just not install grub at all but tell me what lines to insert into windows bootloader to start linux.

Damn already installt linux the 6 time from scratch during 2 weeks. I shouldn't try out any more distros. Keep coming back to dapper anyhow as all other don't really work on my laptop and sometimes even badly crash my grub (arch) and I haven't enough free place to set up a 3rd partition for linux.

BTW - did anyone compile 2.6.16 and lost his Wifi? I compiled 2.6.16 with CK11 patch and phcp patch to undervolt. However now I lost my wireless lan adapter. Might just patch 2.15.23 - damn it takes a shitload of time to compile a kernel. Why can't they just preconfigured ubuntu kernels on universe?

Go to the downloads page for Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu and you will see 'alternate install cd's'. It says right on that page that if you want to install somewhere other then the MBR to use one of those cd's.

I'm loving Dapper, but I've been running it for months now, just doing an
apt-get dist-upgrade every day.

-olly
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post #9 of 10
6/6/06 at 10:06pm
Just to add to this - there are two ways to install Dapper (although I used the Kubuntu version). The graphical way or the text way. Most will pick the graphical way and will end up with the LiveCD pseudo environment. If you follow this path it will NOT prompt you to ask where GRUB should be installed - it just does it anyway (i.e. writes it to the MBR).

If you take the text path you will be prompted (once it detects another OS) as to where you wish GRUB to be installed. I know as I ended up installing Kubuntu both ways - LOL! The text way is definitely better - I am just so surprised at how fast it installs - Windows just takes an age....
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post #10 of 10
6/6/06 at 11:19pm
i for one love the new graphical installer. its simple, its fast, and anyone can do it. and after all, that was the goal, make it so that EVERYONE and their mother can run it. Imagine a complete moron for lack of a better term being bombarded with questions about mbr. they'd be like "whats mbr?" and most likely just ditch the installation all together.
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