Re: How to move the master boot record?

Rodolfo Medina <rodolfo.medina@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> On my PC, besides the swap partition, I have one partition, hda1, for MS
>>> Windows and another five for Linux: hda6, had7, hda8, hda9, hda10.
>>>
>>> At the moment the `boot partition' is hda6 and I want it to be, say, hda9.
>>> Sorry if I can'y use the right words. Maybe I should say that the hda6
>>> Grub boot loader is now installed to the master boot record of my hard
>>> drive whereas the hda9 boot loader is installed to the /dev/hda9 partition?
>>>
>>> I want to do so beacuse: now I'm still using Debian Sarge, which is
>>> installed in hda6; I want to install Debian Etch in hda9; then when I'm
>>> sure that everything is all right with Etch I want to boot from hda9, so
>>> hda6 can be formatted again.

Bob McGowan <bob_mcgowan@symantec.com> writes:

> If I understand correctly, you have Sarge on a partition that you want to
> preserve, while using a second partition on the same disk to install Etch.

Yes, that's right.

> Once you're happy with the Etch install, you'll redo the Sarge partition
> formatting to use with your new Etch install.

Well, no: once I'm happy with Etch (i.e., I've managed to install everything) I want to install hda9 grub boot loader to the master boot record of the hard drive, so that I can format hda6 when I need to (maybe to install Debian 4.1? :)).

> But you mentioned 5 partitions for Linux, the above is only two, so what are
> the other 3 used for? Will you need any of them for the Etch part, are they
> used with Sarge, or used some other way?

Do you need help?

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In them other Linux systems are installed, to do tests (to test applications before installing them). Well, they're too many, I also want to resize them and eliminate some.

> You need the answers to the above, which will modify to some extent what you
> do. But I think what you do is simply install Etch, selecting hda9 as the
> partition to install (the / filesystem for Etch), plus any of the other
> partitions (or none) depending on the answer to the question.
>
> When you get to Etch's grub installation step, it will detect the Windows and
> Sarge installs and offer to setup grub in the master boot record for you. It
> should (if all works as expected) provide you with boot options for Windows,
> Sarge and Etch.
>
> [...]
>
> When you're happy with Etch (shouldn't take too long!-), you just edit the
> /boot/grub/menu.lst file for Etch to remove the section that boots Sarge and
> to
> change (if needed) the 'default' boot number to match the number position for
> Etch in the boot section (look for lines beginning with 'title', near the end
> of the file). Reformat hda6 and you're done.

Yes, I could do as you say, but I'd prefer keeping the hda6 boot loader to the mbr until Etch is complete in hda9.
Besides, I want to learn how to do all that because it may turn to be useful in other circumstances: e.g. when you want to install MS Windows *after* Linux, I suppose.

Thanks,
Rodolfo

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