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Last updated on 2008-06-17.
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. . this command line is exactly what the wcp installer does, i.e.
grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/hdxy /dev/hdz
where xy is partition y on hard disk x (in your case, partition 3 on the first hard disk) and z is the first hard disk device.
GRUB is installed on the mbr, and the grub files, including menu.lst, placed in /boot/grub on the partition where you install wolvix (hdxy).
documented on: 2007-07-26, oithona
Sorry I wasn't very clear. Now to clear the rest of the confusions…
oithona is absolutely right about what grub does, but it might not be clear to ordinary people what exactly those actions mean.
Now in layman's term, the
grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/hdxy /dev/hdz
will alter the MBR of hard disk z so at to make it bootable, and all grub booting info (the grub files, including menu.lst etc) is stored locally on hdxy, and grub boots using those files, from hdz MBR.
> The confusion is also caused by programme such a smart boot manager which > sometime continue to show a partition which previouly have the boot files > & menu.1st on it, as bootable, even when grub had been reinstalled > elsewhere.
Can smart boot manager actually boot such partitions (that previouly have the boot files & menu.1st), even when grub had been reinstalled elsewhere?
> practically all the linux distros will chain load win xp correctly
You may want to try if omitting 'makeactive' when chain loading win xp is OK, 'cause I just found that I can boot Win2K without make its partition active first!
documented on: 2007-07-29, xpt
> > Can smart boot manager actually boot such partitions (that previouly have > > the boot files & menu.1st), even when grub had been reinstalled elsewhere? > > No , trying to boot it will get a "no a bootable partition error".
That's what I thought.
This just add another point why it is not a good idea putting grub in MBR.
FYI, had the grub been put into the partition:
grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/hdxy /dev/hdxy
ie, let grub alter the partition of hard disk x partition y so at to make it bootable, even you've also install grub somewhere else, you can still and always boot partition hdxy, provided that you don't move its /boot.
Now I install grub into the 3rd primary partition, which is linux, then make it active. From there I can boot what ever partitions on the HD, or even alian USB ones, if I need to (by manually edit grub boot menu before boot). I never need Smart Boot Manager before and hopefully never will.
With Win2k not insisting its partition to be active to be bootable, this is the perfect boot solution to me — the grub will chain load win Win2k/xp correctly.
MBR is a hot spot everyone is recklessly trying to lay their hands on, especially Windoze, and its ever increasing viruses. I never bothered to create "secure disk" for the tons of Linux OS I've been working on, because installing the boot loader into my Linux partition is my "secure" solution.
documented on: 2007-07-29, xpt
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