Plop and ubuntu

[starbright]

I do have a few partitions on my pc and would like to replace the curruent unbuntu bootloader by plob. Main reason is, that i want to hide the linux partition.
I do have
sda1 - Rescue Image
sda2 - XP
sda3 - Data
sda4 Logical Volume
with
hda5 linux root with /boot folder

After installing the Plop I could only boot XP.
I did try to add a profile for the logical Part of Linux but failed.
Does someone has a clue, howto do this?

Is it possible to hide the bootmenu later on completly, so select the partition by just pressing a hotkey?

best regards

[Elmar]

you have to install grub to the boot sector of the linux partition to boot ubuntu

Is it possible to hide the bootmenu later on completly, so select the partition by just pressing a hotkey?

you can set a default profile, maybe xp, and hide the boot manager, when you want to boot linux, you have to press esc during the pc boot to unhide the boot manager and select linux.

regards
elmar

[starbright]

you have to install grub to the boot sector of the linux partition to boot ubuntu

Yep, I will do so.
But how to add Linux (a logical Partition) to Plob?
I can add a profile, name it linux, unhide it, but howto add sda5? There is an L for logical partitions but this doesn't seem to work. Can you explain more in detail what to do? How does Plob knows that it has to load grub2?

[Elmar]

But how to add Linux (a logical Partition) to Plob?

the name is plop (boot manager) and not plob.

I can add a profile, name it linux, unhide it, but howto add sda5? There is an L for logical partitions but this doesn't seem to work. Can you explain more in detail what to do?

how to add:
choose an empty profie
give it the name linux
set visible to yes
go to the 4th entry of hda = sda4
press 1x the key l (=low L) then you should see L1 beside the entry = logical partition one
press b to set the boot flag to this entry
esc to save

How does Plob knows that it has to load grub2?

the boot manager loads and runs the boot sector, so it doesn't matter what boot manager is installed on the boot sector, but there must be any boot manager installed to the boot sector or the  boot sector itself must be able to start the os.

[starbright]

Sorry with the name and thanks for quick answer!
I just did a gub-setup /dev/sda5. Or better tried. I get a message that installing it into partition is a bad idea. Ok, but than it fails as it allows to install into partition only with "blocklists". They seems to be unreliable and I have to force it with --force.

Ok, but back to your setup procedure.
It did exactly this before. I go to 4th entry. But pressing "l" - nothing happened. Also when I chose sda4 before.
So if i press "l" or "L" - if there is "Don't touch" or "HDA4" before - nothing happened??
...
After some tries - I have to set bootflag first, than I can select L1 and it works!
I did it with "Don't touch".

So also Hiding works fine. Great work!!

There is only one isse: I can't boot my USB CDROM with it. Neither via USB nor CDROM. There is a message while trying it via USB, but it passes by too fast to read.

One minor suggestion: Would be nice to configure the Bootmenu key instead of a fix ESC. As ESC also affects the BIOS I have to be carefule about the timing.

Best regards

[starbright]

Sorry, it's me again. As this works perfect on my netbook, I would try this on my friends notebook. The only little difference is, that Linux / is on sda6. I did the same (install grub to sda6) and chosed L2 (instead of sda5=L1. But it couldn't found bootsector. What have I done wrong? Or is this a bug? How to find out?

Thanks

[Elmar]

is the extended partition sda4?

[starbright]

I'm not 100% sure. I would believe so, as there is sda1, sda2, sda3 the other partitions. But I don't know whether this is the right conclusion.
I don't tested all 4 Positions with all 4 Logical Part, but almost all ...

[Elmar]

simply go to the partitions menu. the install program should have all primary partition entries imported. when you enter into a partition then you should see in the line something like "extended lba" (or similar). thats the extended partition. or when you are an advanced user, then simply look at the mbr. or boot a linux livecd. there are so many ways....

[starbright]

Looking at this I am 100% sure, that sda6 is the 2nd logical drive in hda4.
Nevertheless I get a message, that bootsector isn't valid. Now I am uncertain. Either Ubuntu failed to install grub2 to sda6 or there is something wrong with Plop. Is the bootflag 0x80 the right on?
Is it possible to see the bootsector from a second USB linux? I am using PartedMagic.
Installing ubuntu from CDROM is taking some time, and I tried it now a few times.
Best regards

[Elmar]

there was something about booting from another logical partition than the first one, but i cant remember if it was grub or grub2 related. i think it was grub2.
you can get the boot sector with "sudo dd if=/dev/sda6 of=boot.bin count=1"
you can post boot.bin as attachment here and i look at it.

[starbright]

I attached the bootsectors of both Linux installations. Imho they look pretty much the same. Plop works fine booting sda5, but on Laptop with Linux at sda6 it says "No valid bootsector signature". Strange.
Profile for working Laptop is
0x80 Don't touch L1 (sda5)

That one which cannot boot:
0x80 Don't touch L2 (as it is sda6)

[Elmar]

the boot sector ok, what plop boot manager version do you use?

[starbright]

I haven't it here but I am sure it is Plop Boot Manager 5.0.11.

A suggestion: Would be great to boot completly without menu, by just pressing 1,2,3 (or w (window) l(linux) u(usb) ) referring to the number of entry in boot list or its first charakter in name.

Thanks for you help!

[starbright]

Is there anything new with this issue? Is there a bug or do I do something wrong ...

[Elmar]

i tested not installing grub2 to sda6 and start it with the plop boot manager.
grub2 started without problem

[starbright]

I am confused. Where did you install grub2? As I know I can put it into MBR (this is where Plop is located now) or to the Linux Part (which is sda6).
As far as I understood plop can't start linux directly but has to start grub2.

Mhh. Do you mean: You installed Linux booting with MBR but overwrite it by Plop?

[Elmar]

i tested not installing grub2 to sda6 and start it with the plop boot manager.
grub2 started without problem

sorry, a typo. i was meaning "now" and not "not". however, terrible grammar

i installed grub2 to sda6 and started it with the plop boot manager. (boot flag 80h/L2 to hda partition 4)
grub2 started without problem

[starbright]

Mh, as you have seen the sda6 bootsector and I have installed Linux 3 times, this will be one of the riddles of the universe ...
Anyhow, thanks for you help - in one of the Laptops it is working fine.

[Elmar]

post the mbr too "sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=mbr.bin count=1"

[starbright]

Sorry for the Xmas-delay ... here both, mbr (sda) and bootsector (sda6).

Setup Profiles Shows:
Label: Linux
Shown in Menu: yes
Linked Partitions:
HDA          Don't touch
               Don't touch
               Don't touch
       *80H Don't touch L2
HDB ....

[Elmar]

post sda4 too

[Elmar]

i installed now ubuntu 10.10 and i know now whats the problem. when you install ubuntu to sda6, then the partitioner creates an extended partition in the first extended partition. so you have in the first extended partition the entry of the logical sda5 partition and an entry to a second extended partition. the second extended partition has the entry of the logical partition sda6.

such an multiple extended partition layout is not supported by the plop boot manager 5.0.x
sda6 must be in the first extended partition to be able to boot from it with the plop boot manager.

regards
elmar

[starbright]

Thanks, Elmar. I even didn't know about this construction.
I will try to install it this way.

[Icecube]

fixparts might be able to fix your partiton layout:
http://www.rodsbooks.com/fixparts/