urgent help- where to install GRUB, to retain RNR option?

[druid659]

Hi to all,

requesting some urgent help from the kind forum members- I am installing Ubuntu Hardy ( 8.04 ) on my T43, to co-exist with the factory-installed XP version; and the installation is near the end now at the boot config stage. My goal is to retain the option of being able to have the boot option into Rescue-n-Recovery from the GRUB menu.

The problem is Ubuntu installer says at this stage that it has detected XP partition as a preexisting OS, but that's all. No mention of RnR booting possibility. Earlier, while partitioning with the Ubuntu ( alternate CD ) partitioner, a 5gb FAT32 partition was untouched ( I assumed it to be the RnR partition ) and only the free space in hard disk was further partitioned for Linux.

Any ideas on whether I can safely install GRUB on MBR, and retain the option of booting into RnR using the 'Access IBM' button? If not, what is the easisest, complication-free course to install GRUB so that I may be able to use RnR partition when needed.

I would greatly appreciate any quick ideas from the knowledgeable folks,
druid659

[tylerwylie]

As far as I know, it'll put 2 entries in your menu.1st(grub configuration) for 2 OS's. If not, I can show you the relevant section to retain RNR

[druid659]

thanks... well the first installation c**pped out ... the laptop battery had died, and I had disconnected the a/c power ( i feel foolish enough already! )

I will then reinstall as before and hope for the best. If the RnR partition is inaccessible from the grub menu, I shall request for your further help. In the meantime, if anyone has suggestions before I install again, please feel free.

once again, thanks for such a quick response,
druid659

[druid659]

well, I reinstalled the Ubuntu 8.4 LTS with the alternate CD again, and thankfully, when I rebooted the GRUB menu did list the RNR as boot option. So, problem solved , but its not unnatural to get the jitters when you can't easily find the information on whether you're waving goodbye to one of your more reclusive bootable partitions.

While installing, I did a bit of searching on these forums and found out that if you do want to make sure that RNR is not inaccessible one option is to do this during the partitioning phase:
-make your Linux ext3 root partition ( / ) as both a) primary and b) bootable by setting the bootable flag. ( important to do both )

And thereafter in the grub configuration phase:
-choose to install grub in the above mentioned partition instead of the MBR (master boot record ).

This setup will still keep the blue 'Access IBM' button functional ( to kickstart the RNR software ) during startup as the MBR remains untampered. Next, control is transferred to grub in the newly created (primary, bootable) partition. Hope this helps those who are about to leap into installing linux on their beloved thinkpads.

Another great advice I had from one of the forum members was to use Raxco's Perfect disk trial version to consolidate free space on my hard disk prior to installing Linux.

-druid659