Linux Strangeness

[laura_seabrook]

OK, I got both SUSE and Ubuntu installed. But - here's the rub - it seems that it's difficult to have a multiple boot system.

I installed SUSE first and then Ubuntu, after which the SUSE Grub got replaced by the Ubuntu one. OK as far as it goes, but it kept on giving a "file not found" error. I found that the reason was that SUSE had updated the files it boots with and changed the numbers on them accordingly, so the Ubuntu Grub was looking for the old file. Eventually I edited the entry manually and change the file names but only after I'd downloaded and installed something called KGRUBEDITOR. I rebooted and SUSE loaded fine. Then I discovered that the SUSE Grub took over when you rebooted from SUSE, and that gave "file not found" errors for Ubuntu!

Seems to be a comedy of errors. I've actually created a Grub partition just for the thing, but I need to get one of them working properly first! Ubuntu mysteriously won't read/write to my USB stick (formatted as FAT32) otherwise I'd make a copy of menu.lst and see what was wrong. Sigh - it's awfully confusing only half knowing what I'm doing. Kevin is some help but assumes that I know that which I don't know.

No wonder Linux hasn't driven Windows into the ground, when configuring it is a maze of archaic commands and little known facts! At least I can still boot to Windows.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

This sounds like SUSE is not playing nice with others.

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

Quite so. I found a few links today that helped, like
A dedicated GRUB partition (http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/grub/grubpartition.htm);
Ubuntu and SUSE dual boot (http://suneel331.blogspot.com/2007/10/ubuntu-and-suse-linux-dual-boot-setup.html)
I also bought an APC magazine with SUSE 11.1 on it. I think, considering I haven't done much with either yet, that it'd be easier to reinstall them, and put grub into a separate partition.