DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

Help restoring Grub.

11 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/help-restoring-grub.70838/

Dark Star
Dark Star Original post #1
Oct 16, 2007 at 8:20 PM
Ok Installed Mandriva 08 .. It took away my Ubuntu Grub .. Well now Mandriva even not working :mad: It nly works just after I install it and after 2 bot I end up in GDM hangs. :mad: Sucks.. Well thats not the point how can I restore my past fiesty grub so that I can use till my Cd arrives..;)
QwertyManiac
Oct 16, 2007 at 8:25 PM
You should have known that, or should have searched it at least, being so good at Linux here. There've been so many threads on this ... :(

Anyway, the procedure is:

Easy and Dumb:
1. Boot your computer up with Ubuntu CD
2. Go through all the process until you reach "[!!!] Disk Partition"
3. Select Manual Partition
4. Mount your appropriate Linux partitions

/
/boot
swap
.....

5. DO NOT FORMAT THEM.
6. Finish the manual partition
7. Say "Yes" when it asks you to save the changes
8. It will give you errors saying that "the system couldn't install ....." after that
9. Ignore them, keep select "continue" until you get back to the Ubuntu installation menu
10. Jump to "Install Grub ...."
11. Once it is finished, just restart your computer
Smart:
1. Pop in the Live CD, boot from it until you reach the desktop.
2. Open a terminal window or switch to a tty.
3. Type "grub"
4. Type "root (hd0,6)", or whatever your harddisk + boot partition numbers are (my /boot is at /dev/sda7, which translates to hd0,6 for grub).
5. Type "setup (hd0)", ot whatever your harddisk nr is.
6. Quit grub by typing "quit".
7. Reboot.

Evergreen topic - *ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-24113.html
Dark Star
Oct 16, 2007 at 8:31 PM
^^ My bad:p But still help is always appreciated and now I'll not forget it :)
QwertyManiac
Oct 16, 2007 at 8:35 PM
Just be careful if you got multiple hard-drives :)
vish786
vish786 #5
Oct 16, 2007 at 10:04 PM
always bakup ur old menu.lst file.
infra_red_dude
Oct 16, 2007 at 10:31 PM
Shashwat, I think you had the same problem a few months ago rite? At least you should've been more careful this time.

Were you able to solve this problem?
Dark Star
Oct 16, 2007 at 10:41 PM
Ya did solved :) and I had same prob months ago :p Well how to merge 2 grub menus.. I mean when open SUSe mandriva sk me to install grub should I install it in the same HDD of Ubuntu 1 :?
QwertyManiac
Oct 16, 2007 at 10:45 PM
You're installing it onto the MBR right? If so yeah, you have to let it overwrite and hope that it detects the Ubuntu too.

Else, after you get inside SUSE/Mandriva/Whatever open the Ubuntu partition and see the menu.lst there and paste the required entries to the acting distro's Grub's menu.lst as required.
infra_red_dude
Oct 16, 2007 at 11:17 PM
The best thing would be NOT to let mandriva install GRUB onto MBR. Instead let it reside on the boot partition. Then you can manually edit the grub menu list in you ubuntu and add the mandriva entry.
Pathik
Pathik #10
Oct 20, 2007 at 11:23 AM
^^ Another option wd be not to install Mandriva's GRUB at all..
So that u dont have to pass thru two bootloaders to get to Mandriva...
Or keep the Mandriva bootloaders default OS as Mandriva and keep the waiting time 0 secs..
infra_red_dude
Oct 20, 2007 at 5:30 PM
^^^ I think I said the same thing about not installing Mandriva Grub! :)