Change OS boot selection
Bill Geneau
I would like help changing the default boot OS.
I recently updated Ubuntu etc. on my HP Mini. The computer had been
originally configured to open a OS selection screen, and after a short
time continue and boot Win-XP (labeled Vista) that had been set as the
default for boot.
After the update, now I find the default boot is incorrect. Two new
selections have been added to the list of boot selections. I now want to
set Linux as the default boot OS, after a 20 second wait period. I would
appreciate instructions on how to set the selection after startup to the
FIRST Line shown below, which appears to be the most recent Ubuntu update.
Is this a good time to remove any un-necessary items in the "selection"
list.
Following are the 2 screens that appear at startup.
Screen 1;
F9 � To change boot device order
F10 � Bios setup options
Screen 2;
GNU GRUB VERSION 1.97~beta4
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-17-Generic
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-17-Generic (Recovery mode)
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-14-Generic
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-14-Generic (Recovery mode)
Memory test (memtest86+)
Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)
Windows Vista (loader) (on /DEV/SD1)
Use the �UP� and �down� arrow keys to select which entry is highlighted.
Press enter to boot the selected OS, �e� to edit the commands before
booting or �c� for a command line.
After 20 seconds it automatically begins a memory test, �Memory test
(memtest86+)� is highlighted after startup. I can press esc to interrupt
the memory test and return to the �boot selection screen.�
Thank you
Bill
Curtis Nixon
open a terminal ...Appliacations > Accessories > terminal
type in "gksudo gedit /boob/grub/grub.cfg" without quotes
find the line that starts
menuentry "Windows xp/vista/etc et al whatever happens to really be here" {
and highlight till you get to the next closed curly bracket
}
should be about 4 or 5 lines...again no dual boot so can't tell you exactly.
Now, cut that set of info and then paste it about your
menuentry "ubuntu......." {
save and reboot. be careful..if you screw it up, you'll have to boot with a livecd to repair.
Peace
Hi,
I would like help changing the default boot OS.
I recently updated Ubuntu etc. on my HP Mini. The computer had been originally configured to open a OS selection screen, and after a short time continue and boot Win-XP (labeled Vista) that had been set as the default for boot.
After the update, now I find the default boot is incorrect. Two new selections have been added to the list of boot selections. I now want to set Linux as the default boot OS, after a 20 second wait period. I would appreciate instructions on how to set the selection after startup to the FIRST Line shown below, which appears to be the most recent Ubuntu update.
Is this a good time to remove any un-necessary items in the "selection" list.
Following are the 2 screens that appear at startup.
Screen 1;
F9 – To change boot device order
F10 – Bios setup options
Screen 2;
GNU GRUB VERSION 1.97~beta4
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-17-Generic
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-17-Generic (Recovery mode)
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-14-Generic
UBUNTU LINUX 2.6.31-14-Generic (Recovery mode)
Memory test (memtest86+)
Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)
Windows Vista (loader) (on /DEV/SD1)
Use the “UP” and “down” arrow keys to select which entry is highlighted.
Press enter to boot the selected OS, “e” to edit the commands before booting or “c” for a command line.
After 20 seconds it automatically begins a memory test, “Memory test (memtest86+)” is highlighted after startup. I can press esc to interrupt the memory test and return to the “boot selection screen.”
Thank you
Bill
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Curtis Nixon
menuentry "ubuntu ....",.....not about
Chris Craig
> Hi,
> I would like help changing the default boot OS.
> Is this a good time to remove any un-necessary items in the "selection"
> list.
Once you've determined that a newer kernel runs correctly, you can use
synaptic to remove the older kernels and this should clean up the entry
for that kernel in the file that grub uses to give the boot list. The
same script that adds new kernel lines when they're installed will also
delete entries for kernels that have been removed.
The file that grub uses is /boot/grub/menu.lst and this file can be
edited manually to change the desired boot options. It's pretty well
documented, and fairly straightforward. Here's a guide to doing what you
want:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto/ChangeDefaultOS
--
Chris Craig
Chris Irwin
> type in "gksudo gedit /boob/grub/grub.cfg" without quotes
Note that changes to /boot/grub/grub.cfg are not persistent as that is a
generated file that gets discarded on kernel updates (which is likely
what happened here).
Bill, what I did to that other laptop you had at the last meeting was
this:
sudo ln -s /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober /etc/grub.d/09_os-prober
This causes the update-grub script to probe for other operating systems
before probing for Ubuntu's kernels. You'll also have a "Windows" entry
at the end still since we didn't move the file that apt tracks (You
could redirect it with dpkg, but I thought the simpler approach is
easier to undo if you change your mind).
Open a terminal like Curtis suggested (Accessories > Terminal) and run
that line above.
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Chris Irwin
e: ch...@chrisirwin.ca
w: http://chrisirwin.ca
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Chris Irwin
> The file that grub uses is /boot/grub/menu.lst and this file can be
> edited manually to change the desired boot options. It's pretty well
> documented, and fairly straightforward. Here's a guide to doing what you
> want:
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto/ChangeDefaultOS
Ubuntu Karmic now uses grub2, and generates instead /boot/grub/grub.cfg
(instead of menu.lst) based on output from /etc/grub.d/* and variables
in /etc/default/grub
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2
Actually, upon reading that I just found out you can specify your
default boot option by name as well as by ID (menu.lst only had ID). So
by setting the following value in /etc/default/grub:
GRUB_DEFAULT="Windows Vista (loader) (on /DEV/SD1)"
It should boot to windows regardless of what it's numeric ID is, and
without the ln command I gave before.
Also interesting in that you can specify 'saved' (without quotes) as an
option to have it remember what you did last.
Chris Craig
> On Sat, 2010-01-09 at 22:01 -0500, Curtis Nixon wrote:
> Bill, what I did to that other laptop you had at the last meeting was
> this:
>
> sudo ln -s /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober /etc/grub.d/09_os-prober
>
> This causes the update-grub script to probe for other operating systems
> before probing for Ubuntu's kernels. You'll also have a "Windows" entry
> at the end still since we didn't move the file that apt tracks (You
> could redirect it with dpkg, but I thought the simpler approach is
> easier to undo if you change your mind).
>
> Open a terminal like Curtis suggested (Accessories > Terminal) and run
> that line above.
If you notice Bill is running Grub 1.97~beta4 not Grub 2, so this
doesn't help him. He needs to edit /boot/grub/menu.lst.
--
Chris Craig
Chris Irwin
> If you notice Bill is running Grub 1.97~beta4 not Grub 2, so this
> doesn't help him. He needs to edit /boot/grub/menu.lst.
Grub 1.97~beta4 *is* grub2. Grub1 is currently at 0.97 (somewhat
coincidentally).
Chris Craig
> Grub 1.97~beta4 *is* grub2. Grub1 is currently at 0.97 (somewhat
> coincidentally).
Ah, well that figures, it's a gnu project :P
Sorry for the noise...
--
Chris Craig
Chris Irwin
> Chris Irwin wrote:
> > Grub 1.97~beta4 *is* grub2. Grub1 is currently at 0.97 (somewhat
> > coincidentally).
>
> Ah, well that figures, it's a gnu project :P
I've never understood weird version schemes. Grub1 (now "Grub Legacy")
has been around since 1999 and apparently never made it to 1.0 despite
being a rather important piece of a number of distributions for quite a
few years. Grub2 will probably never hit 2.0.
At some point several years ago I would have said "It does what it is
supposed to" and call it 1.0...