[colug-432] Problem with Grub2

[Stephen P. Molnar]

On 09/30/2012 02:12 PM, Rick Hornsby wrote:
>
> On Sep 30, 2012, at 12:37 PM, Stephen P. Molnar wrote:
>
>> I have just revamped my Linux platform and have a question about grub2.
>>
>> I have two distributions installed and would like to change the order of
>> selection on the boot screen.  It used to be simple with grub, only
>> changing the order of the entries in menu.lst
>
>
> I think it will depend on which distro you're talking about that is managing the bootloader.
>
> I don't have Grub2 in front of me, but a quick google search turns up that /etc/default/grub seems to be where you want to look (yeah, odd that that it isn't in /boot) for Ubuntu.
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#File_Structure
>
> ---
> File Structure
> GRUB 2 incorporates a totally revised directory and file hierarchy. The major GRUB 2 folders include /etc/grub.d, which contains the main GRUB 2 scripts, and /boot/grub, which contains the GRUB 2 modules and menu file (grub.cfg). User customizations are normally made to the/etc/default/grub file.
>
> Boot Display Behavior
> GRUB 2 loads before any operating system. Its modular components are loaded on an as-needed basis. Menu display behavior is generally determined by settings in /etc/default/grub. Review the "Configuring GRUB 2" section for specific entry and formatting guidance.
>
> Initial Default
> 	• GRUB 2 will boot straight into the default operating system if no other operating system is detected. No menu will be displayed. If another operating system is detected, the GRUB 2 menu will display.
>
> Timed Display
> 	• The menu is displayed for a predetermined number of seconds. The default entry is highlighted and other selections may be made by the user until the timeout expires. The default timeout is 10 seconds. The timer continues until any key is pressed or the highlighted entry is selected by pressing ENTER. If no user input is made GRUB 2 boots the default entry at the end of the timeout period.
>
> 	• Once a key has been pressed the timeout is deactivated and the user must make a selection manually.
> 	• The default entry is determined by the GRUB_DEFAULT= setting in /etc/default/grub; the first "menuentry" has a value of "0".
> ---
>
>
>
> On Sep 30, 2012, at 12:37 PM, Stephen P. Molnar wrote:
>
>> I have just revamped my Linux platform and have a question about grub2.
>>
>> I have two distributions installed and would like to change the order of
>> selection on the boot screen.  It used to be simple with grub, only
>> changing the order of the entries in menu.lst
>>
>> Now, unfortunately for os deficient individuals such as myself it seems
>> to be a tad more complicated, at least that's the impression that I get
>> from a Google search.  There doesn't seem to be any sort of menu list,
>> at least I can't seem to find one.
>>
>> So the question is whether there is a fool (myself) proof way to select
>> which system gets started if no initial user action is taken during the
>> boot process?
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> --
>> Stephen P. Molnar, Ph.D.          Life is a fuzzy set
>> Foundation for Chemistry          Stochastic and multivariate
>> www.FoundationForChemistry.com
>> (614)312-7528 (c)
>> Skype:  smolnar1
>> _______________________________________________
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>> colug-432 at colug.net
>> http://lists.colug.net/mailman/listinfo/colug-432
>
>
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>
Thanks for the reply.

The situation is a bit complicated in that I have both OpenSUSE 12.2 and 
Debian 6.0.5 (both 64 bit).

Due to the fact that several of my quantum chem applications no longer 
want to run in OpenSUSE I have switched over to Debian (after extensive 
playing with in a VM on my laptop).

I thought that I was installing Debian on the HD partition that already 
had OpenSUSE 12.1, but that was not the case (I'm still wondering just 
why that happened).  After several failed attempts to install Debian I 
upgraded OpenSUSE 12.1 to 12.2 and, wonder of wonders, Debian was a boot 
choice in the 12.2 boot menu.

I have plenty of HD space on the platform so I'm not worried about 
having 2 Linux distributions, but I want to boot into Debian, hence I 
want that to be the first choice.

At any rate I appreciate your assistance

-- 
Stephen P. Molnar, Ph.D.          Life is a fuzzy set
Foundation for Chemistry          Stochastic and multivariate
www.FoundationForChemistry.com
(614)312-7528 (c)
Skype:  smolnar1