[SOLVED] Dual Boot <Two Linux Distros, no Windows>

[Truthfatal]

Here's my problem:

I'm running Fedora Core 3 on my first HD, and I've installed Slackware 10.1 on my second.

I have yet to be able to boot into my newly installed Distro even though my second HD is set to be bootable :?

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 14 9729 78043770 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80060424192 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9733 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 * 1 9609 77184261 83 Linux
/dev/hdb2 9610 9733 996030 82 Linux swap



I've done a search and can't find anything that helps me.

I've looked in my Slackware /boot directory

[root@localhost ~]# mount /dev/hdb1 /mnt/hdb1/
[root@localhost ~]# cd /mnt/hdb1/boot/
[root@localhost boot]# ls
boot.0341 config-ide-2.4.29 README.initrd vmlinuz
boot_message.txt diag1.img System.map vmlinuz-ide-2.4.29
config map System.map-ide-2.4.29
[root@localhost boot]#

as you can see, there is no initrd-ide-2.4.26.img file.
That makes me think I'll have a problem putting

title Slackware 10.1
root (hd0,0) #assuming I copy the appropriate files to (hd0,0)/boot/grub#
kernel /vmlinuz-ide-2.4.29 ro root=/dev/hdb1 quiet
initrd /initrd-ide-2.4.29.img

in my grub.conf file.

Can anyone help, or point me in the direction of help?

[Parcival]

Well, I think you correctly identified the source of your problem. Now the question is why there is no initrd-ide-2.4.29.img, although your grub.conf says there clearly should be one.

I don't know slack so I can't help you on this one and wether you should try to reinstall it or not. However, from what I understand from my previous Gentoo installations I say an initrd file is only necessary with automated kernels, so I would try to manually compile my very own kernel in slack, make the necessary change to grub.conf, and boot this little baby. :D

[retsaw]

Just try it without the initrd and see if it works. You don't need to copy the files to your FC3 partition either, you could just tell grub to read them straight from the Slackware partition.

And have you actually looked at the README.initrd file to see what it says?

[paj12]

Try what retsaw said.

I think, by default, Slackware doesn't use an initrd because I tried to install it on an old server with the root partition on a RAID array and it wouldn't boot without a boot disk.

My question is, your HD's are IDE and assuming the rest of your hardware is pretty standard, why do you need an initrd?

[Truthfatal]

Okay :) I'll try without it. Thenks everyone.


title Slackware 10.1
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.29 ro root=/dev/hdb1

I hope it works :)

(a nice person at linuxquestions.org also suggested removing "quiet" from the kernel line as well :) )

*edit
I works! :D