Hello, everyone. I recently configured a Dell PC using PartitionMagic and
BootMagic to allow either the booting of Windows XP Professional or Red
Hat Linux 9.0. I used Partition Magic 8.0 to set up EXT3 partitions for
RH 9.0. During the RH 9.0 install from CD I elected to have Grub
installed in the /boot directory rather than the MBR since I am using
BootMagic. BootMagic is launched fine and I can choose either OS to
boot. If I choose Linux, I next obtain the Grub screen. This is
redundant. I would like to keep BootMagic on the MBR and eliminate Grub.
Does anyone know the solution? Thanks for your time and comment.
Sincerely,

John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil
Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20375-5337

J. B. Wood wrote:

> boot.**If*I*choose*Linux,*I*next*obtain*the*Grub*s creen.**This*is
> redundant.**I*would*like*to*keep*BootMagic*on*the* MBR*and*eliminate*Grub.
> Does anyone know the solution?**Thanks*for*your*time*and*comment

.... tell bootmagic to boot Linux directly. (btw, i tried
bootmagic and DID NOT like it. i use either system commander
or grub)
..
--
/// Michael J. Tobler: motorcyclist, surfer, skydiver, \\\
\\\ and author: "Inside Linux", "C++ HowTo", "C++ Unleashed" ///
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.

"J. B. Wood" wrote:
>
> Hello, everyone. I recently configured a Dell PC using PartitionMagic and
> BootMagic to allow either the booting of Windows XP Professional or Red
> Hat Linux 9.0. I used Partition Magic 8.0 to set up EXT3 partitions for
> RH 9.0. During the RH 9.0 install from CD I elected to have Grub
> installed in the /boot directory rather than the MBR since I am using
> BootMagic. BootMagic is launched fine and I can choose either OS to
> boot. If I choose Linux, I next obtain the Grub screen. This is
> redundant. I would like to keep BootMagic on the MBR and eliminate Grub.
> Does anyone know the solution? Thanks for your time and comment.
> Sincerely,
>
> John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil
> Naval Research Laboratory
> 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW
> Washington, DC 20375-5337

Edit /boot/grub/grub.conf:

timeout=0
hiddenmenu

/dan

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 10:56:41 -0400, in article
<wood-2210031056410001@jbw-mac.itd.nrl.navy.mil>, J. B. Wood wrote:

First, a disclaimer: I'm not a GRUB expert.

> During the RH 9.0 install from CD I elected to have Grub
> installed in the /boot directory rather than the MBR since I am using
> BootMagic.

I'm not sure of the official terminology for GRUB, but there may be (are?)
two meanings for "install GRUB":

* you put GRUB's files in /boot
* you put GRUB's boot loader in sector 0 of a Linux partition

> I would like to keep BootMagic on the MBR and eliminate Grub.

Here's the question:

Can BootMagic boot a Linux kernel directly or does it rely on
the presence of another bootloader, such as LILO or GRUB?

If it can't boot a Linux kernel directly, you still need an additional
package (e.g., GRUB or LILO.)

> Does anyone know the solution?

If what you really want to do is bypass the menu selection and have it
"just boot", I think one of these will do:

* Configure GRUB so that it saves a default boot entry ("savedefault")
and make sure that default is saved -- you'll have to boot through
GRUB one more time if you haven't previously done this. Then set
GRUB's "default" to "saved"; and "timeout" to "0". You may have
to experiment some. I just tested it on my system, with these
configuration items, and it works on MY system:

# STUFF I COPIED FROM NEAR THE TOP OF /boot/grub/menu.lst
default saved
timeout 0

# STUFF I COPIED FROM NEAR THE END OF /boot/grub/menu.lst
title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.4.22-20031018a
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.22-20031018a root=/dev/hda9 ro
savedefault

I had booted the "20031018a" entry previously, so it was already
the saved default.

* Install LILO; it can be configured to do the same thing.

In either case, you're still going through a secondary bootloader.
However, you don't have to make a selection manually and the added boot
time is very small.

With LILO, you can hold down the [Shift] key just before it loads and get a
menu anyway; this is useful if something goes wrong or you want to boot a
non-default entry. I don't know if GRUB has a similar feature.

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 10:56:41 -0400,
J. B. Wood <wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil> wrote:
> Hello, everyone. I recently configured a Dell PC using PartitionMagic and
> BootMagic to allow either the booting of Windows XP Professional or Red
> Hat Linux 9.0. I used Partition Magic 8.0 to set up EXT3 partitions for
> RH 9.0. During the RH 9.0 install from CD I elected to have Grub
> installed in the /boot directory rather than the MBR since I am using
> BootMagic. BootMagic is launched fine and I can choose either OS to
> boot. If I choose Linux, I next obtain the Grub screen. This is
> redundant. I would like to keep BootMagic on the MBR and eliminate Grub.
> Does anyone know the solution? Thanks for your time and comment.

While I'm not familiar with PM or BM, I doubt they allow you to pass
parameters to the kernel, which is ocassionally useful. It may make
upgrading the kernel a bit of a nuisance as well.

With your setup Grub (or Lilo) is more than adequate, but if you must
use BootMagic, follow the advice of the poster that suggests you set the
timeout to zero in Grub. It will make things much easier for you in the
future.

Michael C.
--
mcsuper5@usol.com http://mcsuper5.freeshell.org/
Registered Linux User #303915 http://counter.li.org/

In article <3F96C1FA.B32181F3@attbi.com>, Daniel Ganek <ganek@attbi.com> wrote:

> "J. B. Wood" wrote:
> >
> > Hello, everyone. I recently configured a Dell PC using PartitionMagic and
> > BootMagic to allow either the booting of Windows XP Professional or Red
> > Hat Linux 9.0. I used Partition Magic 8.0 to set up EXT3 partitions for
> > RH 9.0. During the RH 9.0 install from CD I elected to have Grub
> > installed in the /boot directory rather than the MBR since I am using
> > BootMagic. BootMagic is launched fine and I can choose either OS to
> > boot. If I choose Linux, I next obtain the Grub screen. This is
> > redundant. I would like to keep BootMagic on the MBR and eliminate Grub.
> > Does anyone know the solution? Thanks for your time and comment.
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil
> > Naval Research Laboratory
> > 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW
> > Washington, DC 20375-5337
>
> Edit /boot/grub/grub.conf:
>
> timeout=0
> hiddenmenu
>
> /dan

Hello, and thanks to all for the timely replies. Dan's suggestion took
care of the problem. Sincerely,

John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil
Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20375-5337