boots again since sabayon 5.5 [Solved]

[tuxabayon]

Edit: boots again since Sabayon version 5.5

First of all, thank to developers for a such great distribution. I'm using it about three years. With precompiled desktop applications it's good solution for many linux users, especialy for gentoo fans.
The last my used version of Sabayon was 5.1-r1. This summer I tryed install newer one. In more little and concrete words, just wanted to notice about results...

1 Partitions:
sda1 - windows
sda2 - linux 1 bootloader
sda3 - linux 2 bootloader
sda4 - extended
sda5 - linux swap
sda6 - linux 1 root
sda7 - linux 2 root
sda8 - data

2 Sabayon versions:
sabayon 5.2 - kde and gnome
sabayon 5.3 - kde and gnome
sabayon testing - 08.11, gnome

3 On MBR (Master Boot Record) the boot manager is installed, which points to windows and two linux boot partitions.
Tryed two up-to-date boot managers and Sabayon versions mentioned above. Boot partition of those versions is not recognised as "bootable" by them.
But Sabayon 5.1-r1 and lower are recognised as "bootable".

Found that since 5.2, Sabayon started to use grub2, instead of grub legacy. Maybe that is related with "unbootable" partiton state...

[Fitzcarraldo]

If I understand you correctly, you are trying to have:

/boot for SL 5.2 on sda2
/root for SL 5.2 on sda6

/boot for SL 5.3 on sda3
/root for SL 5.3 on sda7

Is my understanding correct?

What primary boot manager are you using, i.e. what boot manager's initial code is in the MBR? Windows XP boot manager? Windows Vista boot manager? Windows 7 boot manager? Grub Legacy? Grub2? GAG?... Did you set up the chainloading of one boot manager to the other? Have a look at the following tutorial on chainloading Grub2 from Grub Legacy (or vice versa): Dual boot: two operating systems with GRUB legacy & GRUB 2 mix in case it gives you some ideas.

I would suggest using the Windows boot manager as the primary boot manager (i.e. the initial stage boot code in the MBR is part of the Windows boot manager) and use it to chainload Grub2 Stage 1 code in each of the two boot partitions you have set up (sda2 and sda3). So, when you boot the PC you see the Windows boot manager menu with three options: 1. Windows, 2. SL 5.2, 3. SL 5.3. If you select e.g. the second item in the list then the Windows boot manager would chainload the Stage 1 Grub2 code installed on sda2 which would, in turn, display a Grub2 menu from which you select the SL 5.2 installation. (Actually, depending on how you set it up, that Grub2 menu could display all the OSs or just the OS you want.) In summary, what I'm suggesting is: a) install the Windows boot manager (see HOWTO: Dual boot Sabayon Linux and Windows); b) install SL 5.2 and select the Grub2 Stage 1 code to be installed on sda2, not the MBR (and select sda6 for /root); c) install SL 5.3 and select the Grub2 Stage 1 code to be installed on sda3, not the MBR (and select sda7 for /root).

[tuxabayon]

On MBR, boot manager "boot-us" is installed. Tryed "acronis", but it didn't found grub2 too.
Windows os is WindowsXP.
I want to have three os on one hdd: windows and two diferent linux, one of them Sabayon. And always had...
The point is, that from version 5.2, Sabayon's boot partition is not recognised as "bootable" by boot managers. Because of that, it can't be in primary boot manager's list...

I will try EasyBCD boot manager, mentioned in your suggested link and write results here.

[Fitzcarraldo]

The point is, that from version 5.2, Sabayon's boot partition is not recognised as "bootable" by boot managers. Because of that, it can't be in primary boot manager's list...

It is certainly recognised by the Windows 7 boot manager, because I'm using the Windows 7 boot manager to chainload Grub2 from SL 5.2+ in a separate boot partition. I can't say for other boot managers as I have not tried them, but I'm sure there are other SL users who have multi boot installations with SL 5.2 and 5.3. The information and link given in the post Re: Sabayon 5.2_64 installation from live disk. Brkn. Grub. may also be of help to you.

Also, as Grub2 is very fiddly to use, you might find the post Re: Questions regarding the functional design of Grub2 worth noting for future reference.

[tuxabayon]

Maybe "easyBCD" works on Windows Vista or 7, but on XP it didn't even install on MBR...

And yeah: grub2 for me too seems "strangely", if to speak in gentle words. The question arise about it: what a hell is in grub2 installation proccess code, that it is undetectable by many boot managers and less compactible than grub legacy...

Ok. Will read other links with similar topics. It seems, that for successful install, additional parameters for grub2 must be specified.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Yup, my mistake, EasyBCD doesn't work for Windows XP as Windows XP uses the NTLDR bootloader, not the Windows Boot Manager bootloader. Windows XP does not have a BCD, only Windows Vista and 7. Have you tried using (Stage 1 code of) Grub Legacy as the bootloader in the MBR? Perhaps you'd have more success with that. (BTW, not that you are using Grub2 in the MBR, but it seems that some Windows applications make Grub2 unbootable because they overwrite part of the Grub2 code in the MBR, so Grub2 as the primary bootloader would not be the best choice anyway.)

[tuxabayon]

The problem described in this topic is solved: Sabayon successfully boots again since version 5.5, thanks to Sabayon creators