GRUB is all better

By the way, I finally got my grub file working, with some initial help from rancorbeast. I used a Ubuntu 10.04 Server disc that I picked up at GHC. My current grub (with most of the comments edited out for ease of reading):

default 0

timeout 20

# hiddenmenu

title Ubuntu 10.04

uuid 97da0f78-1a67-4dfa-9239-70cf44363b26

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-25-generic root=UUID=97da0f78-1a67-4dfa-9239-70cf44363b26 ro

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-25-generic

quiet

title Recovery mode (Ubuntu 10.04)

uuid 97da0f78-1a67-4dfa-9239-70cf44363b26

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-25-generic root=UUID=97da0f78-1a67-4dfa-9239-70cf44363b26 ro single

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-25-generic

title Windows 7

root (hd0,0)

savedefault

makeactive

chainloader +1

----

As you can see, I'm not using a splash page, and I have Ubuntu and Windows 7 dual-booting. My grub menu is not hidden but if it were I would have a nice long 20-second delay so it wouldn't catch me by surprise on its way by.

I have a somewhat haphazardly partitioned hard drive; originally the machine (Thinkpad T400 and I love it) came with Vista. I installed Ubuntu 10.04, then did a clean install of Windows 7 over Vista. Naturally this trashed my grub menu and I had to go get it back, etc., see above. Of course what update-grub created had duplicates of everything, a link to a nonfunctional grub2 loader and a memtest, and no Windows. So I fiddled, and now it's all better. -shrug- Not complicated, but a good thing to play with.

W7 running hot

For some reason W7 is running hot. Not hot enough to make me freak out and pull the cord and battery, like Ubuntu did that one time when I was fiddling. But hot enough that I've installed and am playing with SpeedFan. http://www.almico.com/sffaq.php

New W7 -> go reinstall grub

I'd forgotten how long it takes to install Windows, even W7. I read a freaking book in less than the time that it took to install, goddammit. (I Shall Wear Midnight by Pratchett) But it's done now. When I have time I'll re-dl all the programs that I like to have...

For now, though, my first task is to re-enable GRUB. Dammit, Windows. I forgot that it did that. At least it's easy to undo.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/ubuntu/reinstall-ubuntu-grub-bootloader-after-windows-wipes-it-out/

Also, playing with run>compmgmt.msc is fun.

.iso (windows)

The unpaid version of MagicISO is basically useless. I use InfraRecorder, which is simple and fast and makes me happy. http://infrarecorder.org/ Opensource ftw.

I'm very happy to have a legal version of W7; they're so damn handy. Right now it's burning from my external to a DVD, and it's working just excellently.

New OS time

My intelligent but not a CS geek roommate updated her Ubuntu partition, and then happened to reboot. And... after login, she gets a completely blank screen. After a while, the default wallpaper loads. Wait as long as you like; nothing else happens.

I booted into a root shell and poked around a bit, but didn't make any definitive change to the problem. I gave her an openSUSE cd that I picked up at GHC, and last I saw her she was backing up a couple files preparatory to a full wipe and install.

Because a couple days ago, a virus hosed her Windows partition (I guess McAfee isn't perfect, lol) and (despite rancorbeast, Ben, and I fiddling with it- and replacing corrupted kernel32 and setup32 etc with uncorrupted local versions and hopefully-functional downloaded versions) she gave up on it.

Well, hell.

I, on the other hand, this morning acquired a (MSDN legal! ftw!) version and key of Windows 7 and I plan to burn it to disc and keep it handy for my inevitable needs. Maybe I'll make a VM on Ubuntu and load it there.

My Ubuntu partition (10.04) is behaving well, and I don't plan to update to 10.10 for a while yet, since this is the machine that I use all the time and I hear that there are some fun bugs that I don't really want to play with at the moment.