Re: any way to modify grub from windows?

[Treutwein Bernhard]

I would like to add, that under W2K and XP it is possible
to mount the (small) FAT partition in an NTFS volume
without wasting yet another drive letter ...

see:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnfiles/html
/ntfs2.asp (search for "mounting", the important
section is in the last quarter of that chapter).

> -----Original Message-----
> 
> Message: 1
> To: David Fallon <address@hidden>
> Cc: address@hidden
> Subject: Re: any way to modify grub from windows?
> From: "Patrick J. LoPresti" <address@hidden>
> Date: 20 Aug 2002 09:28:39 -0400
> 
> David Fallon <address@hidden> writes:
> 
> > So, I'm trying to setup an environment where I can remotely control
> > dual booting machines, so I can remotely trigger which os
> > (windows/linux) a machine boots up in. I'm trying to do this by
> > setting the default boot in grub. Of the four possible configs
> > (linux -> windows, linux -> linux, windows -> windows, windows ->
> > linux), the only one I have problems with is the last one. So, my
> > question is this: Is it possible to compile/run grub with the cygwin
> > environment installed (or in general, will it compile on windows)?
> > Alternatively, anyone have another suggestions? A windows equiv. to
> > grub would be great, as well - there seem to be a few programs that
> > will write to the MBR, but they all seem to be shareware.  Any help
> > would be greatly appreciated....
> 
> Here is one way.
> 
> You can store menu.lst on a FAT partition.  GRUB can read FAT, and
> Windows and Linux will let you write FAT, so you will be able to
> modify menu.lst from either OS.  FAT is a horrible filesystem, though,
> so you probably want to format most of your Windows world using NTFS
> and only create a small FAT partition specifically for GRUB.
> 
> GRUB itself can even read from "hidden" partitions, which means you
> can hide this FAT partition so that it does not consume a useless
> drive letter.  Unfortunately, Windows will not let you mount a hidden
> partition, and to recognize a change from hidden to unhidden requires
> a reboot (I think).  So you may end up having to reboot twice to get
> from Windows to Linux.  The procedure would be something like this:
> 
>   (1) If partition is hidden:
>       (a) unhide it
>       (b) arrange to restart this procedure after reboot
>       (c) reboot
> 
>   (2) Edit menu.lst (to boot Linux) and reboot.
> 
> For step (1a), you will need a Windows tool to unhide the partition.
> FreeDOS fdisk might work, although I do not know whether it can
> function from a DOS box.
> 
> Step (1b) requires patching the registry; do a Google search on
> "RunOnce" and "AutoAdminLogon".
> 
> Of course, if the extra drive letter does not bother you, or if you
> can find a way to access a hidden FAT partition from Windows, you can
> avoid all of this complexity.
> 
> If only GRUB could read NTFS...
> 
>  - Pat
>