How can I chainload GRUB on another drive?












2















I have two pen drives. On one I have a full install of Arch GNU/Linux. This install is compatible with both EFI systems and BIOS systems; it has a GPT drive with a BIOS Compatibility Region and an EFI partition. GRUB2 is installed as an EFI application in the EFI partition, and it is also embedded into the BIOS Compatibility Region. On the second pen drive, I have an MBR and a FAT32 partition that fills the entire drive.



I have a BIOS computer (an XPS 13 that came preinstalled with Windows 7) that refuses to boot the GPT drive, despite the fact that I have successfully booted using the BIOS Compatibility Region on other computers. The only explanation is that there is a bug in the computer's BIOS; therefore, I've tried updating the BIOS, to no avail. I've also set the bootable flag on the Protective MBR's GPT partition - this did nothing. I've called Dell technical support, and went through 3 departments until they eventually wanted me to pay $60 to have one of their support guys help me work around a bug in their own BIOS. I declined. Because of all this, I've decided that fixing the BIOS is a dead end.



What I want to do instead is use the second pen drive to chainload the first, since if a drive has an MBR, the BIOS will boot it just fine. I don't care how this is done. It can be done using Syslinux, GRUB2, or some other specialized tool. I would prefer to not have to create another partition on the drive to house config files, but I doubt this will be possible. I've tried messing around with Syslinux's chain32 command (IIRC, that's what it's called), but it seems like this can only do stuff on the same drive. Likewise with GRUB's chainload +1. I've fiddled with all this endlessly, but with no luck. I've Googled, but haven't found anything useful.



So: how can I chainload a GRUB installation that resides on a separate drive?










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    I have two pen drives. On one I have a full install of Arch GNU/Linux. This install is compatible with both EFI systems and BIOS systems; it has a GPT drive with a BIOS Compatibility Region and an EFI partition. GRUB2 is installed as an EFI application in the EFI partition, and it is also embedded into the BIOS Compatibility Region. On the second pen drive, I have an MBR and a FAT32 partition that fills the entire drive.



    I have a BIOS computer (an XPS 13 that came preinstalled with Windows 7) that refuses to boot the GPT drive, despite the fact that I have successfully booted using the BIOS Compatibility Region on other computers. The only explanation is that there is a bug in the computer's BIOS; therefore, I've tried updating the BIOS, to no avail. I've also set the bootable flag on the Protective MBR's GPT partition - this did nothing. I've called Dell technical support, and went through 3 departments until they eventually wanted me to pay $60 to have one of their support guys help me work around a bug in their own BIOS. I declined. Because of all this, I've decided that fixing the BIOS is a dead end.



    What I want to do instead is use the second pen drive to chainload the first, since if a drive has an MBR, the BIOS will boot it just fine. I don't care how this is done. It can be done using Syslinux, GRUB2, or some other specialized tool. I would prefer to not have to create another partition on the drive to house config files, but I doubt this will be possible. I've tried messing around with Syslinux's chain32 command (IIRC, that's what it's called), but it seems like this can only do stuff on the same drive. Likewise with GRUB's chainload +1. I've fiddled with all this endlessly, but with no luck. I've Googled, but haven't found anything useful.



    So: how can I chainload a GRUB installation that resides on a separate drive?










    share|improve this question
















    bumped to the homepage by Community 4 mins ago


    This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.


















      2












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      I have two pen drives. On one I have a full install of Arch GNU/Linux. This install is compatible with both EFI systems and BIOS systems; it has a GPT drive with a BIOS Compatibility Region and an EFI partition. GRUB2 is installed as an EFI application in the EFI partition, and it is also embedded into the BIOS Compatibility Region. On the second pen drive, I have an MBR and a FAT32 partition that fills the entire drive.



      I have a BIOS computer (an XPS 13 that came preinstalled with Windows 7) that refuses to boot the GPT drive, despite the fact that I have successfully booted using the BIOS Compatibility Region on other computers. The only explanation is that there is a bug in the computer's BIOS; therefore, I've tried updating the BIOS, to no avail. I've also set the bootable flag on the Protective MBR's GPT partition - this did nothing. I've called Dell technical support, and went through 3 departments until they eventually wanted me to pay $60 to have one of their support guys help me work around a bug in their own BIOS. I declined. Because of all this, I've decided that fixing the BIOS is a dead end.



      What I want to do instead is use the second pen drive to chainload the first, since if a drive has an MBR, the BIOS will boot it just fine. I don't care how this is done. It can be done using Syslinux, GRUB2, or some other specialized tool. I would prefer to not have to create another partition on the drive to house config files, but I doubt this will be possible. I've tried messing around with Syslinux's chain32 command (IIRC, that's what it's called), but it seems like this can only do stuff on the same drive. Likewise with GRUB's chainload +1. I've fiddled with all this endlessly, but with no luck. I've Googled, but haven't found anything useful.



      So: how can I chainload a GRUB installation that resides on a separate drive?










      share|improve this question
















      I have two pen drives. On one I have a full install of Arch GNU/Linux. This install is compatible with both EFI systems and BIOS systems; it has a GPT drive with a BIOS Compatibility Region and an EFI partition. GRUB2 is installed as an EFI application in the EFI partition, and it is also embedded into the BIOS Compatibility Region. On the second pen drive, I have an MBR and a FAT32 partition that fills the entire drive.



      I have a BIOS computer (an XPS 13 that came preinstalled with Windows 7) that refuses to boot the GPT drive, despite the fact that I have successfully booted using the BIOS Compatibility Region on other computers. The only explanation is that there is a bug in the computer's BIOS; therefore, I've tried updating the BIOS, to no avail. I've also set the bootable flag on the Protective MBR's GPT partition - this did nothing. I've called Dell technical support, and went through 3 departments until they eventually wanted me to pay $60 to have one of their support guys help me work around a bug in their own BIOS. I declined. Because of all this, I've decided that fixing the BIOS is a dead end.



      What I want to do instead is use the second pen drive to chainload the first, since if a drive has an MBR, the BIOS will boot it just fine. I don't care how this is done. It can be done using Syslinux, GRUB2, or some other specialized tool. I would prefer to not have to create another partition on the drive to house config files, but I doubt this will be possible. I've tried messing around with Syslinux's chain32 command (IIRC, that's what it's called), but it seems like this can only do stuff on the same drive. Likewise with GRUB's chainload +1. I've fiddled with all this endlessly, but with no luck. I've Googled, but haven't found anything useful.



      So: how can I chainload a GRUB installation that resides on a separate drive?







      grub2 boot-loader uefi syslinux






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      edited Apr 21 '14 at 0:43









      Braiam

      23.4k1977140




      23.4k1977140










      asked Apr 21 '14 at 0:20









      strugeestrugee

      8,1991254102




      8,1991254102





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          You won't chainload UEFI bootloader from BIOS bootloader. You can chainload a BIOS bootloader using EDK2 refind build though.



          http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/principles.html
          http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/






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            You won't chainload UEFI bootloader from BIOS bootloader. You can chainload a BIOS bootloader using EDK2 refind build though.



            http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/principles.html
            http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/






            share|improve this answer




























              0














              You won't chainload UEFI bootloader from BIOS bootloader. You can chainload a BIOS bootloader using EDK2 refind build though.



              http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/principles.html
              http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/






              share|improve this answer


























                0












                0








                0







                You won't chainload UEFI bootloader from BIOS bootloader. You can chainload a BIOS bootloader using EDK2 refind build though.



                http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/principles.html
                http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/






                share|improve this answer













                You won't chainload UEFI bootloader from BIOS bootloader. You can chainload a BIOS bootloader using EDK2 refind build though.



                http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/principles.html
                http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered Apr 21 '14 at 22:33









                Michael ShigorinMichael Shigorin

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