Wish to have LM 18.3 as Default System on Startup (dual booting)



I suppose I should have done something more to invite a continuance of this ongoing project...like a question? What are the steps necessary to move 18.1 to a lower priority boot while moving 18.3 to the primary?
And of course thanks, Wiz.
Doc
 
Go to your bios and change the boot-deviceorder
 
I've looked carefully at this Toshiba Bios setup and there's more to it Peer. There are 6 choices numbered. #1 priority clearly has 2 within HDD/SSD WDC WDS100T2B0A-00SM50 (S2) and there is no obvious way to see behind that curtain (select and see values). Wiz has hinted at this being a complicated issue. If you know how to do it...say on.

By the way since there is no #2 priority option (it's contained within #1), #3 is USB; #4 is FDD; #5 is CD?DVD; and #6 is LAN. Sorry I can't take a screenshot for you at this bootup juncture.

Thanks for the post!
Doc
 
Hi Dick. I have asked, elsewhere at least twice before if you could write down and let us know the lines in your Grub Menu at bootup.

Last mention was at here https://www.linux.org/threads/store...h-my-original-lm-18-3.23017/page-6#post-69190

... where I said in part, is it like this

GNU GRUB version 2.02~beta2.36ubuntu3.14

Then (I have numbered the lines)

1. Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon 64-bit
2. Advanced Options Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon 64-bit
3. Memory test (memtest86+)
4. Memory test (memtest86+)serial console 115220
5. Linux Mint 18.1 Serena (18.1) (on /dev/sdxy)
6. Advanced Options Linux Mint 18.1 Serena (18.1) (on /dev/sdxy)

(by Chris - for /dev/sdxy substitute your partition and number)

In your case, Sylvia and Serena may be in the opposite positions.

Now we do need to know the complete content, including whether there are lines mentioning Memory Test, so that we can number the lines and make adjustments.

When you boot up the machine and it comes to the Grub Menu, a 10-second counter starts for you to change choice from Linux Mint 18.1 'Serena' Cinnamon (hereafter referred to as Serena) which currently holds Primary Partition, that is, it is first on the menu, to another choice, which in your case is Linux Mint 18.3 'Sylvia' Cinnamon, hereafter referred to as Sylvia.

During the first few seconds, you can just use your down arrow direction key to move down say one, the highlighted line will move and at the same time kill the timer.

You can then write down the complete lines at your leisure, and move the choice highlighted if it is hard to read through.

When complete, you can then choose your Sylvia line and press enter to boot to Sylvia.

I know your hands are giving you a hard time, so if writing is too hard, we can look at a command line approach from Terminal inside a Sylvia session to print the results.

There are at least 5 ways to achieve something like what you would want, and I will run these past us, to see what will best suit your needs.

Wizard
 
Really sorry, Chris...I thought we covered all this back around #104-#106.

It really was a trick to keep going back & forth moving the grub choice so I could write down what's on the screen. Sad there's no option anywhere at this stage of booting to take screenshots.

Anyway, here we go:

GNU Grub Vs.2.02 beta2 36 Ubuntu 3.2
Linux Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 64-bit
Advanced Options forLinux Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 64-bit
Memory Test (memtest 86+)
Memory Test 86+, serial console 115200
Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia (18.3) (on /dev/sdb1)
Advanced Options on Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia (18.3) (on /dev/sdb1)

Then of course there is the line of commands across the bottom of Grub.

Doc
 
Thanks Doc :), no it was the memtest lines I needed in particular, because we have a numbering system on lines.

Linux, in Grub, numbers the lines from 0 (zero), GNU Grub entry is simply the header on the Grub Menu "Page", so what we have is

0 Linux Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 64-bit
1 Advanced Options for Linux Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 64-bit
2 Memory Test (memtest 86+)
3 Memory Test 86+, serial console 115200
4 Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia (18.3) (on /dev/sdb1)
5 Advanced Options for Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia (18.3) (on /dev/sdb1)

What happens with multibooting Linuxes is that the Distro that takes on Primary Partition (numero uno), in its Grub Menu entry, loses the codename (Serena, here) and partition description (/dev/sda1 for your Serena), but on the other hand it picks up on and adds the DE (Desktop Environment) which is Cinnamon, and the architecture of the Distro which is 64-bit. Go figure why :confused:

PREFERRED GOAL

Is to have Sylvia at number one spot on the Grub Menu.

This can be effected in a number of ways.

  1. By installation of and use of, an outside product called Grub Customizer. I do not advocate that for reasons I can detail later or elsewhere.
  2. By booting into Sylvia, using GParted to blow away Serena, and then, while still in the same session, using Timeshift to restore Sylvia, back to its own /dev/sdb1. Near the end of the Timeshift Restore, it will run an update of Grub, find no Serena, and restore Sylvia as sole Distro. Your Grub Menu may vanish, but can be made visible again easily enough.
  3. Wait. Stop running updates on Serena, keep running updates on Sylvia, keep Timeshift scheduled for Sylvia. In an indeterminate period of time, a combination of updates will come along for Sylvia which may include - new kernel, firmware upgrade, and upgrade of grub/grub-signed, which, when completed and rebooted will move Sylvia to top spot.
If you wish to do achieve that Preferred Goal asap, I would advocate Option 3.

Viewers and Helpers should note that while Dick has a Unetbootin stick with Linux Mint 18.3 'Sylvia' Cinnamon and Persistence on it, burned - he has so far been unable to sidestep his BIOS to get it to boot from the stick ahead of the HDD or SSD.

So no stick ability, no fresh install, nor Timeshift restore, if Serena is blown away.

GOAL WORKAROUND

For now, I would describe this as follows:

If Dick wants to have the laptop boot into Sylvia by default, there are at least two (2) options available, both of them involve modifying an existing line in /etc/default/grub, and one adds an additional line to that file. Under either option, they are performed through Serena, not Sylvia.

I will have a 400 km road trip tomorrow, so Dick you may want to try one of these in the meantime and report back on how you find them.

OPTION ONE

In Serena, open /etc/default/grub

Code:
sudo xed /etc/default/grub

About 4 or 5 lines down, past the #'ed (commented) lines, will be your first command line, saying

Code:
GRUB_DEFAULT=0

That tells the Toshiba Satellite to choose Serena by default, because it is at Line 0 (zero) as we saw above.

Change that line to end in a 4, not 0, so it reads

Code:
GRUB_DEFAULT=4

Save changes and exit. If Terminal is still in view, and "hung" from the use of xed, Press Ctrl-c to end it and return you to the prompt.

Then

Code:
sudo update-grub

When that finishes, exit Terminal with "exit", reboot the computer, and it should boot into Sylvia.


OPTION TWO


... involves you deciding that you might like to do a little work in Serena (not likely) as well as Sylvia, and want to set it up so that each time you reboot the computer, it boots to the Distro last used.

Into /etc/default/grub again using xed command, and change that first command line to

Code:
GRUB_DEFAULT=saved

Then while still in there, either Enter to create a new line, or go to the bottom of the file and Enter to create a new line (one or the other) which will say

Code:
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true

Save changes and exit, and then

Code:
sudo update-grub

When that is finished reboot the computer and go in and out of each of Serena and Sylvia to see that the changes take effect.


I use Option One all the time, and each and every one of my 40 Distros on this rig has its /etc/default/grub set up that way. Works for me :D

That's all from me for now, and

@Vrai ;), Mate if you have some ideas by all means voice them, and Dick can consider them.

@Peer nothing wrong with your idea, but Dick has some problems from time to time with navigating between (say) F2 and F12 for one-time boot and full Setup and Save options, so I have opted for an in-Distro solution. I actually used a version of your idea today, when an incomplete installation of Antergos Budgie left me at a black screen with Grub prompt, rebooted, chose Manjaro Xfce and fixed it easy-peasy from there with an "update-grub" command, which in Manjaro is also "update-grub", but for other Arch is

Code:
# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

:D:D

Wiz over and out
 
O.K., did as instructed. But when I went to update grub I got the enclosed message...sorry, I didn't realize that I was answering you in 18.3 while the screenshots were taken in 18.1...and I'm now back in 18.1 & will try again. This 1st one is before I changed to the '4'. As you can see setting grub timeout to a non-zero creates a problem for me.
Screenshot from 2019-05-27 12-44-01.png
Screenshot from 2019-05-27 12-38-41.png


It came up on reboot to the same order with 18.1 in '0' but the cursor was on 18.3 and when selected up comes 18.3. I'm sure you'll have an answer when you return.
Safe trip!
Doc
 
No that's all fine Dick, you're booting by default to Sylvia, yes?

If you want to get rid of that non-fatal warning in Serena's grub, then just boot to Serena, run xed on /etc/default/grub again, and underneath the line that shows the "4", where it currently shows

GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0

place a comment # so

# GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0

Then exit xed, run

sudo update-grub

and you are good.

Reboot and you are back to Sylvia.

Wizard

EDITED - fixed typo with updating grub, should be sudo update-grub. Thanks Dick :D
 
Last edited:
Hi Chris,
I edited (x'd) the timeout. When I go to update the grub though, I'm told that the command is not found???

When I reboot, I am resting on 18.3 as my primary choice!!!...it reboots in normal time for this Toshiba, but it is still listed 4-5 lines down and not in the top spot. That can't be changed? Just a question though since the major issue we were dealing with is apparently solved and I don't want to be nitty.
Doc
 
My bad, Dick, I was in a hurry ... that was

Code:
sudo update-grub

... I missed the hyphen :(:oops:

I have corrected it above for The Viewers.


That can't be changed?

Yes, as you saw in #9 above, there are three (3) methods I can think of easily, but each of the first two (1. & 2.) involves an element of risk:
- on your part ... if you make a mistake, you may break Serena and/or Sylvia and have no way to boot into a working system. If that happened, you could try as Peer suggested at #5 to change the boot device order in your BIOS to boot to Sylvia, but that won't work if it, too has been broken.

- on Mother Nature's part ... you will know that Hurricane Season runs 1 June to 30 November (if Mother Nature has been memo'ed correctly :p) ... if a storm takes out your power in the middle of an operation, it could be detrimental.

The 3rd method, waiting for an update of Sylvia to take it to the top of the leaderboard, to make it Primary Partition, will occur in the fullness of time, but I cannot say how long that is ... less than a year, I expect.

Bear in mind I also said

Viewers and Helpers should note that while Dick has a Unetbootin stick with Linux Mint 18.3 'Sylvia' Cinnamon and Persistence on it, burned - he has so far been unable to sidestep his BIOS to get it to boot from the stick ahead of the HDD or SSD.

So no stick ability, no fresh install, nor Timeshift restore, if Serena is blown away.

If you manage to get a handle on being able to boot from a bootable stick, then we can revisit the options.

For now, you would see, I am sure that
  1. Serena has a working version of Timeshift, so that if Sylvia breaks or you do something that sends it headed south for the winter, you can use it to restore Sylvia from the T5.
  2. With the Option One of mine you have employed, from above, the default boot is to Sylvia, even though it is not at the top of the list.
I wouldn't monkey with that, at least until you return from Stateside.

Wiz
 
Excellent, Chris!!!! It did update.

I'll just be patient until Sylvia updates.

Wiz I'm thinking I'll just hang tight on messing with that unused internal SSD for now. Was going to ask for tutoring on putting 19.1 on it, but thought was that it would be my luck to have a totally new version come out sometime soon and I'd have wished to have it on there instead. Thoughts? (You just might need a breather from Doc for a while!)

Thanks for all you've done for me...and likely a few other Newbies on this same subject.
Dick
Screenshot from 2019-05-29 10-19-00.png
 
Great Dick.

A number of people have experienced problems with 19.1 'Tessa' although I am not one of them.

19.2 'Tina' is on its way, but only at the Beta stage currently. Perhaps we can take a look at that when it is in place.

(You just might need a breather from Doc for a while!)

No comment :D:D:D

Enjoy your Linux and watch out for those hurricanes. Be safe

Chris
 
Hi Chris, 19.2 Tina sounds good to me when you think it's stable. I'll try to stay on top of it and then make a new thread when the time comes.

Thanks for the well wishes. We're in the central mountain region and get whipped by the tail of those storms but usually just some terrific wind and rain. Not bad so far this year and God knows we are grateful for the needed rain...not any for the past 5 months.

Dick
 

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