Boot loader Backup/Restore

[tntcoder]

Hi,

I have a vista partition () on my main boot drive which i need to reinstall sometime soon, this will erase the Grub boot loader im using in the MBR and replace it with microsofts one...

Can anyone recommend a method of backing it up then restoring it once vista is installed?

Any way of doing if from inside a live cd?

Cheers,
Jack

 

[.walls]

No point in backing up the MBR - it's only 512 bytes the most important part is on one of your linux partitions (/boot) - i.e. /boot/grub/menu.lst. It's easily re-written. Change the boot order of your disks so that the linux disk is first, the Vista disk is second. load boot cd and from the terminal:

# mount /dev/<whatever_your_disk_is_e.g.sda2>
# mount /proc proc /mnt/proc
# mount /dev /mnt/dev -o bind
# chroot /mnt /bin/bash <assuming_that_you_use_bash_if_not_tcsh_or_whatever>
# grub

See this post for the rest of it: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11104982&postcount=3 and edit your menu.lst accordingly.
This means that you will never have to faff around again if you decide that you don't like linux any more, you don't have to bother with fixing the vista mbr.

Personally, I do this - even though I will never use windows as my main OS again outside of work... but it's extremely useful if you run your windows install off a scsi card.

EDIT: this is probably a lot more long winded than it needs to be... however, I m quite drunk (friend's birthday)!!!

 

[tntcoder]

Thanks a lot mate, very helpful