User Feedback :: Solution: messed Grub on Kanotix-DSL Install

Hit an interesting snag, and since I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer", my solution may prove simply useful for others (at least entertaining!).

History: Made the move to be Windows free on my li'l Toshiba Satellite 2545XCDT. Had it set as Win2K-DamnSmallLinux-Not dual boot. Installed Kanotix-Lite on Win partition and noted DSL-N was not on the new Kanotix-lite grub boot-screen. "No problemo", me thinks because I was going to install a newer version of DSL. Did a DSL install and chose Grub for bootloader and tried to fool the Grub installer by checking "Windows" on hda1. Now, the grub bootscreen only shows DSL options! I can see the Kanotix files using Emelfm, so no major damage to hda1 installation.

Next step= "newbie panic". I Google for similar problems and find more information than I can assimilate. This is followed by a "more informed panic" cause I know little of GRUB, and things are starting to look quite complicated. Now I might have to ask for help (anti-testosterone route), and in so doing, confess I have never really done any actual code editing stuff. :oops:  :oops:

Solution: Preserve testosterone and keep hacking. :P  I got lucky! :lol:

1.) I boot up DSL (why not, it was the only partition that would boot!)
2.) I right click the mouse->Xshells->Light and there is my "terminal"
3.) enter: sudo su -> now I am Super User!
4.) enter: beaver /boot/grub/menu.lst (an "L" not a number!) -> Hot Zigs! Here is the place to change all kinds of stuff.  Instead of Beaver one could use Vim or Nano, but the latter don't give the nice word processor look.

Hmmmm, there appears to be no listing of Kanotix either! IF I COULD ENTER THE KANOTIX INFO HERE, THE BOOT SCREEN MAY GIVE THE OPTION TO BOOT KANOTIX AS WELL AS DSL.

5.) Because DSL offers several screen resolution settings on their Grub boot screen, I take the time to delete all the options I won't use. That will at least clean the boot screen. No need to remove any lines with "#" cause they are "comments" (suggestions, examples, etc. for explaining not actual configuring). FWIW- there are some "#" suggestions listed for Windows partitions in GRUB.

Now I am down to:
title DSL fb1024x768
kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda6 quiet vga=791 noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal (for booting) THERE ARE THINGS HERE I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, AND WHERE CAN I EASILY GET SIMILAR (and correct for my kernel) KANOTIX BOOT SETTINGS??

Now just shrink Beaver for the time being while I hunt up info about Kanotix-lite

6.) I go to the small window in the lower right side of the DSL desktop, find "hda1" and click on the "unmounted"(pink) which becomes "mounted"(green)
7.) I open the Emelfm (filebox icon on desktop)->look on the right side window-> double left-click mnt/ -> double left-click hda1 -> double left-click boot/ -> double left-click grub/-> BEHOLD!! THERE IS menu.lst FOR THE INSTALLED KANOTIX!!

8.) Now, my palms sweating with excitement, I double click the menu.lst-> click "view files" -> and there is the proper Kanotix grub configuration just ripe for a copy-paste!
:shock:

9.) I carefully copy the Kanotix settings from title to boot

10.) I restore the Beaver edit window showing my DSL boot settings and paste the Kanotix configuration on the list.

11.) Double check to make certain grub defaults to DSL (my choice) and that hard drives are correctly identified.

12.) I click File-> SAVE->Close-> Exit-> and Beaver disappears.

GRUB HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CONFIGURED TO BOOT 2 DIFFERENT KERNELS OF DEBIAN!!  I also learned a little about GRUB and how to use the editors