Can't boot Vista after Trisquel install
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Hello,
I had a Windows Vista install on my laptop on the first partition (50GB). Then I installed trisquel. Now when I try to boot it from trisquel it asks for a user name and password. I input the username and password (for trisquel) and it dumps me back at the grub menu. Very frustrating. Any ideas on how to fix?
I believe you'll find the way to fix this problem in the following message: https://trisquel.info/en/forum/strange-grub-behaviour-trisquel-7#comment-57418
Does anyone know why GRUB installs those annoying GRUB passwords after installing a dual-boot? It seems like an anti-feature to me, and tends to freak out GNUbies who have been assured that dual-booting is a good way to start learning GNU/Linux while still being able to fall back to Windows during the transition.
I thought that;s just a bug, and one that's been fixed providing it's the newest ISO one downloads?
It IS an anti-feature. If I want to prevent access to this partition I'll just set a boot password in BIOS. I have been installing Linux on various computers for 16 years and this is literally the first time I've installed a distro that automatically detected windows and made a grub entry that put a password on it. Add that to the fact that the "feature" DOESN'T F#&*KING WORK is absolutely infuriating. Almost went with nuke Trisquel and never look back. I did nuke my first install, since I assumed this "feature" was due to me selecting the "encrypt home directory".
linux (trisquel) doesn't require a password to boot, asks for login pwd after boot. So does windows.
Trisquel leadership, please consider at the very least making this an option (by default unselected). I'll give the solution listed above a try.
What I was trying to say though is that it was, if I remember correctly
1) It was accidental
2) It's been fixed (unless you're using the newest ISO...in which case it hasn't been. But it's still ACCIDENTAL!)
Anyway, quite a few users seem to agree with you regarding the GRUB password thingie (I installed from Debootstrap which was probably why I never experienced the problem)...
Other users' comments, and solution to your issue, here https://trisquel.info/en/forum/grub-issues#comment-69126 (commenting out means putting a # at the beginning of the line making the computer ignore it (the "proper" purpose of such a line being to put comments meant to be read by humans opening the files rather than the machine)
Trisquel always installs passwords for grub but you'r not asked for it if your not trying to edit grub at booting. If you are always beeing asked for a password in dual(tripple, n)booting please tell me as I know my brother has Trisquel dual booting with W7 and also with a shared computer and we was never asked for such a password.
On the other hand, to ask for a password on dual-booting is a security thing which I don't agree but I agree entirely with a password for editing the grub at booting.
Tell the OS and specified your instruction set.
I am a translator!
>On the other hand, to ask for a password on dual-booting is a security thing
How is that a security thing? How is that beneficial to security? How does it improve security? I ask this seriously for I fail to see how..
An attacker that does not have an authorized user user and password to access Trisquel and did install another OS into the machine to access it can't boot the other OS to browse Trisquel unless having the password of grub.
If you install another OS to gain access you're installing another boot loader. Period. Not installing a boot loader in that scenario is a straight up failed attempt by someone so imcompetent, that you don't need to worry about them. Grub's boot password is hokey. Grub password does not write-protect MBR so provides no protection.
Vista not being able to boot is a good thing: http://badvista.fsf.org/. Is
there anything you need it for? If so, we can help you find free replacements.
I need Vista to run Ross-Tech VCDS as I can't get it running in Linux. So Vista not being able to boot is bad. It is literally the only thing I NEED this laptop to do. Everything thing else is a WANT.
Linux it is not an operative system.
I am a translator!
I think this is like the 26th time I read about this issue..
I apologize if this is something I should have found. I used duckduckgo to do a bit of searching, but it didn't turn up anything useful. Maybe google would have pointed to something on your forum, but I only use it as a last resort.
Maybe this should be in the FAQ? Or even better, this "feature" needs to DIAF?
"Maybe google would have pointed to something on your forum, but I only use it as a last resort. "
if you use tor to anonymise your internet use then
it dose not rely matter what search engine you use
as long as you dont do somthing like search for shops near you or search your name while in the same tor browser session it should not allow google or any website to track you
just make sure to read this first and use common sense:
https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en#warning
I don't currently use TOR. The last time I tried it, it was painfully slow (like dialup). I may revisit it soon, but I have a lot of other stuff that requires my attention.
You should try to search on the forum first instead of duckduckgo. Also, duckduckgo is shit. Use ixquick or startpage.
Use Searx, it's free software[1], and it isn't just one service, so
there are various servers/instances of Searx around the world[2][3].
Besides, servers of Searx generally don't force you to do neat tricks to
get results without non-free JavaScript. Although GNU LibreJS blocks
some [might-be] non-free JavaScript from the Searx's servers, you can
still use it without losing almost any functionality.
I, for example, use Searx.me[4].
REFERENCES
[1] https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Searx
[2] https://github.com/asciimoo/searx/wiki/Searx-instances
Somebody should probably file a bug. :)
Years ago, I had a argument with quidam on this issue. He believed GRUB's password had security to Trisquel. It turns out even GRUB developers (who implemented the feature) disagree. They write in https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html#Security the following:
By default, the boot loader interface is accessible to anyone with physical access to the console: anyone can select and edit any menu entry, and anyone can get direct access to a GRUB shell prompt. For most systems, this is reasonable since anyone with direct physical access has a variety of other ways to gain full access, and requiring authentication at the boot loader level would only serve to make it difficult to recover broken systems.
However, in some environments, such as kiosks, it may be appropriate to lock down the boot loader to require authentication before performing certain operations.
I do not think Trisquel's project mainly aims at kiosks...
Extra steps (which are not newbie-friendly at all) allow to remove GRUB's password:
$ sudo rm /etc/grub.d/01_PASSWORD
$ sudo update-grub
If one additionally wants recovery entries (to boot in a root terminal) in the GRUB menu, execute as well this command before 'sudo update-grub':
$ sudo sed -i 's/GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY/#&/' /etc/default/grub
What exactly does that last command do? It sounds interesting, but I don't like typing sudo commands in unless I know exactly what is going to happen.
I am a translator!
evoblade: when you don't know what a command does or what is it for you can use the papa of all the terminal commands: man.
you precede the command with "man" ->
man sed
and read and learn :)
cheers
That is true... but learning 'sed' takes quite some time!
In this case I use the famous 's' command to substitute. '/' here separates the three parts of the command (but it could be any character): 1. what to substitute (the string "GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY" but that could be any regular expression); 2. how to substitute (#&, where & repeats what is to be substituted) and 3. a flag (here nothing, what means 1, i.e., substitute the first match per line).
Also, I use option "-i" for an "inplace" modification (the default is to not modify the input and write the output in the terminal).
Well... There are other helpful commands like:
* info: My personal preference. An intuitive name, as Brazilians
understand what it does without even knowing English. And also a GNU
package.
* help: Don't worry if you don't understand what I'm about to say here,
the important thing to note is that: you'll understand what is the
difference when the time comes. Now, about the help command: I don't use
this nowadays, but is the help command for every command that is
provided directly by the shell you're using, that is, for commands
built-in the shell. Note that there are various shells for GNU+Linux
systems.
Just a posh way to add the character '#' before the definition of the GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY variable. That effectively comments that definition (and the default is have recovery entries). You can use a text editor to do the same if you prefer.
haha.. thanks for your explanations.
Can be a GRUB problem? if it is, you can try installing Grub Repair, it works for GRUB problems, if you know how to use it.
I posted a possible solution here https://trisquel.info/en/forum/cant-boot-vista-after-trisquel-install#comment-82052 (in case you didn't notice - I doubt I'd have noticed it if I were you).
I did see that. Also saw Oysterboy's solution in the first reply. I'll give them a shot when I get home.
Thanks for the response!
Ok it worked. Thanks fellas, much appreciated.
I have to say locking someone out of the rest of their system right off of the bat (via a username and password that is not given during the install) is not a good introduction to Trisquel. You should seriously rethink that. very poor taste.
You had an issue that others didn't have. The grub password is asked for editing purposes only when booting BUT IF YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO EDIT IT IT DOES NOT ASK FOR A PASSWORD. If you was asked for a password and you was not trying to edit the grub then it is a bug or just an issue only applying to you.
Now, you and us should try to reproduce that bug to know it is a common issue or not. If it is, we could fill a bug report. I'll try to do it but with W7 as I don't have a Vista Disc.
Also, to put a password in BIOS it's not the same. If I took that drive aways from that machine and I put it on another one I'm beeing able to boot it and that's a security/privacy issue.
@supertramp83: "I think this is like the 26th time I read about this issue.."
@Magic Banana: "Extra steps (which are not newbie-friendly at all) allow to remove GRUB's password:"
Bug filed.
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