[kwlug-disc] how the ^#*&^)(& do i convince debian to install grub, not LILO?

[Chris Frey]

On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 09:42:17AM -0400, Robert P. J. Day wrote:
>   i started the install from scratch and selected the installer to do
> its own pre-defined LVM-based install, and noticed that it also
> created a primary partition for /boot, but only ext2.  so i tried a
> manual install again but choosing ext2 for just that partition, and i
> got grub.
> 
>   i'm concluding that that's what fixed it, because i'm sure i kept
> all the other variables the same.  but if someone wants to test that,
> feel free to correct my thinking.  i just find it odd that a current
> debian install doesn't support a choice of ext3 for that.

Maybe it has something to do with bugs like this:

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=463123

That bug claims it is closed, or safe to close, but I had trouble with
Grub on an ext3 boot partition on a recent install, and had to find this
out the hard way.  Converting to ext2 fixed it.  It would have been nicer
if I had some explicit warning.

Maybe the Debian installer has been updated to protect us. :-)

- Chris