boot order changes when installing kernel-updates

[Georg H.]

When updating to a new kernel-version, menu.lst and thus the boot order will be changed. There is a dialog which asks you what to do, but none of these options is intuitive, especially for newcomers.

Most importantly, if you have a dual-boot system with Windows etc. there is no easy way to leave the current boot order unharmed by just adding the new kernel version above the old one (besides changing menu.lst manually). This makes updating the system quite a mess!

[Alistair Marshall (thatscottishengineer)]

Considering that Karmic is moving to Grub2, does this bug still apply?

I believe that grub 2 does things differently though I am not sure (something like a method to boot directly into windows from Ubuntu?)

[Georg H. (spam-adresse-gmx-deactivatedaccount)]

Does Grub2 fix this problem?

[Vish (vish)]

Could you be more specific what the problem is? And how it affects an average user?

From what i understand , you have edited your menu.lst to set Windows as you first boot partition, right? But the Kernel upgrades change this order if done automatically.

A paper cut is a minor usability annoyance that an average user would encounter on his/her first day of using a new installation of Ubuntu 9.10.

For further info about papercuts criteria , pls read > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PaperCut

Also FYI , grub2 ,uses grub.cfg not menu.lst.

[Georg H. (spam-adresse-gmx-deactivatedaccount)]

-- "From what i understand , you have edited your menu.lst to set Windows as you first boot partition, right? But the Kernel upgrades change this order if done automatically."

Yes, that is correct. I suppose using dual-boot is quite common for average users. Furthermore upgrading your Kernel is done by updating the system, which is recommended. But when I install a new kernel version I am only asked if I would like to either overwrite my old menu.lst with a new one (containing only installed kernel-images, not my added Windows entry) or use my one instead without putting an entry for the new kernel version in it. There are options to see the changes between my menu.lst and the vendor´s but there is no way to combine them somehow.

My suggestion: Simply put another option into the dialog (which aks you what to do with menu.lst) that puts the new kernel into the existing boot order.

[Vish (vish)]

Thank you for bringing this bug to our attention. Unfortunately a paper cut should be a small usability issue that affects many people and is quick and easy to fix. I'm afraid this bug can't be addressed as part of this project.

This problem only arises when the user edits the grub manually, manual editing of grub is an advanced user issue, Not a task which an average user performs. Hence not a papercut.

Don't worry though, This bug has been marked as "invalid" ONLY in the papercuts project.

Also , the present setting of listing the other OS in the last is the ideal method. No OS is going to present another OS as the first choice. But if you still want such a feature implemented , For resolution of the bug, kindly identify the projects affected and re-assign the bug to that project, otherwise the devs of the concerned project might not be notified of this problem. For more about finding the right package> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage.