[SOLVED] How to edit /etc/grub.d/00_header

New to Linux (although heavy unix user in the 1980's) installing Zorin Lite on an old PC (1.2GHz / 256MB) to dual boot with Windows XP.

The install has mostly worked although I'm getting a system problem error at startup and haven't yet discovered how to install my wireless network drivers. But taking one problem at a time ...

At startup my monitor shows 'Input Not Supported'. If I leave it it starts Zorin, if I [2xDOWN] [ ENTER] the memory test starts. If I [4xDOWN] [ENTER] XP boots. So the boot menu is functioning but my display cannot show whatever it is grub2 is trying to show me.

I've researched and holding [SHIFT] or [ESC] during boot doesn't work. The most promising suggested solution is to edit 00_header and change the line gfxmode=Auto to gfxmode=1024x768 and edit the kernel boot line in 10_Linux to add/append vga-768.

But ... I can make these edits in leafpad but can't write them out. Presumably because I either need to change the permissions of the file, or run leafpad as root, or both.

How do I do I change those permissions or run leafpad as root? I'm not comfortable with editing the files with vi, but happy to try an alternate interactive editor (like leafpad) if that makes things easier.

Cheers,
--
Neale
Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

Hi,

go here and read the part about broken packages:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2247

Let us know if this helps!!.

Regards Wolfman

Since you are using the lite edition I believe that your window manager is "pcmanfm".

So open terminal and write

Code:

gksudo pcmanfm

The window browser will open, you will get a message saying something like "you cannot run pcmanfm as root" but just press ok and ignore it.
You will have root access to pcmanfm to change anything you like.

Thanks for the tips. Here is where I'm at just now:

The startup error has gone. I think it was a disk error of some kind as when I booted XP it did a disk integrity check (chckdsk) and found errors that it fixed.

I've now been able to edit the file 00_header using "sudo leafpad". I changed the gfxmode to 1024x768 and then sudo update-grub. That showed the boot menu fine. After that I edited the file again to revert gfxmode to Auto, followed by sudo update-grub. It stayed working. I wonder therefore if there is a glitch in the v6 Lite installation that perhaps didn't correctly create grub.cfg.

So my next problem is the wireless card drivers - but I'll create a new discussion for that.

How can I mark my question as answered?

Hi,

go to first post in thread and edit the "Subject" line.

Marked as "Solved".

Regards Wolfman