10.4. Advanced Boot Loader Options

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The default boot options are adequate for most situations. The installation program writes the GRUB boot loader in the master boot record (MBR), overwriting any existing boot loader.

You may keep your current boot loader in the MBR and install GRUB as a secondary boot loader. If you choose this option, the installer program will write GRUB to the first sector of the Linux /boot partition.

	GRUB as a Secondary Boot Loader
	If you install GRUB as a secondary boot loader, you must reconfigure your primary boot loader whenever you install and boot from a new kernel. The kernel of an operating system such as Microsoft Windows does not boot in the same fashion. Most users therefore use GRUB as the primary boot loader on dual-boot systems.

You may also need the advanced options if your BIOS enumerates your drives or RAID arrays differently than Fedora expects. If necessary, use the Change Drive Order dialog to set the order of the devices in Fedora to match your BIOS.

On a few systems, Fedora may not configure the disk drive geometry for large disks correctly because of limitations within the BIOS. To work around this problem, mark the Force LBA32 check box.

The Linux kernel usually auto-detects its environment correctly, and no additional kernel parameters are needed. However, you may provide any needed kernel parameter using the advanced boot loader options.

	Kernel Parameters
	For a partial list of the kernel command line parameters, type the following command in a terminal window: man bootparam . For a comprehensive and authoritative list, refer to the documentation provided in the kernel sources.

To alter any of these settings, mark the Configure advanced boot loader options check box. Select Next and the advanced boot options menu appears.

	Optional Menu
	Fedora displays the advanced boot options menu only if the advanced configuration check box described above has been selected.