Ubuntu
Today a message came up saying that there were updates to download. I clicked on it and it installed the updates.

I am running vista, xp and now ubuntu on my hardrive. After the update I have new option at start up .. now there are I beleive 6 for ubuntu.

I was running the 64 bit version and now these are the choices I can gather .. the boot menu moves faster than I do.

2.6-32-25

2.6-32-25 generic

2.6.32-24

2.6.32-24-generic

memory test 86 generic
Memory test

I also have Vista load which is fine and lets me chose between vista and XP and it still works fine. So . what happened and do I need to change something. I want to learn the operating system and not just use it!

There werent the 4 choices when I got up this morning! they came to be after the update
Alex
Alex

Hi Alex, this is totally normal... your updates included a new version of the Linux "kernel." The GRUB bootloader now gives you the option to choose between the new kernel and the old kernel. Nothing unusual.

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it is just a normal "back-up" in case there is a bug with the new kernel and your hardware
it happens from time to time

an update for some reason dose not fully install . So you have a back up so you can still boot into the system

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Once you are sure the new kernel works OK, you can remove the old one using synaptic, then the entries in grub will also be deleted.

Kind regards

2 members found this post helpful.

Can you get into this a little more. What is synaptic and should I remove everything except the latest 2.6.32-25

Also .. Does the 32 denote the 32 bit version. I thought I had been running the 64.
Alex

Synaptic is a graphical front-end to apt
see
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticHowto
You can remove every kernel except the latest 2.6.32-25
Or you can edit grub, and comment out the kernels you don't use.
So they are still installed, but not visible in the grub menu.
The file to edit is
the 32 is the kernel version
The latest stable version is
see
http://www.kernel.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel

Kind regards

Okay if you are still not fairly comfortable with manual cleanup Ubuntu Tweak should help you doing the same. Download and install and use package cleanup. Sometimes I find it better than even the default Computer janitor package that comes with Ubuntu.

It is totally normal to have 2 kernels in your GRUB menu, and you don't need to remove, tweak, or do anything.

I used Janitor to delete the old kernels but they still show up in boot menu .. to tell you the truth .. If I have a stable system I dont want to go through 6 choices at bootup. In a perfect world I would have the ubuntu latest startup and the Microsoft chooser..I perhaps stupidly .. dont want to wade through the 7 choices when my boot system opens.

Tweak didnt change the bootup and neither did the janitor and I am afraid at this moment of
synaptic

If you use Linux you must get comfortable with it.

A package is simply an archive of files that go in your drive. Usually they are applications, but anything can be put in a package, like fonts or themes. Packages may also depend on others being installed.

Basically, Ubuntu maintains a repository of packages. Synaptic is a GUI tool for managing them. It will automatically install dependencies that aren't already installed whan you install a package, and automatically remove dependencies that aren't needed when you remove a package.

Also, there'e Ubuntu Software Center, which is a more user-friendly and abstracted GUI package manager.

as for the boot menu .Just edit it ( as root) and delete the lines for the old kernel

Here's a link that describes how to edit the Grub menu. In case you are using Grub 2, there's a link near the top to a write-up on that.

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To repeat what has been said already: it is totally normal and intentional to have several kernels present on the grub menu. The thinking is that if something goes wrong with the latest kernel you can easily revert back to an earlier kernel.
You don't have to "wade through" anything. Grub places the linux kernels with the most recent on top (i.e. first and and the default). You can remove the older linux-images (kernels) if you wish. once you're satisfied that the newest kernel is functioning properly. This will also remove the menu item. You just do this:
Yes, it's as easy as that.
jdk

Awesome! that did the trick. thank you for the link. Not only was I able to get them out of the boot menu but in digging around I learned alot about synaptic and packages.
Alex