moving from FC 5 to FC 8

[Terry - Fedora Core]

Old computer died. Salvaged hard drive and installed on new computer.

New computer now has 3 hard drives in the following configuration.

   1. sda  - 120 GB - original drive from old computer. Used LVM under
      FC 5. partitions are: 
          * sda1 ext3 -- the boot partition, 101.94 MB
          * sda2 ntfs -- the original Windows XP partition, 10 GB
          * sda3 extended -- contains sda5 and sda6, 104.93 B
          * sda5 fat3e2 -- origanilly used to communicate between FC5
            and Windows XP, 10 GB
          * sda6  ext3 I think - all of the original FC 5 directories
            and data, 94.93 GB
   2. sdb - new 500 GB drive with Windows Vista
   3. sdc - new 500 GB drive with Kubuntu Gutsy, 7.10, installed.


Normally the boot priority is: 

   1. DVD drive
   2. sda
   3. sdb
   4. sdc

Used the BIOS to alter the boot sequence to:

   1. DVD drive
   2. sdc
   3. sdb
   4. sda

Got a no operating system message. If I make the priority:

   1. DVD drive
   2. sdb
   3. sda
   4. sdc

Then Windows boots - no GRUB.

So I'm pretty sure that the Kubuntu installation left the MBR on sdb 
intact from the Windows installation and upgraded the GRUB installation 
on sda from the FC 5 installation.

Under the Kubuntu Gutsy, 7.10 installation, grub allows me to boot into 
Kubuntu, Windows XP on sda2 and Windows Vista on sdb

Currently sda1 and sda6 are totally unreadable under Kubuntu. sda1 is 
the boot partition so that will remain unreadable. sda6 is under the FC 
5 LVM and so Kubuntu cannot read it.

What I want to do.

I have the Fedora Core 8 DVD and want to upgrade FC 5 on sda above to FC 8.

Also, I would like to delete the LVM during the upgrade.

Have read the Installation instructions and I think the following can be 
done:

   1. upgrade FC 5 installing FC 8 on top of the FC 5 installation on
      sda6 - I think that the FC 8 upgrade will do this automatically -
      TRUE??

      I can boot the FC 8 Live CD, which can read sda6, and back-up all
      data from the FC 5 installation on sda6 to DVD so, I'm not really
      worried about losing anything on sda6.

   2. I think that sda1 is still the boot partition used by the GRUB
      installed by Kubuntu for booting - is there any way to verify this
      more than altering the boot sequence as I did above?

      The file "/boot/grub/menu.lst" on sdc is currently the OS menu
      displayed on boot. The old menu from FC 5 is on the same file on
      sda6.

      Would the FC 5 to FC 8 upgrade maintain the sda1 boot partition
      and just alter it to reflect the FC 8 OS on sda6?

   3. remove the LVM leaving sda1 as the boot partition and transforming
      sda6 to a plain ext3 partition with FC 8 installed there.

   4.  leave sda2 as ntfs with Windows XP as bootable.

   5.  leave sdb as ntfs with Windows Vista as bootable

   6.  leave sdc as Kubuntu and ext 3 and bootable

That would give me the following bootable OSs:

  1. FC 8 installed in sda6 I think. True??
  2. Windows XP on sda2
  3. Windows Vista on sdb
  4. Kubuntu on sdc

Like I said, I have read the FC 8 installation manual and I think the 
above is doable, but the details are a little unknown to me.

Since the details are unknown, I am hesitant to insert the FC 8 DVD and 
plunge ahead.

What problems do you see that I should know about and work around?

Is the above doable?

Can I install without destroying the boot information on sda1 that 
Kubuntu installed there?

Can I remove the LVM installed by FC 5 and retain sda6 as ext3 which can 
then be read by both FC 8 and Kubuntu?

Anything else that I should know before starting this?

Thanks,
Terry