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I have a multiboot system that I would like to use Grub to manage. The version of Grub shipping with my Linux distro is Grub2, and it installs its equivalent of stage 1.5-2, core.img, into the remaining sectors on the first track after the MBR but before the first partition. Unfortunately, those sectors are needed by another program.

I have a separate primary /boot partition. If I could only keep boot.img as my MBR but have it look in the /boot partition for core.img rather than the embedded one in the sectors immediately following the MBR, everything would work fine. Is this possible with grub2?

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seems like it should be possible. since grub can chainload grub, you might need to fully install grub to the partition boot sector; then you might get away with installing just the stage1 code to the MBR. not sure about this exactly, will need to research more. – quack quixote Feb 10 '10 at 5:48
What sort of application needs to address sectors outside a partition? Is it some sort of ridiculous DRM or antipiracy element to an app? – Alexander Burke Mar 13 '10 at 7:12
Putting any sort of code in the no-man's land preceding the 1st partition is just plain nuts, and certainly one of GRUB's biggest failings. – kreemoweet Apr 22 at 4:24
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As far as I can see it is not possible to configure Grub2 such that the code in the MBR looks anywhere other than the next sector for its core.img.

You can, however, load all of Grub into your /boot partition. This saves the need to meddle with any of the data stored at the beginning of the disk. By default the code in the MBR will find the active partition and transfer control to the first sector of that partition. If you require a suitable MBR there is one shipped with Syslinux.

This does presume that your /boot partition is a normal primary partition.

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