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16. Invoking grub-install

The program grub-install installs GRUB on your drive by the grub shell (see section 15. Invoking the grub shell). You must specify the device name on which you want to install GRUB, like this:

grub-install install_device

The device name install_device is an OS device name or a GRUB device name.

grub-install accepts the following options:

`--help'

Print a summary of the command-line options and exit.

`--version'

Print the version number of GRUB and exit.

`--force-lba'

Force GRUB to use LBA mode even for a buggy BIOS. Use this option only if your BIOS doesn't work in LBA mode even though it supports LBA mode.

`--root-directory=dir'

Install GRUB images under the directory dir instead of the root directory. This option is useful when you want to install GRUB into a separate partition or a removable disk. Here is an example when you have a separate boot partition which is mounted on `/boot':

grub-install --root-directory=/boot '(hd0)'

`--grub-shell=file'

Use file as the grub shell. You can append arbitrary options to file after the file name, like this:

grub-install --grub-shell="grub --read-only" /dev/fd0

`--recheck'

Recheck the device map, even if `/boot/grub/device.map' already exists. You should use this option whenever you add/remove a disk into/from your computer.