Grub boot problem

[RaidenSix]

This page might help: [url]http://my.opera.com/Mr%20Green/blog/show.dml/224803[/url]

"Mike Easter" <MikeE@ster.invalid> wrote in message
news:44814933$0$11086$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readf reenews.net...

> Short version: 2 hdd - hda ie #1 is Win98se - hdb ie #2 is new install
> of Ubuntu 6 from liveCD boot safe mode. Problem: grub was installed on
> both hda & hdb but hdb won't boot.
>
> Longer version: mobo MSI K7T266 Pro2-A with 2 hdd, #1 or hda is an 80G
> Seagate with 4 fat32 partitions parted with an old PowerQuest
> PartitionMagic4 -- #2 or hdb is a 5G Quantum/Maxtor with 2 parts linux
> ext2 mostly and 256meg linux swap created by ubuntu install, which is
> where I installed ubuntu 6.06 after booting with the live CD desktop.
>
> My BIOS will let me boot from whichever drive or CD I want, and I would
> have preferred to control my own boot management with GAG on a floppy or
> hdd -- but instead what ubuntu did was put grub on the hda #1 and hdb #2
> and the install on the hdb #2. Now the problem is that I can't boot into
> ubuntu from the hdb #2 with gag or grub, getting an error.
>
> After the install, my normal boot to hda or Seagate became grub with
> ubuntu and win choices which would only boot into Win. Since then I've
> replaced that hda grub with GAG. Neither will boot into the hdb. Same
> error for grub was on hda as described below when I try to boot hdb.
>
> When I try to boot hdb, grub again gives me ubuntu and win choices, but
> in this hdb one none of which work. The screen after failure to boot
> ubuntu says
> ubuntu, normal 2.6.15-23-386
> root (hd1,0)
> file system is fat, partition type 0xc
> kernel /boot/vmlinux-2.6.15-23-386
> root=/dev/hdb1 ro quietsplash Error 15
> File not found
>
> <there might be some errors there, I jotted notes, not copied>
>
> What I would like to do would be to try to repair the problem with the
> boot sector of hdb, preferably with something like a linux floppy boot
> so that I don't have to work with hammer and chisel typing things. I
> really hate typing long commands, but I can do a little without making
> too many mistakes.
>
> The other thing I was thinking was that if I gave grub the right
> commandline I could boot into hdb and somehow command a boot sector,
> like fdisk /mbr for Win9x.
>
> I realize that I could reinstall, but I'm somehow figuring it is going
> to do the same thing. I had a similar grub problem with Mepis once, but
> somehow I worked it out with GAG. But I can't seem to do that this time.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help; and sorry about my aversion to
> commandlines. I'm a fair typist except when I'm commanded, and then I
> just go to pieces
>
>
> --
> Mike Easter
>

[Mike Easter]

RaidenSix wrote:

> "Mike Easter"

>> When I try to boot hdb, grub again gives me ubuntu and win choices,
>> but in this hdb one none of which work. The screen after failure to
>> boot ubuntu says

>> ubuntu, normal 2.6.15-23-386
>> root (hd1,0)
>> file system is fat, partition type 0xc
>> kernel /boot/vmlinux-2.6.15-23-386
>> root=/dev/hdb1 ro quietsplash Error 15
>> File not found

> This page might help:
> [url]http://my.opera.com/Mr%20Green/blog/show.dml/224803[/url]

Thanks. That's a useful page.

That article has a link to this howto
[url]https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RecoveringUbuntuAfterInstallingWindows?[/url] This
section explains how to rescue GRUB (the GRand Unified Boot loader),
using the Ubuntu install CD ROM.

>>

So to sum it all up, this is what I do(Overwrites MBR):

Boot the livecd.
Start a terminal.

sudo -i
grub
find /boot/grub/stage1 // Will print something like (hd0,1)
root (hd0,1)
setup (hd0)
quit

>>

For me, that would be setup (hd1)

and it also has some advice about Super Grub, which floppy I made and
checked out, but did not make changes with

>>

A word of advice:

Do not use the Super Grub Disk as it doesn't work, at least it did not
work for me.

When using the Live CD approach, DO NOT setup grub on (hd0,1) or
whatever is behind the comma for you. USE "setup (hdo)" instead.

>>

I'm also finding some advice at
[url]http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=24113[/url] HOWTO: Restore GRUB
(if your MBR is messed up)

I also discovered another tool while I was creating boot floppies such
as Super Grub, which is VisOpSys, which boots up a little operating
system with tools including a partition manager. VisOpSys or partition
logic showed me the hdb and showed me a root folder with grub in it, but
I think there is something wrong with the 'configuration' of hdb in
terms of booting, and I think there is something wrong with the way grub
is configured because that information in the error is not correct.

The hdb is not file system fat, for example, and/but I don't know what
partition type 0xc means, and I'm not sure that grub is giving the
'right' command or path about the kernel.


--
Mike Easter

[Mike Easter]

Mike Easter wrote:

>>> When I try to boot hdb, grub again gives me ubuntu and win choices,
>>> but in this hdb one none of which work. The screen after failure to
>>> boot ubuntu says

>

>>> ubuntu, normal 2.6.15-23-386
>>> root (hd1,0)
>>> file system is fat, partition type 0xc
>>> kernel /boot/vmlinux-2.6.15-23-386
>>> root=/dev/hdb1 ro quietsplash Error 15
>>> File not found

This is where the problem is. I need to change that menu.lst that
belongs to grub to say

root (hd0,0)

>>>

> So to sum it all up, this is what I do(Overwrites MBR):
>
> Boot the livecd.
> Start a terminal.
>
> sudo -i
> grub
> find /boot/grub/stage1 // Will print something like (hd0,1)
> root (hd0,1)
> setup (hd0)
> quit

>>>

>
> For me, that would be setup (hd1)

That didn't fix the problem.

The problem is that when my system boots from the 2nd hdd, grub thinks
it is the first hdd, or hd0. When I enter grub's commandline editing
function and change the one part of the one command to root (hd0,0) I
get the hdd boot.

After it booted, I wanted to change the menu.lst in grub to reflect that
change, but the system wouldn't let me because the file is a root file
and I don't know how to do anything as root yet.

But I'll figure it out.

--
Mike Easter

[Hackje]

Mike Easter schreef:

> That didn't fix the problem.
>
> The problem is that when my system boots from the 2nd hdd, grub thinks
> it is the first hdd, or hd0. When I enter grub's commandline editing
> function and change the one part of the one command to root (hd0,0) I
> get the hdd boot.
>
> After it booted, I wanted to change the menu.lst in grub to reflect that
> change, but the system wouldn't let me because the file is a root file
> and I don't know how to do anything as root yet.
>
> But I'll figure it out.
>

sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
That will do the job for you ......

Good luck,
Hackje

[Mike Easter]

Short version: 2 hdd - hda ie #1 is Win98se - hdb ie #2 is new install
of Ubuntu 6 from liveCD boot safe mode. Problem: grub was installed on
both hda & hdb but hdb won't boot.

Longer version: mobo MSI K7T266 Pro2-A with 2 hdd, #1 or hda is an 80G
Seagate with 4 fat32 partitions parted with an old PowerQuest
PartitionMagic4 -- #2 or hdb is a 5G Quantum/Maxtor with 2 parts linux
ext2 mostly and 256meg linux swap created by ubuntu install, which is
where I installed ubuntu 6.06 after booting with the live CD desktop.

My BIOS will let me boot from whichever drive or CD I want, and I would
have preferred to control my own boot management with GAG on a floppy or
hdd -- but instead what ubuntu did was put grub on the hda #1 and hdb #2
and the install on the hdb #2. Now the problem is that I can't boot into
ubuntu from the hdb #2 with gag or grub, getting an error.

After the install, my normal boot to hda or Seagate became grub with
ubuntu and win choices which would only boot into Win. Since then I've
replaced that hda grub with GAG. Neither will boot into the hdb. Same
error for grub was on hda as described below when I try to boot hdb.

When I try to boot hdb, grub again gives me ubuntu and win choices, but
in this hdb one none of which work. The screen after failure to boot
ubuntu says
ubuntu, normal 2.6.15-23-386
root (hd1,0)
file system is fat, partition type 0xc
kernel /boot/vmlinux-2.6.15-23-386
root=/dev/hdb1 ro quietsplash Error 15
File not found

<there might be some errors there, I jotted notes, not copied>

What I would like to do would be to try to repair the problem with the
boot sector of hdb, preferably with something like a linux floppy boot
so that I don't have to work with hammer and chisel typing things. I
really hate typing long commands, but I can do a little without making
too many mistakes.

The other thing I was thinking was that if I gave grub the right
commandline I could boot into hdb and somehow command a boot sector,
like fdisk /mbr for Win9x.

I realize that I could reinstall, but I'm somehow figuring it is going
to do the same thing. I had a similar grub problem with Mepis once, but
somehow I worked it out with GAG. But I can't seem to do that this time.

Thanks in advance for any help; and sorry about my aversion to
commandlines. I'm a fair typist except when I'm commanded, and then I
just go to pieces


--
Mike Easter