Grub install f up

sdfi · 12-11-2011, 03:21 PM

I thought i'd given the relevant information from df -h but here is exactly what it says, when i have mounted both sda1 and sda5

Code:

Filesystem	Size	Used	Available	Use%	Mounted on
tmpfs		124.7M	32.0K	124.7M		0%	/dev
/dev/sr0	648.0M	648.0M	0		100%	/cdrom
/dev/sda5	27.0G	664.6M	25.0G		3%	/mnt/sda5
/dev/sda1	9.2G	2.9G	5.8G		33%	/mnt/sda1

Quote:

rerun the boot script again.

How?

widget · 12-11-2011, 04:08 PM

Use this link from a Live Session and post the results.text completely.
http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/

sdfi · 12-11-2011, 05:54 PM

results.txt

Edit: done the rest of post #45.. the 40_custom file was printed, but i saw no recognition of /dev/sda5 containing linux.

Quote:

They should be below the entry that you currently see on your menu screen.

Just to make it clear (again) I do NOT see any menu screen on booting the HDD. Grub does NOT load.

widget · 12-12-2011, 01:56 AM

I am about knackered.

As far as the boot info script goes in section one. Grub should load.

Have you had Voyage on there a long time? There seems to be a lot of kernels for it installed.

How are you using the internet? Are you on a different box or using a Live CD?

Sdb claims to have grub legacy installed on the MBR but no files to go to. Where is it getting this idea from, any idea? Was Voyage handling the MS boot?

Back to sda there is no mention of MS in the grub.cfg file (grub) or for that matter in your menu.lst (grub-legacy). Boot info script makes no real sense of either Debian or Voyage grub files. They appear to be faulty as hell.

I thought about trying to restore the grub-legacy from Voyage to the MBR but I think that is a waste of time as it doesn't look at all healthy either.

I have seen a lot of boot info script results. Even, ineptly, helped folks get MS to boot even though I don't use it and don't like it a bit. I have never seen a script result like this.

I really think this one has me whipped. Have no real idea at all where to go with this one.

The only thing I can think of is, if you are using or have a Debian Live CD you could boot to it, us apt to install "testdisk" on the live session and use it. May straighten your drive out, I just do not know.

Other wise I would back up your data from sda, format the bugger and start over.

Hopefully someone will jump in here with a lot better idea and we will both learn something.

Sorry, I am just out of options.

hurry_hui · 12-12-2011, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdfi

results.txt

Edit: done the rest of post #45.. the 40_custom file was printed, but i saw no recognition of /dev/sda5 containing linux.Just to make it clear (again) I do NOT see any menu screen on booting the HDD. Grub does NOT load.

Grub (both grub) does not load because it cannot find certain files.

We need to use manual check whether grub can see files it need to load.

We also need supergrub disk.

I will use grub2 to detect and boot manually via grub prompt (to access, on grub menu press C to enter command-line); hence we need supergrub disk or any bootable cd which boots grub2 (usually they boot isolinux). We only use device (hd0,1) and (hd0,5).

First we need to find files needed by (hd0,1)/boot/grub/menu.lst

Code:

ls (hd0,1)/

expected results vmlinuz, initrd.img

Code:

ls (hd0,1)/boot/

expected results vmlinuz-2.6.38-voyage, initrd.img-2.6.38-voyage (+ several vmlinuz and initrd.img)

Code:

ls (hd0,1)/boot/grub/

expected results stage2, menu.lst

----------------------------------------------

you can do similarly with (hd0,5)
directory we need to check:
(hd0,5)/boot/ ---> vmlinuz-2.6.32-5-686, initrd.img-2.6.32-5-686
(hd0,5)/boot/grub/ ---> core.img, grub.cfg

----------------------------------------------

having found expected files we need to type following line by line followed by ENTER and pay attention to output before executing next line

Code:

set root=(hd0,1)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-voyage root=/dev/sda1 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-voyage
boot

likewise you can do above for (hd0,5) and change parameter as necessary.

HTH

sdfi · 12-12-2011, 08:46 AM

i guess i should be using 'super grub2 disk', right?

colorpurple21859 · 12-12-2011, 09:26 AM

The only issue I see is that

Quote:

Filesystem Size Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs 124.7M 32.0K 124.7M 0% /dev
/dev/sr0 648.0M 648.0M 0 100% /cdrom
/dev/sda5 27.0G 664.6M 25.0G 3% /mnt/sda5
/dev/sda1 9.2G 2.9G 5.8G 33% /mnt/sda1

if debian a full install on sda5 and voyager on sda1, if so then there is something wrong with the debian install with only 644m of hardrive space being used for a full install of debian on /dev/sda5 as the root partition. Something isn't right there.

sdfi · 12-12-2011, 10:28 AM

It does not have the GUI, that would probably be why it is so small.

Also, I have been able to get into both installs (booting from external floppy) using smartbootmanager.

edit: it seems smartbootmanager should be ok as a replacement for supergrub disk as it has grub 1.98

update: all files found (plus many more).. also entering commands returned nothing.. it started the boot process.. currently thrashing the floppy drive. It seems you are trying to boot into an old voyage kernel, fwiw. I stopped it after about 5 minutes. [but as above, i can boot them w/ smartbootmanager]

colorpurple21859 · 12-12-2011, 10:35 AM

okay, I understand now. It was just something I notice out of the ordinary.

odiseo77 · 12-12-2011, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdfi

Also, I have been able to get into both installs (booting from external floppy) using smartbootmanager.

What happens if you try to reinstall grub from the debian install?:

Code:

update-grub
grub-install /dev/sda

colorpurple21859 · 12-12-2011, 10:53 AM

wouldn't it be easier to reinstall grub legacy from voyager to the mbr edit /boot/grub/menu.lst to add the following

Quote:

menu Debian on sda5
root=(hd0,5)
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda5 ro quiet
initrd /initrd.img

to boot into debian. That way if debian still don't boot you can at least boot into your voyager distro, untill debian is fixed. If you want to use grub2, install it to debian's partition and chainload from grub legacy. I know grub 2 is the up and coming thing, but in my opinion grub legacy is easier to use.

sdfi · 12-12-2011, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odiseo77

What happens if you try to reinstall grub from the debian install?:

Code:

update-grub
grub-install /dev/sda

Same as when i've done it before. complains

Code:

grub-setup: warn: This msdos-style partition label has no post-MBR gap; embedding won't be possible!
grub-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible. GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists.
            However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and its use is discouraged.
grub-setup: error: If you really want blocklists, use --force.

using --force it says the same but 'Installation finished. No error reported' in the last line, instead. No change in terms of the actual booting.

odiseo77 · 12-12-2011, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdfi

Same as when i've done it before. complains

Code:

grub-setup: warn: This msdos-style partition label has no post-MBR gap; embedding won't be possible!
grub-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible. GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists.
            However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and its use is discouraged.
grub-setup: error: If you really want blocklists, use --force.

using --force it says the same but 'Installation finished. No error reported' in the last line, instead. No change in terms of the actual booting.

That's what I feared. According to the Archlinux wiki, this error message happens when there is not a necessary 1 mb gap between the MBR and the first partition, so Grub2 can't store the core.img file there. The strange thing is that the boot info script doesn't seem to show this problem. Apparently, one way to fix it is to repartition the hard drive (note that this will destroy everything you have in this drive, so you would have to backup your data somewhere else first). Another possibility, is restoring the old grub from your Voyage partition to the MBR as suggested by colorpurple21859 on post #56, since the old grub doesn't seem to have this issue. For this, you can either try Rescatux, or booting into Voyage, editing your menu.lst (as suggested by colorpurple21859), and then issuing these commands as root:

Code:

grub
root (hd0,0)
setup (hd0)
quit

Hope it works. However, if it does work, you will still have the 1 mb gap missing between your MBR and the first partition, and this could cause problems in the future when you upgrade to grub2, so maybe it would be better to repartition, just to be safe.

(More information about your problem here).

widget · 12-12-2011, 03:23 PM

This is very interesting. It has been a while sense I last used grub-legacy but during that transition I never had trouble with the size of the MBR at all, still haven't either.

I had Ubuntu 9.04 on here installed with the default grub-legacy before grub-pc came on the scene. Decided I preferred grub-pc and installed it from the 9.10 repo. No problem.

I thought the 1Mb size was standard on the dos partition scheme.

sdfi · 12-12-2011, 03:25 PM

SO.. i did that. With voyage. old grub definitely installed.. because now smartbootmanager loads it. but still no change from boot.