boot-problem using grub

hi everybody

i've got a problem with my ts-5700. i tried to set up my own linux-image on a
cf-card and set up grub. if i boot this image in a vmware, grub loads the kernel
and the boot-process beginns (it failes at "kernel panic: vfs not syncing.." but thats
not the problem..)
on my ts-5700 grub starts as usual with

Loading stage 1.5.

Loading, please wait...

then it waits for the 3 seconds-timeout and then i just get this on the console:

[01;C4H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H
[01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H
[01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H
[01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H
[01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H
[01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H
[01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;C8H [01;E9H

and then it hangs forever..

any ideas?

thanks,

toby

no ideas but some further questions

how do you know that your computer will allow boot device .flash memory card?

how do you know that you successfully installed grub into that card?

2) I am a dinosaur but I am not aware of grub recognising cf cards in the device list. can you post in the links that indicate your knowledge?

oh just found this which may help you.

http://www.puppyos.com/flash-puppy.htm

Thanks, but...

how do you know that your computer will allow boot device .flash memory card?

it is a SBC!!!

how do you know that you successfully installed grub into that card?

i can boot my laptop as well as a vmware-instance from the same card using a usb-cf-drive.

oh just found this which may help you. http://www.puppyos.com/flash-puppy.htm

I don't need a new OS and 65MB into the RAM of a SBC...

any other ideas?

i think it's an issue of displaying the boot-menu, but
that does not explain, why it is not booting the default
entry then..

and:

2) I am a dinosaur but I am not aware of grub recognising cf cards in the device list. can you post in the links that indicate your knowledge?

for example..

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-327295.html

yes well I was trying to explain that I do not have a cf card, so can not test what I am about to say.

you may need to use another computer, if you have one to try this

1) format your card to a bootable kernel format eg ext2
mkfs.ext2 /dev/sdx where sdx is what your card is detected as

2) populate grub onto it
mount /dev/sdx /mnt/temp
cd /mnt/temp
mkdir grub
cp /usr/share/grub/i386-pc/stage* /usr/share/grub/i386-pc/e2fs_stage1_5 /boot/grub/menu.lst /mnt/temp/grub
...(or where ever grub backup lib is,eg it may be /lib/grub/)

3) edit the grub menu
either open a editor and navigate to /mnt/tmp/grub/menu.lst
or vi /mnt/tmp/grub/menu.lst

4) concerning your menu concerns, I do not have a single board low power computer so I am guessing that you can still have boot order of cf card.....you may know the answer but your answer did not help one bit and I do not blame you for dismissing my ignorance.

assuming your card can be the first boot device try hd0 in the menu.

5) populate the balance of the operating system that you prefer.Since you mention linux-image but give no details I assume you know more than me on that matter.

good luck

well, thats right what i did so far.
i built up my linux from scratch on that cf.

the problem still is, that grub is not providing any output
on the sbc but these [01;C8H-strings and not booting
any further on the sbc but does on a machine that can provide
vga-output..

have you tried a boot parameter?

eg vga=normal vga=ask vga=791

append it to the kernel line
eg kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 ro vga=ask

edit is is quick link on vga codes go as basic and as ugly as you can if vga=ask does not ask

edit 2 found the best link

http://wiki.antlinux.com/pmwiki.php?n=HowTos.VgaModes

sick of edit, to that link, you make vga=integer so not vga=0x301 but vga=301

thanks, but i don't think
a vga-option will work on
a console..?

try a line like this I found
console=ttyS0 TERM=vt102

from here http://tldp.org/HOWTO/PA-RISC-Linux-...earlyboot.html

do a search of console to find the section console
http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/lk/lk-2.html

2) if none of them work, including trying vga, yes i know, then try the noboot options like noapci noagp nodhcp noapic nodma nofirewire nosmp noraid