GRUB problem: Windows XP, Fedora Core 3, Slackware 10.1

zahadumy · 11-11-2005, 10:14 AM

I had Windows XP and FC3 installed and used grub so far. Everything worked fine. I decided to install Slack because a lot of people say it's one of the best distributions. After I installed it, I could'n configure LILO to boot my Fedora distribution, because for some reasons (I think I know why) my FC3 partition is Linux LVM and I couldn't put it in /etc/lilo.conf in Slackware.

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 122.9 GB, 122942324736 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14946 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        1916    15390238+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2            1917       14946   104663475    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5            1917        6381    35865081    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda6            6382       10854    35929341    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda7           10855       12772    15406303+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda8           12773       13413     5148801    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda9           13414       13671     2072353+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda10          14310       14322      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sda11          14323       14946     5012248+  8e  Linux LVM
/dev/sda12          13672       13734      506016   82  Linux swap
/dev/sda13          13735       14309     4618656   83  Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# df -k
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
                       3838128   3248600    394560  90% /
/dev/sda10              101086      9034     86833  10% /boot
none                    257904         0    257904   0% /dev/shm
/dev/sda5             35830072  35368288    461784  99% /mnt/D
/dev/sda6             35894264  24141136  11753128  68% /mnt/E
/dev/sda7             15376248  12071300   3304948  79% /mnt/F
/dev/sda8              5138744    897344   4241400  18% /mnt/G
/dev/sda9              2068292   1220952    847340  60% /mnt/H

So i tried to edit my /etc/grub.conf from Fedora and reinstall thr grub on the MBR.

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# cat /etc/grub.conf
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,9)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,9)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core 3
        root (hd0,9)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.9-1.667.img
title Slackware 10.1
        root (hd0,12)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz
title Windows XP
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

Everything looks ok to me, but when I try to boot Slackware i get this message:

Code:

Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 22:01

I read this thread too, but I still couldn't make it work.
Can anyone help me, because I really liked Slackware so far... Thank you.

TruongAn · 11-11-2005, 10:35 AM

You didn't give the slackware kernel parameter in grub.conf file.
Though I don't know much about slack, I think that "one of the best" distro will not boot with that easy config line.
Look at the lilo.conf file in slack partition to see what kernel parameter is require and edit the grub.conf file.

zahadumy · 11-12-2005, 04:09 PM

I read yesterday a lot about GRUB, LILO, bootloaders, etc. and I have found out I possibly need an initrd.img file for Slack. Is this true? Can you tell me how do I make it? Does it matter if i have a SATA hdd?
And please, don't tell me "man mkinitrd" because I already read it, but somehow I can't make that initrd.img file. Thank you.

TruongAn · 11-13-2005, 02:14 AM

Yes it is true.
initrd.img is used to start all of your program after your kernel start.
Some *Nix like OS don't force you to specified initrd.img, the kernel will locate it automatically, but Salck may be not that kind.
The sort of your disk is not a matter.
The initrd.img file is created when you install slack and I wonder if there is anyway to recreat it except extract from the slack install disk.
I dont' think that your initrd.img is corrupt, I think you just forget where it is.
And initrd.img is not the only thing you need to boot linux
you got this error

Code:

Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 22:01

This mean your kernel couldn't start properly.
You have two more things to do with your grub.conf file.
Add the kernel parameter and specified the path to initrd.ing.
The easiest way to do so is read the lilo.conf file in your slack partition and adopt it.
I think your problem is not so serious
It is about the configuration failure not system failure

tinybit · 11-18-2005, 09:43 PM

GRUB and LILO always conflict with Windows. And GNU GRUB is not so robust, causing many problems during boot.

So try GRUB for DOS please. It is a cross-platform boot loader based on GNU GRUB. The GRUB.EXE can be started from DOS/Win9x; and GRLDR can be started from BOOT.INI of Windows NT/2K/XP/2003; and even more, the GRUB.EXE can be started from LINUX via the KEXEC tool.

By using GRUB.EXE or GRLDR, you don't have to touch your MBR. It is the safest way coexisting with DOS/Windows.

You needn't install GRUB for DOS. Just run GRUB.EXE from DOS, or append a line of "C:\GRLDR=START GRUB" into your BOOT.INI(restart and select the "START GRUB" menu item), that will do.

Download GRUB for DOS here: http://freshmeat.net/projects/grub4dos/

There is a fat12grldr.img file with the GRUB for DOS release. You can create a GRUB bootable floppy with this fat12grldr.img file.

Or, you can just copy GRUB.EXE to your DOS floppy and run GRUB.EXE to enter the GRUB environment.