GRUB error 17 on Toshiba laptop

frakmerts · 04-05-2006, 06:33 PM

Hello everyone. I have a Satellite M55 series laptop. I recently installed Ubuntu on a second 23 GB partition of the 100 GB HDD, and also installed GRUB. Last night I got tired of it and deleted the partition from Partition Magic on Windows. I also changed the second partition from 23 to 5 GB and added that free space to the primary partition. So now when I try to boot, from GRUB, I get error 17, and I cannot boot!!! The problem is that I tried to change the boot sequence on the BIOS and it does change, but when rebooted goes straight to GRUB, jumping CR-ROM and LAN boot, the laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. I tried with Ubuntu installation CD, nothing. Windows XP CD, nothing; I also tried both discs on another computer and they work fine. I've looked around a lot of posts and found nothing similar. I'm starting to think that the only solution is the warranty, because I did not finish my backup and I cannot just throw the resore CD in. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot!

Penguin of Wonder · 04-05-2006, 06:47 PM

Um, its sounds to me like you might have overwritten your Ubuntu install. When you used parition magic, it might of erased the Ubuntu install when you changed the size of the parition. That would explain the Error 17, which basicly means the specified parition cannot be found or the parition is there but nothing is there grub can use.

How did you install Ubuntu if you your computer won't boot off of the CD?

frakmerts · 04-06-2006, 06:52 PM

It used to do it before installing GRUB, the BIOS allows only 5 or 6 different boot sequences, it wont let me select where to boot from. The DVD unit is before the HDD only on two of them, I tried both and it doesn't work, it goes directly to HDD and GRUB.

Penguin of Wonder · 04-08-2006, 02:22 PM

Installing GRUB shouldn't effect your BIOS at all, unless part of your BIOS is stored on the HDD as another parition (very doubtful). Does your DVD player still work?? Its not broken is it?

Can you still boot into Windows? If I were you, I'd just use Partition Magic to erase all of the partitions associated with Linux and try again.

frakmerts · 04-09-2006, 06:50 PM

I know, the BIOS shouldn't be modified but it's not doing the indicated sequence. The DVD player was working fine the same day I erased the partition. I'd tried to do what you say, the problem is I cannot boot! neither windows or DOS or linux or the DVD unit or anything!

Penguin of Wonder · 04-09-2006, 10:28 PM

What exactly happens then when you turn on the computer? Grub comes up, you select something, and then it freezes, no matter what you pick?

If thats the case you might have just written your grub.conf or menu.lst wrong. In that case you edit it on the fly.