Another 'GRUB Harddisk Error'

the_styler · 10-05-2004, 01:53 PM

Hi there,

I installed Fedora Core 2 (64Bit Version) on a system with Win XP Pro. After I rebooted I got a "GRUB Harddisk Error". I fixed the MBR with "fdisk /mbr" (because I needed my WinXP System). What can I do to boot Linux now (if it worked with a bootdisk, that would be fine as well)?

I have two Samsung HDDs (160 GB and 120 GB) and I tried both, to install Linux on HDD1 and on HDD2. I also tried SUSE 9.1, but I got the same error. Both HDDs seem to be physically okay (that's at least what several HDD-check-tools tell me) and I tried the installation several times.

Any help is welcomed!
Thanx, styler

pongmaster · 10-05-2004, 03:34 PM

There's a known bug about dual booting Fedora 2 and WinXP.
http://lwn.net/Articles/86835/
provides a guide on how to fix it.

the_styler · 10-06-2004, 02:58 AM

Thanks for your post, pongmaster!
But I don't think that this will solve my problem, because neither do I get

Code:

Rootnoverify(hd0,0)
Chainloader +1

(as explained in the article), nor is it only a FedoraCore problem (because SUSE 9.1 fails as well).

Or am I wrong?

Thanx, styler.

bigrigdriver · 10-06-2004, 04:31 AM

Difficult to say what the problem is with the info you've given. Post your /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/grub.conf. That might help.
Also, read section 2.7 of the Red Hat Reference Manual on grub configuration.
You might also try googling up a copy of 'Zen and the Art of Using Grub'.
The most common problem I've seen setting up grub is that folks point grub to the /boot directory instead of /, the root of the file system. Grub wants to know first, where the root of the filesystem is, then second, where /boot/grub is.

the_styler · 10-06-2004, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Post your /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/grub.conf

I'd like to, but I can't access them, since I can't start Linux

Quote:

The most common problem I've seen setting up grub is that folks [...]

I didn't do anything myself, the whole configuartion was done by the Fedora Core/ SUSE Installationprogram

How can I build a bootdisk, so that I can start Linux?

Thanx, styler.

MartinN · 10-06-2004, 05:48 AM

You can boot the system with the installation disk in rescue mode. You may want to try this procedure:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...04#post1174104
to write grub back to the MBR. (But if you still get errors, you will have to run Windows fdisk /mbr again.)

When in rescue mode, it's possible to get some files off your Linux partitions and on to a floppy. Do you know how to do this, or do you need help on that?

Martin

the_styler · 10-06-2004, 06:36 AM

Okay I'm just back from rescue mode. I changed to /mnt/sysimage because the system told me that my FC installation would be there.
So here is what the files looked like:

/mnt/sysimage/boot/grub/grub.conf

Code:

# Comments...
# boot = /dev/hda
default = 1
timeout = 10
splashimage=(hd1,1)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Fedora Core (2.6.5-1.358)
	root (hd1,1)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.5-1.358 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
	initrd /initrd-2.6.5-1.358.img
title Windows XP
	rootnoverify (hd0,0)
	chainloader +1

/mnt/sysimage/etc/fstab

Code:

LABEL=/		/		ext3	defaults	1 1
LABEL=/boot	/boot		ext3	defaults	1 2
none		/dev/pts	devpts	gid=5,mode=620	0 0
none		/dev/shm	tmpfs	defaults	0 0
none		/proc		proc	defaults	0 0
none		/sys		sysfs	defaults	0 0
/dev/hdb5	swap		swap	defaults	0 0

@MartinN: I tried you hint and did the following:
I changed to /mnt/sysimage/sbin and gave the command grub-install /dev/hda. The answer was "/sbin/grub: Not found" (probably because it is in /mnt/sysimage/sbin, not in /sbin, right?).

Thanx for your help!
styler

MartinN · 10-06-2004, 07:10 AM

You should issue the command
chroot /mnt/sysimage
before trying grub-install. chroot changes the root of the filesystem so, in your case, what was /mnt/sysimage becomes /

Martin

the_styler · 10-06-2004, 07:33 AM

Thanx!
I tried it again and was told that no errors occured and that /boot/grub/device.map looks like

Code:

(fd0)	/dev/fd0
(hd0)	/dev/hda
(hd1)	/dev/hdb

I rebooted and got:

Code:

GRUB Loading stage1.5
GRUB loading, please wait...
Error 21

I also tried to create a bootdisk, but the command mkbootdisk was not found

bye,
styler

MartinN · 10-06-2004, 07:43 AM

I tried a little google for
grub "error 21"
Here is a solution from someone with the same problem (BIOS Settings):
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bu.../msg00082.html

The error apparently means "Selected Disk does not exist".

Good luck!
Martin

the_styler · 10-06-2004, 08:43 AM

Thanx for your help Martin!
I enabled the auto-detect for the second HDD in the BIOS and now it works

Thanx again,
styler