Okay, I'm at my wits end. I've tried to install GRUB many times now, and I just can't seem to get it done. Maybe God's telling me to stick with LILO

To install GRUB I've read every How-To on this side of the planet, and nothing seems to work properly. I've used the grub-install <device> method, and I've used the Installing GRUB Natively method. Either I'm too stupid to install GRUB, there's a problem with my system, or the How-To's I've read are all incorrect somewhere. Maybe all of the above.

After the last fiasco, GRUB would load Windoze 2000 fine, but not Debian. So I booted with the Debian 2.4.18-bf2.4 floppy and did this:

paul:/boot# rm -rf grub
paul:/boot# lilo
paul:/boot# reboot

And now I can boot either OS just fine. However, for some reason I don't even know anymore, I want GRUB as my bootloader

Here is what I think is pertinent to know if you can help.

mingdao@paul:~$ cat /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
/dev/hda8 / ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1
/dev/hda7 none swap sw 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/fd0 /floppy auto user,noauto 0 0
/dev/cdrom /cdrom iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/hda6 /boot ext3 defaults 0 2
/dev/hda9 /home ext3 defaults 0 2
/dev/hdb5 /usr ext3 defaults 0 2
/dev/hda10 /var ext3 defaults 0 2
/dev/hda11 /tmp ext3 defaults 0 2

/dev/hda1 is C:\Windoze 2000 FAT32
/dev/hda5 is E:\Data FAT32

The only Primary partition, and the only bootable partition, is /dev/hda1. For hda there is an Extended partition, and then all the others are Logical partitions.

For hdb there is one Primary partition which is /dev/hdb1is D:\Programs formatted as FAT32, an Extended partition, then /dev/hdb5 is /usr formatted ext3 and /dev/hdb6 is F:\AppSwap formatted FAT32.

If you need more information, please let me know.

your working /etc/lilo.conf
and your grub.conf

would be very helpful

paul:/home/mingdao# nano /etc/lilo.conf

# /etc/lilo.conf - See: `lilo(8)' and `lilo.conf(5)',
# --------------- `install-mbr(8)', `/usr/share/doc/lilo/',
# and `/usr/share/doc/mbr/'.

# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# | !! Reminder !! |
# | |
# | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this |
# | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel. The |
# | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image |
# | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'. |
# | |
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+

# Support LBA for large hard disks.
#
lba32

# Overrides the default mapping between harddisk names and the BIOS'
# harddisk order. Use with caution.
#disk=/dev/hde
# bios=0x81

#disk=/dev/sda
# bios=0x80

# Specifies the boot device. This is where Lilo installs its boot
# block. It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which
# case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR.
#
boot=/dev/hda

# Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/')
#
root=/dev/hda8

# Enable map compaction:
# Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
# read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the
# map smaller. Using `compact' is especially recommended when
# booting from a floppy disk. It is disabled here by default
# because it doesn't always work.
#
# compact

# Installs the specified file as the new boot sector
# You have the choice between: bmp, compat, menu and text
# Look in /boot/ and in lilo.conf(5) manpage for details
#
install=/boot/boot-menu.b

# Specifies the location of the map file
#
map=/boot/map

# You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines
# in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must
# be typed to boot anything but a default configuration. If a
# command line is given, other than one specified by an `append'
# statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a
# standard default boot will not require one.
#
# This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the
# console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh',
# and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization.
#
# Note that if you really need this type of security, you will
# likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR
# program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from
# removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the
# BIOS configuration as well. Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'.
#
# password=tatercounter2000

# Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should
# wait before booting the first image.
#
delay=20

# You can put a customized boot message up if you like. If you use
# `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you
# must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting
# for a keypress. `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the
# `image' configurations below. eg: You can press `1' to boot
# `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'.
#
# message=/boot/bootmess.txt
prompt
timeout=150
# prompt
# single-key
# delay=100
# timeout=100

# Specifies the VGA text mode at boot time. (normal, extended, ask, <mode>)
#
# vga=ask
# vga=9
#
vga=normal

# Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go
# here. See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in
# the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory.
#
# append=""

# Boot up Linux by default.
#
default=Linux

image=/vmlinuz
label=Linux
read-only
# restricted
# alias=1

image=/vmlinuz.old
label=LinuxOLD
read-only
optional
# restricted
# alias=2

# If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the
# following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to
# where your other OS' partition is.
#
# other=/dev/hda4
# label=HURD
# restricted
# alias=3
other=/dev/hda1
label="Windows(hda1)"

other=/dev/hda5
label="Windows(hda5)"

other=/dev/hdb1
label="Windows(hdb1)"

other=/dev/hdb6
label="Windows(hdb6)"

And I guess I have no grub.conf -->

paul:/home/mingdao# whereis grub.conf
grub: /sbin/grub /usr/lib/grub /usr/share/man/man8/grub.8.gz
paul:/home/mingdao# ls -aFlc /sbin/grub
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 109560 Oct 30 14:31 /sbin/grub*
paul:/home/mingdao# ls -aFlc /usr/lib/grub
total 16
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Oct 30 14:31 ./
drwxr-xr-x 30 root root 8192 Nov 1 00:40 ../
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 30 14:31 i386-pc/
paul:/home/mingdao#

check /etc/grub.conf
and in the /boot directory
check that you don't have to mount a partition/drive
at /boot some distros make a separate boot
partition so you can't accidentily overwrite
your kernel.

whereis is only for executables in your path and
man pages in your man path

try locate

Use LILO....it works great.

No grub.* in /etc

paul:/home/mingdao# locate grub.conf
/usr/share/kernel-package/kpkg_grub.conf

paul:/boot# ls -aFlc
total 4458
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 1024 Nov 3 21:17 ./
drwxr-xr-x 20 root root 4096 Nov 3 21:05 ../
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 559088 Oct 30 18:39 System.map-2.4.18-bf2.4
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 749740 Nov 3 21:05 System.map-2.4.22paul
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7988 Oct 30 18:51 boot-bmp.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 6204 Oct 30 18:51 boot-compat.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7964 Oct 30 18:51 boot-menu.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 6204 Oct 30 18:51 boot-text.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 512 Oct 30 18:51 boot.0300
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 Oct 30 18:51 boot.b -> boot-menu.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 728 Oct 30 18:51 chain.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 16984 Oct 30 18:39 config-2.4.18-bf2.4
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 26304 Nov 3 21:05 config-2.4.22paul
drwx------ 2 root root 12288 Oct 30 18:33 lost+found/
-rw------- 1 root root 39936 Nov 3 21:17 map
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 656 Oct 30 18:51 os2_d.b
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1263339 Oct 30 18:39 vmlinuz-2.4.18-bf2.4
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1830521 Nov 3 21:05 vmlinuz-2.4.22paul

This is where LILO finds the kernel to boot. vmlinuz-2.4.22paul is the kernel I recompiled last night, and vmlinuz-2.4.18-bf2.4 is the original one from the Debian Woody 3.0 install.

I see this, and I've read every stinking GRUB manual and How-To I could find, but still I cannot install GRUB and boot Debian with it. Maybe I'm what the local people here call er bai wu (stupid)

Thanks for explaining to me the difference between whereis and locate. That's going to be helpful in the future.

Joseph, thanks for your helpful post. Perhaps you didn't read my very first post in this thread:
Maybe you don't know how to install GRUB, either. I will check out the links in your sig - maybe something in your post would be helpful after all

Joseph,

Those are very good links in your thread. Thanks for posting.

In particular, one of them pointed me close enough to find some How-To information within my Debian filesystem. It said "Somewhere in the neighborhood of /usr/doc/HOWTO on your filesystem will be the HOWTO's." In Debian I found /usr/share/doc which contains directories of packages, and then under each directory there are files such as README. For instance->
mingdao@paul:/usr/share/doc/grub$ ls -1
AUTHORS
BUGS
NEWS.gz
README
README.Debian
THANKS
TODO
changelog.Debian.gz
changelog.gz
copyright
examples

Under /usr/share/doc/alsa-source I found README.Debian.gz and doing zless README.Debian.gz looks to have all the information I need to properly install ALSA in my system. As a matter of fact, I'll go try it now.