Grub refuses to work, error 18
 

So I updated my bios and Grub refuses to work, giving me an error 18.

What is error 18, and how am I supposed to get past it? As it stands I can't load up Linux because it's on a partition on my slave hard drive...

From the GRUB manual...

...so How do I fix it?

First thing to try is edit the BIOS. When you turn the power on the computer, press the key(s) as required for your computer, during POST (Power On Self Test). On some computers, you press the control key, others it may be alt+F7. At any rate, check your computers documentation for the key(s) to press during POST to edit the BIOS.

Go through the menu items until you find the one that shows you the hard drives, with their sizes, cylinders, sectors, etc. On the right hand end of the line for the slave drive, it probably shows the word NORMAL. Tab across to that word, then (I think it's the enter key to press) to cycle though options. Stop when you get to LBA (for hard drivers larger than the limit mentioned by Arow).

Save and exit. The boot process should then proceed normally.

I think it's already in LBA mode; in the BIOS there are two options for my hard drives under LBA: Auto and Disabled. They're both on auto.

Still looking for help here, I can't seem to get it to work...

Try reinstalling grub. Pop in your linux disc and enter linux rescue. Run grub-install /dev/hd#

I tried that from the live CD and it says I don't have permission or something along those lines. But I have re-installed Ubuntu several times without any success.

Still completely lost here. I even tried making a small boot sector at the very start of the hard drive, as suggested when I researched the issue, but still no dice.

Might be a sign of giving up, but you might want to try lilo instead of grub (as last resort)

What's the content of your grub conf file ?

Several reinstalls? Give up on the software and start examining hardware. Yank out all other hard drives, reinstall linux, throw grub onto the mbr.

It pays to learn how to rescue a Linux using just a Live CD.

To restore Grub Task B4 and B5 of the last link of my signature refer.

I think restoring Grub should cure it if the unbootable Linux can be mounted and the files checked OK.

Saikee: I'm curious, is there any significant difference between running linux rescue and booting from a livecd?

Not really.

If you run the Linux rescue it may automatically search the Linux and mount the partition for you. You still need to chroot to it and do the boot loader restoration work.

Using the Live CD you then understand the steps involved, know how to find which partition to mount and mount the partition manually yourself. It is a good education and pretty fundamental to a Linux user to know. You grab Linux by its horn!

The important part of it is once you learn the steps you can rescue any Linux with any Livce CD.

Linux rescue is not universally provided by every distro and each family has its own way of slightly different rescuing operation.