I can't boot from external Hard Disk

BK2 · 11-28-2007, 02:40 PM

hello all

I Installed linux opensuse 10.3 on my local HD, then I installed a live linux cd (mandriva) on external HD (USB) . so I configured grub boot loader (menu.lst) and added to it mandriva. but whrn I tried to boot mandrvia from the external HD an error appear and says: can't find disk

the configuration just like that:

title openSUSE 10.3
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.12-0.1-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_FUJITSU_MHV2060_NT21T5C28V18-part7 vga=791 resume=/dev/sda8 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.12-0.1-default

title Mandriva 2008
root (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb2
initrd /boot/initrd.img

it should boot because I have 2 HDs
why it can't find the 2nd HD (hd1,1) .

and this is fdisk -l

Code:

 Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1        1824    14651248+   c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2            1825        7295    43945807+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5            1825        3648    14651248+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6            3649        5472    14651248+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7   *        5473        7104    13109008+  83  Linux
/dev/sda8            7105        7295     1534176   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x28f12a69

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               1        7686    61737763+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2   *        7687        8736     8434125   83  Linux
/dev/sdb3            8737        9729     7976272+  83  Linux

How I can let mandriva boot from the external HD. Do I need to install the grub boot loader from the last distro the I installed???

because I need opensuse10.3 to be my boot manger on my device

thanks a lot

bigrigdriver · 11-28-2007, 03:21 PM

Quote:

I Installed linux opensuse 10.3 on my local HD, then I installed a live linux cd (mandriva) on external HD (USB) . so I configured grub boot loader (menu.lst) and added to it mandriva. but whrn I tried to boot mandrvia from the external HD an error appear and says: can't find disk

The problem probably comes from the menu.lst you copied from OpenSUSE. It's right for OpenSUSE to pass the boot process form OpenSUSE's grub to Mandriva to boot it, but it's not right for Mandriva to boot properly.

Quote:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb2

This is the problem: from OpenSUSE, the vmlinuz for Mandriva is in the /boot folder. From Mandriva, grub knows that boot in under the root of the filesystem, so it doesn't need the /boot/vmlinuz; it expects to find vmlinuz in /boot. All you need to do is edit menu.lst, and remove /boot from the kernel line. Like this:

Code:

kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb2

If you want Mandriva's grub to take over the MBR from OpenSUSE, you need to boot Mandy and run grub-install. Just copying menu.lst to Mandy won't make it so.

BK2 · 11-29-2007, 01:00 PM

First, thank your help

the problem not form the path, it can't find my HD at all on booting.

you think that it can't find the path of the kernel or the initrd. no not this is the problem!!. the problem is the boot loader can't find my 2nd HD on booting . but when I enter to the OS it says that there is another HD.

anyway I tried your way but it doesn't work

another problem... openSUSUE 10.3 configure my 1st HD (hd0) as a SCSI type . but it's SCSI!! , I don't know why it said it's SCSI. this well cause to name 2nd partition with this name (sdb) but it must be like this (sda) , and the 1st partition must be (hda) not (sda).

any ides ??

thanks a lot