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Old 05-15-2010, 05:04 PM   #1
Helpisneeded
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: May 2010
Posts: 3

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No Distro's are booting MBR/GRUB problem


It all started when I tried to boot Arch Linux, so I go to boot, it boots fine, but when I try to install, I get an error something along the lines of "No Root Block found" and "No media found". So, I googled some, and found that it was a kind-of common problem, various other places said that I didn't have GRUB installed.

So I started to use this guide: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=224351 I booted up with my Ubuntu Live CD, and got into the GRUB shell, and typed the find command, but it couldn't find those folders, so I looked manually, and it turned out they weren't there.

I started to experiment with Sabayon, and when I attempted to boot into the Live CD, it gave me the same error as Arch Linux did, attempting to install it also gave me this same error.. Yet one thing I found odd, was Ubuntu booted it's live CD fine, but Sabayon Didn't.

I went ahead and asked advice from someone who is pretty experienced in the ways of Linux, he said go ahead and use pendrivelinux to put Sabayon on a USB drive. I did that, and voila! It booted up, I got to the desktop, and clicked install Sabayon(The Icon) After going through all of the options it starts to install, at about 2% I get an error. I can't quite recall what the error was, but I believe it was related to python, as I think the file that was corrupted (I'm assuming it was corrupted) had a .py ending. In the process of installing Sabayon, I wiped Windows off of my computer, and now I can't boot from any devices. Such as; If I put a live CD in my computer, it will not boot from it, even if I select it in the bios.

If you read all of this I applaud you, and I applaud you even more if you can fix my problem. Sorry that I am new, and asking for help, but this was the last place I turned. I am also not quite sure if this is the correct section, but I am assuming it is.

Note: Reason I did not put this in a Sabayon Specific forum, is because it will not boot any distro, and it will not install any distro.

Specs Are:
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit
CPU: 1.3-GHz Intel Pentium SU2700
RAM/Expandable to: 3GB
Hard Drive Size: 320GB
Display Size/Resolution: 15.6 inches/1366 x 768
Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW DL

Last edited by Helpisneeded; 05-15-2010 at 05:53 PM.
 
Old 05-15-2010, 05:11 PM   #2
brucehinrichs
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Registered: Mar 2008
Location: US
Distribution: Debian Sid; Sabayon, UbuntuStudio, Slackware-multilib 13.1, Peppermint Ice, CentOS
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It may be that you need to pass specific options to the kernel at boot time to deal with hardware issues. However, since you did not list any specs on your system, this is just a wild guess.
 
Old 05-15-2010, 05:53 PM   #3
Helpisneeded
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: May 2010
Posts: 3

Original Poster
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brucehinrichs View Post
It may be that you need to pass specific options to the kernel at boot time to deal with hardware issues. However, since you did not list any specs on your system, this is just a wild guess.
Edited
 
Old 05-15-2010, 06:00 PM   #4
Karl Godt
Member
 
Registered: Mar 2010
Location: Kiel , Germany
Distribution: once:SuSE6.2,Debian3.1, aurox9.2+3,Mandrake?,DSL? then:W7st,WVHB, #!8.10.02,PUPPY4.3.1 now:Macpup
Posts: 314

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Some Distros were prevented by Compaq BIOS VIRUS GUARD and I think it was 'Absolute' 2 times (13.xy) and 'Zenwalk 4.xy' once.
Maybe some part of the mainboard simply died like condensators or resistants while doing too much.
GRUB itself has to be installed at Arch perhaps separately by commands like 'grubinstall' 'grubconfig'.
I've got one and took a short look on it but I would need another computer running for the WIKIs while installing. It is simple submarine deep-sea IT like most 'Dragonfly', 'Finnix', 'Minix' and such like (at the beginning).
'Grubinstall' is written differently at many Linux OS.
'mandb' 'makewhatis' 'apropos' 'whatis' are helpful commands.

This now is MacPup 4.3.1:
Code:
# apropos grub
bash: apropos: command not found
# find grub
find: grub: No such file or directory
# help grub
bash: help: no help topics match `grub'.  Try `help help' or `man -k grub' or `info grub'.
# info grub
bash: info: command not found
# man grub
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.9.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.8.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.3.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/hiawatha.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.0.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.2.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.9.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.8.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.3.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/hiawatha.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.0.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.2.htm/: Not a directory
default
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/
Sometimes GRUB doesn't boot a partition whose filesystem is not implemented at /boot or is encrypted like it becomes more and more the default at several OS-installers like one Debian 5.0.4 I once tried.
 
Old 05-15-2010, 08:46 PM   #5
Helpisneeded
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: May 2010
Posts: 3

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl Godt View Post
Some Distros were prevented by Compaq BIOS VIRUS GUARD and I think it was 'Absolute' 2 times (13.xy) and 'Zenwalk 4.xy' once.
Maybe some part of the mainboard simply died like condensators or resistants while doing too much.
GRUB itself has to be installed at Arch perhaps separately by commands like 'grubinstall' 'grubconfig'.
I've got one and took a short look on it but I would need another computer running for the WIKIs while installing. It is simple submarine deep-sea IT like most 'Dragonfly', 'Finnix', 'Minix' and such like (at the beginning).
'Grubinstall' is written differently at many Linux OS.
'mandb' 'makewhatis' 'apropos' 'whatis' are helpful commands.

This now is MacPup 4.3.1:
Code:
# apropos grub
bash: apropos: command not found
# find grub
find: grub: No such file or directory
# help grub
bash: help: no help topics match `grub'.  Try `help help' or `man -k grub' or `info grub'.
# info grub
bash: info: command not found
# man grub
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.9.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.8.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.3.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/hiawatha.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.0.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.2.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.9.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.0.8.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.3.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/hiawatha.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.1.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.0.htm/: Not a directory
find: /usr/share/doc/release-4.1.2.htm/: Not a directory
default
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/
Sometimes GRUB doesn't boot a partition whose filesystem is not implemented at /boot or is encrypted like it becomes more and more the default at several OS-installers like one Debian 5.0.4 I once tried.
I kind-of understand, and I will try what you suggested once I am able to boot, but I still have the problem of not being able to boot off of a USB or a CD. Also, if I am understanding what you're saying correctly it may be because of my Bios, yet I used to be able to boot the CD's and USB's just fine, just not be able to install them. I am also not quite understanding where you said "Maybe some part of the mainboard simply died like condensators or resistants while doing too much." So does that mean I need to go identify which capacitors are "dead" and replace them?

Last edited by Helpisneeded; 05-15-2010 at 08:51 PM.
 
  


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