ubuntu 10.04 Grub does not load Xp

mahfuz05 · 06-19-2010, 02:33 PM

i got a silly problem . after installing ubuntu 10.04 my grub 2 loader
shows my Xp at sda3 but when i click it it return to grub menu again.

here is my /boot/grub/grub.cfg file

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Microsoft Windows XP Professional (on /dev/sda3)" {
insmod fat
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d417-e7a0
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1
}

Please help me.

bigrigdriver · 06-19-2010, 03:41 PM

I don't know if this will help you solve your problem, but here goes:

I've seen friends, on their first attempts at installing Linux, run into problems with their Windows partitions when they had C and D drives set up (one for the OS and the other for data). The older version of grub identified both at Windows partitions and wrote a config for both to show on the grub menu. When selected, one would boot and the other would not.

So, please show the output of 'fdisk -l' and any other grub.cfg entries which also relate to Windows.

Comparing fdisk to grub.cfg should make it possible to determine if you grub.cfg needs edit.

saikee · 06-19-2010, 04:05 PM

If you only have one disk then press "c" key when you see the Grub screen to get a Grub prompt and try firing up Xp manually by

Code:

set root='(hd0,3)'
chainloader +1
boot

If this works remove the line beginning with "drivemap"

mahfuz05 · 06-20-2010, 08:47 AM

@bigrigdriver
yea my problem occur for same reason. my xp is in C drive but my System Volume info in D Drive. how can i solve this problem.
Here is my fdisk -l info

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 146 1172713+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 147 1971 14659312+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 * 1972 3187 9767520 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda4 3188 19456 130680712 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 3188 7011 30716248+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda6 7012 10835 30716248+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda7 10836 14659 30716248+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda8 14660 19456 38531871 7 HPFS/NTFS

saikee · 06-20-2010, 11:50 AM

mahfuz05,

Do you need to be taken by the hand?

If you see a Grub screen pressing the "c" key instead of selecting system to boot will drop you into a Grub prompt where you communicate with Grub directly.

If you type as I suggest in Post #3 by

Code:

set root='(hd0,3)'

you tell Grub that you want to boot the 3rd partition of the first disk. In Linux term that is sda3 which should have XP's NTLDR inside. All MS Windows place their boot loaders in the first partition they recognise and themselves can reside elsewhere.

By the command

Code:

chainloader +1

you tell to boot up the boot loader inside the specified partition.

The statement

Code:

boot

is the green light for Grub to hand over its control to the boot loader inside sda3 and you should see Xp boots up.

sda3 is likely to be the location of the Xp boot loader because all MS Windows must be booted from a "active" primary partition. The "*" means sda3 is active and in LInux only sda1 to sda4 can the primary or extended partition.

If you prove your Xp bootable then you amend the /bootgrub/grub.cfg to the manual commands you have used.

johnsfine · 06-20-2010, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahfuz05

after installing ubuntu 10.04 my grub 2 loader

grub2 has a slightly different command set than grub. Also grub2 numbers disks differently.

The advice in this thread seems to be ignoring the fact that you said grub2.

Most of the examples I've seen online have fewer and slightly simpler commands than what you showed. For example (plus detailed instructions) see
http://blogs.koolwal.net/2008/12/28/...b2-or-grub-pc/

The key commands there match yours, except for those extra quotes I haven't seen before.

Based on such online examples, I'd expect just

Code:

set root=(hd0,3)
chainloader +1

instead of your

Code:

insmod fat
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d417-e7a0
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1

Notice also the advice there (and in every similar page) not to directly edit /boot/grub/grub.cfg when making such changes.

ronlau9 · 06-20-2010, 02:23 PM

For a start GRUb2 starts counting by one .
So if windows is on sda 4 than it is (hd0,4)
Although you can edit grub.cfg it is not recommended .
On the terminal try the command sudo update-grub
If it does not work see http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1195275

johnsfine · 06-20-2010, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronlau9

For a start GRUb2 starts counting by one .
So if windows is on sda 4 than it is (hd0,4)

Sorry if my post threw confusion into that aspect of the problem. The (hd0,3) was correct for grub2. Windows seems to be on sda3. Certainly not on sda4.

smeezekitty · 06-20-2010, 07:46 PM

Are you sure its not /dev/sda8 ?

saikee · 06-21-2010, 02:15 AM

For those nervous about editing grub.cfg the worst that could happen if grub.cfg doesn't work is Grub will default to a Grub prompt which in my view is the most powerful booting tool.

I always edit the Grub configuration and even generate it myself or remove it to suit my requirement.

mahfuz05 · 06-21-2010, 02:33 PM

@saikee i have tried your command using pressing c and e and edit
as you say but still no change.

i have also tried with this
apt-get update
#apt-get install grub2
then
sudo gedit /etc/grub.d/11_Windows.save
then write it
#! /bin/sh -e
echo "Adding Windows" >&2
cat << EOF
menuentry "Windows XP" {
set root=(hd0,3)
chainloader +1
}
EOF

then chmod a+x /etc/grub.d/11_Windows
then update-grub2

but also no change.
i am hopeless...........

Aras · 07-06-2010, 09:23 PM

Were you able to solve this issue? I am having the same problem. I'v tried all the suggestions here but no luck so far. I just installed Ubuntu 10.04 on a computer in the lab that had XP on it. I dont use the XP but some of the other fellows in the lab need it. There was only one partition before installing Ubuntu and that was 500gb. I resized that and took 50gb for root and 3gb for swap. Any suggestions?