GRUB Error, cant mount partition

kofrad · 09-06-2004, 08:41 PM

I am trying to get GRUB working on my computer so I can use different versions of the Linux kernel on boot. I have previously been using a floppy disk to boot up. I installed the GRUB debian package and ran grub-install to install grub, upon booting, I was presented with Error 17, which means cannot mount selected partition. I decided to create a GRUB boot disk to see if I could figure things out. Here is what happens in GRUB when I try to load my menu.lst file to boot up.

grub> root (hd0,2)
Unrecognized file system. Partition type 0x83
grub> configfile (hd0,2)/boot/menu.lst
Cannot mount selected partition

I have no idea why I'm getting that error, if I run GRUB from the shell, I can run the above commands and after I rn the configfile command, I am presented with a text-based menu and a list of my kernels that I have set up in menu.lst, upon selecting one, I am returned to the shell. I think it may be something in my config file, but I don't know what it could be. If someone could point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

fancypiper · 09-06-2004, 08:56 PM

It would help if we knew the partitioning scheme you used and we could look at your /etc/fstab file.

# How are the hard drives partitioned
fdisk -l

Installing a bootloader
Multiboot with GRUB Mini-HOWTO
Linux+Win9x+Grub HOWTO

kofrad · 09-06-2004, 09:33 PM

Here is the output of cat /etc/fstab:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
/dev/hda3 / ext2 errors=remount-ro 0 1
/dev/hda2 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

Here is the output of fdisk -l
Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
128 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9693 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 8064 * 512 = 4128768 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 24 96736+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 9601 9693 374976 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda3 * 25 9600 38610432 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Sorry about the formatting, there isnt a [code] tag that I know of, so the formatting got messed up

fancypiper · 09-06-2004, 09:45 PM

{code}paste code in here{/code}

Replace the {} with []

For example:

Code:

# 950 Duron Fedora Core 1 /etc/fstab file
/dev/hda7       /               ext3            defaults                1 1
/dev/hda3       /boot           ext3            defaults                1 2
none            /dev/pts        devpts          gid=5,mode=620          0 0
/dev/hda9       /home           ext3            defaults                1 2
/dev/hdc1       /mnt/fat32      vfat            defaults                0 0
#/dev/hdc1      /mnt/wav        ext3            defaults                1 2
#/dev/hdc1      /mnt/backup     ext3            defaults                1 2
/dev/hda1       /mnt/win98      vfat            defaults                0 0
/dev/hda2       /mnt/win2k      ntfs            defaults                0 0
/dev/hdb1       /pub            ext3            defaults                1 2
none            /proc           proc            defaults                0 0
none            /dev/shm        tmpfs           defaults                0 0
/dev/hda8       /var            ext3            defaults                1 2
/dev/hda5       swap            swap            defaults                0 0
/dev/cdrom      /mnt/cdrom      udf,iso9660     noauto,owner,kudzu,ro   0 0
/dev/fd0        /mnt/floppy     auto            noauto,owner,kudzu      0 0

Code:

Mon Sep 06 10:43 PM root@uilleann ~ # fdisk -l
 
Disk /dev/hdc: 40.0 GB, 40037760000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4867 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
 
   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hdc1   *         1      4867  39094146    c  Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
 
Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
 
   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *         1      1215   9755991    c  Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda2          1215      2429   9751455    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3          2429      2446    140017+  83  Linux
/dev/hda4          2447      4865  19430617+   5  Extended
/dev/hda5          2447      2516    562243+  83  Linux
/dev/hda6          2517      3368   6843658+  83  Linux
/dev/hda7          3369      3795   3429846   83  Linux
/dev/hda8          3796      4222   3429846   83  Linux
/dev/hda9          4223      4865   5164866   83  Linux
 
Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
 
   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hdb1   *         1      9729  78148161   83  Linux

I forgot to mention that you should also post your /boot/grub/grub.conf file:

Code:

# Duron 950 uilleann /boot/grub/grub.conf file
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,2)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda7
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
                                                                                                                             
title Fedora Core 1 kernel-2.4.22-1.2115.nptl
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.22-1.2115.nptl ro root=LABEL=/ hdd=ide-scsi rhgb
        initrd /initrd-2.4.22-1.2115.nptl.img
                                                                                                                             
title Gentoo Sources Linux
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel (hd0,2)/boot/kernel-2.4.26-gentoo-r9 root=/dev/hda6 hdd=ide-scsi
                                                                                                                             
title Gentoo Gaming Linux
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel (hd0,2)/boot/gaming-bzImage root=/dev/hda6 hdd=ide-scsi
                                                                                                                             
title Gentoo Dev Sources Linux
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel (hd0,2)/boot/dev-bzImage root=/dev/hda6 hdd=ide-scsi
                                                                                                                             
title Microsoft Windows
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

kofrad · 09-06-2004, 09:51 PM

I thought you might have wanted the config file as well. WIth my distro it is menu.lst though, so, here is the stuff again

Code:

>cat /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>               <dump>  <pass>
/dev/hda3       /               ext2    errors=remount-ro       0       1
/dev/hda2       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

Code:

>fdisk -l
Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
128 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9693 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 8064 * 512 = 4128768 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1               1          24       96736+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2            9601        9693      374976   82  Linux swap
/dev/hda3   *          25        9600    38610432   83  Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Code:

>cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
#
# Sample boot menu configuration file
#

# Boot the first entry
default 0

# Boot automatically after 30 seconds
timeout 30

# Fallback to the second entry
fallback 1

# Linux 2.2.20-idepci
title Linux_2.2.20-idepci
kernel (hd0,2)/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.20-idepci root=(hd0,2)

# Linux 2.4.25-1
title Linux_2.4.25-1
kernel (hd0,2)/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.25-1-386 root=(hd0,2)

# Linux 2.6.8.1
title Linux_2.6.8.1
kernel (hd0,2)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8.1-20040816 root=(hd0,2)

UPDATE: I installed grub onto a floppy disk, and was able to get the menu showing my kernels that I set up in menu.lst, yet I still get error 17 when I try to boot with any of them. Could this be a permission issue? I tried (hd0,0) (hd0,1) (hd,2) for the kernel boot command, and all three returned error 17. It sounds more like a permission issue now.

kofrad · 09-07-2004, 02:37 PM

Nobody can help me out here? I really need to figure this one out, as my floppy drive is about to go. Could someone please help me out.

Andrew Benton · 09-07-2004, 05:06 PM

What other files have you got in /boot/grub? Grub will give the error 17 message if it can't recognise the filesystem. I had a run in with it about a fortnight ago when I moved to Reiser4. Your root filesytem is ext2 so the minimum you need are the files stage1, stage2 and e2fs_stage1_5. Copy them from /usr/share/grub/i386-pc (if that's your architecture) to /boot/grub. I would just copy all the files as it won't do any harm. I hope this helps. Sorry if it doesn't. Good luck.