Grub is messed up

Hit3k · 11-20-2005, 11:54 PM

I was installing gentoo I got it all right I configured grub did grub-install /dev/hda and when i rebooted I didnt get a choice I got the grub command line any ideas how i can fix this(I also installed ubuntu overwriting the gentoo partitions and it did the same thing)

dudeman41465 · 11-20-2005, 11:55 PM

Have you tried running "startx" to see if it will start the gui so you can check out in your control center how the bootloader is configured. Did you make sure to put grub in the MBR? It may or may not work if you put it somewhere else. I use Lilo and never had a single problem but I've heard of people having problems with both b/c of where they put them.

Hit3k · 11-20-2005, 11:58 PM

I'm gonna try lilo and I cant boot into linux I'm on windows at the moment -sigh- I'll try it on the weekend I got to much school work due

saikee · 11-21-2005, 07:08 PM

Seem to me your haven't installed Grub in both cases.

Should have kept an eye on Grub after you issued the Grub-install command because Grub always reports back.

Is your disk a Sata? Are you sure you disk is named hda, not sda, not hdb etc?

hda means you have an IDE and is hooked to the primary master position in the motherboard.

Also you can boot your Linux manually with Grub command.

geometry (hd0) allows you to see the partitions in disk 0
help allows you to see the commnads available

to boot a Linux in partition (hdi,j) <--- jth partition of disk i you need to type these lines

Root (hdi,j)
kernel /boot/vmlinuzxxxxx root=/dev/hd?? ro
initrd /boot/initrdxxxxx
boot

where hd?? is your partition known in Linux, like hda3, Grub's notation is (hd0,2)
vmlinuzxxxx and initrdxxxx are the knernel and initrd ram disk file names. These files are always stored in /boot directory of your Linux which you can access by booting the PC to a Live CD.

Hit3k · 11-22-2005, 01:05 AM

My Linux Partition is /dev/hdb my boot partition is /dev/hdb1 so on so forth. I did everything the gentoo handbook told me to do for genkernel It said it installed succesfully without errors i even used the grub command this time from the live cd maybe I'll try grub-install again

syg00 · 11-22-2005, 01:35 AM

try the following instead - presuming you are chroot'd correctly and copied /proc/mounts

Code:

grub-install --root-directory=/boot /dev/hda

grub-install is just a script, and defaults to /root, whereas I presume you did the Gentoo way, and used /boot.
Try it and let us know. Although if the handbook is wrong, I'm sure others would have screamed by now.

Hit3k · 11-22-2005, 01:59 AM

Cool I'll try it thanks

Hit3k · 11-22-2005, 04:11 AM

It doesnt work.. It says it needs to be --root-directory=DIR/boot i just dunno maybe I'll install gentoo as my primary OS

syg00 · 11-22-2005, 04:20 AM

No good giving up that easily - try the following from the grub prompt you get on booting

Code:

root(hd1,0)    # hit "enter"
setup(hd0)    # "enter" again
boot    # again ...

Hit3k · 11-22-2005, 06:07 AM

I tried the first two commands no boot though I'll try thanks(I'm on my windows partition at the moment just thought I'd point that out)