Grub wont start

hempa · 02-10-2007, 08:23 AM

This is how it goes i have two hard drives i have had windows xp but recently installed ubuntu from a live cd and i choosed the erase whole disk option to clean the hard drive and only have ubuntu on it. I have done this on both my hard drives this is how it looks now

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19452 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 18695 150167556 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 18696 19452 6080602+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 18696 19452 6080571 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19452 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 18695 150167556 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 18696 19452 6080602+ 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 18696 19452 6080571 82 Linux swap / Solaris
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

grub> root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

grub> root (hd1,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

i hope this can be of some help.

my problem is that when i restart my computer without the live cd grub wont start it just says grub loading and then it freezes. and on my boot menu in bios none of my two hard drives is shown.
how can i get grub to work or boot any of my two hard drives to use ubuntu.
please help me

pixellany · 02-10-2007, 08:53 AM

the drives might not show in the bios because they are SATA (or maybe SCSI), but they should show just AFTER the bios POST--in a dialg put up by the SATA or SCSI driver.

But--what counts is that the Ubuntu installer saw the drives.

Now--did you intstall Ubuntu twice???--once on each drive?
What options did you pick for installing the boot loader?

comprookie2000 · 02-10-2007, 09:00 AM

First I would install grub to the mbr and get one drive to boot and then edit /boot/grub/grub.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst to boot the other drive.
Get back to the grub prompt, then;

Code:

grub> root (hd0,0)    (Specify where your /boot partition resides)
grub> setup (hd0)     (Install GRUB in the MBR)
grub> quit            (Exit the GRUB shell)

hempa · 02-10-2007, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixellany

the drives might not show in the bios because they are SATA (or maybe SCSI), but they should show just AFTER the bios POST--in a dialg put up by the SATA or SCSI driver.

But--what counts is that the Ubuntu installer saw the drives.

Now--did you intstall Ubuntu twice???--once on each drive?
What options did you pick for installing the boot loader?

Yes i actually installed ubuntu on both my hard drives because when grub could not start after the installation on the first hard drive i tried to install ubuntu again on my second hard drive.
I dont remember getting any options for the boot loader but when installing i used the option erase whole disk to make lots of space for ubuntu should i still get the boot loader option then. should i try to install ubuntu again and tell you what happens?

hempa · 02-10-2007, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by comprookie2000

First I would install grub to the mbr and get one drive to boot and then edit /boot/grub/grub.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst to boot the other drive.
Get back to the grub prompt, then;

Code:

grub> root (hd0,0)    (Specify where your /boot partition resides)
grub> setup (hd0)     (Install GRUB in the MBR)
grub> quit            (Exit the GRUB shell)

Ok this is what i did is everything ok

grub> root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

grub> setup (hd0)
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes
Running "embed /boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"... 15 sectors are embedded.
succeeded
Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+15 p (hd0,0)/boot/grub/stage2
/boot/grub/menu.lst"... succeeded
Done.
and then i typed quit to get out