Can you still boot 10.1? If you can, log on as root and try to mount your sdb3 partition. Create a directory in 10.1: mkdir /mnt/sdb3,
then type: mount -t ext3 /dev/sdb3 /mnt/sdb3,
then change to that directory: cd /mnt/sdb3,
run the "ls -l" command to see if your directories (like /boot) are there and then if they are, check to see if all the necessary files are in the /boot and /boot/grub directories.

Log on as root, type "grub" to get the grub prompt and then type:
geometry (hd0) (hit enter key)
geometry (hd1) (hit enter key)

See what your results are, if any. If you can mount sdb3, you could check the "device.map" file in /boot/grub to see what it says as far as how grub views your devices.

Obviously, need the external connected!

Also, are you trying to set up to boot only from external when attached or to boot from internal w/opensuse 10.1

I can still boot into 10.1. Suse 10.1 sees my internal disk as hda, and my flash as sda. I hit these commands:
grub

grub> geometry (hd0)
drive 0x80: C/H/S = 30401/255/63, The number of sectors = 488397168, /dev/hda
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 5, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
Partition num: 6, Filesystem type is reiserfs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 7, Filesystem type is reiserfs, partition type 0x83

grub> geometry (hd1)
Error 21: Selected disk does not exist

In the menu.lst I can see it tries to take the boot files from sdb.

My device .map file is :
(hd0) /dev/sda
(hd1) /dev/sdb

So, hd0 should be sdb ? and hd1 should be sda ? Can I manually edit this file ?
I'm trying to boot only from the flash.

I hit the same commands from the live cd : (the live cd sees disks: sda-> internal disk ; sdb -> flash disk )
grub>geometry (hd0)
drive 0x80: C/H/S = 30401/255/63, The number of sectors = 488397168, /dev/sda
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 5, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
Partition num: 6, Filesystem type is reiserfs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 7, Filesystem type is reiserfs, partition type 0x83
grub> geometry (hd1)
geometry (hd1)
drive 0x81: C/H/S = 973/255/63, The number of sectors = 15646720, /dev/sdb
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type is fat, partition type 0xe
Partition num: 1, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
Partition num: 2, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83


grub> find /sbin/init
(hd0,6)
(hd1,2)
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
find /boot/grub/stage1
(hd0,6)
(hd1,2)
grub> find /boot/grub/stage2
find /boot/grub/stage2
(hd0,6)
(hd1,2)
grub> find /boot/vmlinuz
find /boot/vmlinuz
(hd0,6)
(hd1,2)
At this point , after reading this :http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=153679 , I tried :
grub-install --recheck --root-directory=/boot /dev/sdb3 and it just gives me the graphical interface for grub install, with an empty configuration, empty configuration files .etc . In text mode it does exactly the same thing , with the only difference of a text interface. Can you suggest anything ?

Not sure if you are still following your thread but, if so, what happens if you just boot from hardrive, can you boot 10.1 or windows?

Your geometry (hdo) results coincide with the fdisk -l command results posted earlier so sda (hd0) is the windows disk with opensuse 10.1. Looks alright. Your geometry (hd1) results are,..well, there are none. Did you have it connected when you ran the command?

The same commands run from the Live CD you posted all look correct including the geometry and find commands. All the files you need show on both (hd0,6) and (hd1,2). Since you want to be able to boot directly from the usb w/o the hardrive, the only other file we haven't checked is the menu.lst so, check the /boot/grub/ directory for menu.lst and make sure it is on sdb3. Are you able to mount it from opensuse 10.1, that would be necessary.

Finally, I'm not sure what you are referring to when you mention empty configuration files in the last sentence? Also, Fedora is different.

Not sure if you are still following your thread but, if so, what happens if you just boot from hardrive, can you boot 10.1 or windows?

I still follow the thread. Yes, I can boot normally both windows and 10.1 (that happens if I change the bios disks boot order : flash before internal hdd)

Your geometry (hd1) results are,..well, there are none. Did you have it connected when you ran the command?
Yes I did have it connected, as mentioned .. the grub interpreter actually runs from the flash, I can see the lights flashing on the usb flash

Since you want to be able to boot directly from the usb w/o the hardrive, the only other file we haven't checked is the menu.lst so, check the /boot/grub/ directory for menu.lst and make sure it is on sdb3. Are you able to mount it from opensuse 10.1, that would be necessary.
from live cd:

find /boot/grub/menu.lst
(hd0,6)
(hd1,2)
Yes I am able to mount the / from the flash in 10.1.

Finally, I'm not sure what you are referring to when you mention empty configuration files in the last sentence? Also, Fedora is different.
By empty configuration files I mean empty files: menu.lst is empty , grub.conf is empty , only device.map is not empty.

I'm not sure what this means? menu.lst in 10.1?

In the menu.lst I can see it tries to take the boot files from sdb

Interesting that you get different results to commands from 10.1 and the Live CD? The empty files you are referring to are 10.3, on sdb3?

Yes, I can boot normally both windows and 10.1 (that happens if I change the bios disks boot order : flash before internal hdd)

Confused about the above line? Isn't that what you were trying to do? What is the problem?

I'm not sure what this means? menu.lst in 10.1?
Yes, it sees both the menu.lst files.. both from 10.1 and opensuse 10.3 installed on the flash.

The empty files you are referring to are 10.3, on sdb3?
they are from 10.3 , but from the live cd, not sdb3. If I look at the same files on sdb3 in /boot/grub .. they are not empty .. they look all right .

Confused about the above line? Isn't that what you were trying to do? What is the problem?
Sorry, i guess I'm tired or something. wasn't paying attention. . I meant hdd before flash obvously ..

As I said in a previous post, I think my problem is that I was always changing the boot order right after open suse 10.3 installation said: "reboot without the live cd in the cdrom to continue the installation" . At that point I was always changing the order in bios ,.. from 1.hdd 2. flash to 1. flash 2. hdd .
I guess the healthiest thing to do would have been to start the installation directly with the order : 1. flash 2. hdd .
But now I don;t want to reinstall... , I'm sure there some way to repair it with the grub interpreter that runs from the flash .., there just too many commands there .. ont to be able to do something about it , I just haven't worked with the grub interpreter before ..

Yes, it sees both the menu.lst files.. both from 10.1 and opensuse 10.3 installed on the flash

There is no reason why the menu.lst files would not be the same, same partitions,etc. When you installed to the external, it would not change entries in the 10.1 menu.lst.

No reason why the Live CD files would have anything in them.

So if I have it correct, you are able to boot 10.1 and windows when your internal drive is set first? But not when external is set first? If that's the case, I would have to assume you have the stage1 of Grub in the mbr of the internal device. I've never used USB devices or worked on them so I'm not sure what the differences would be from standard drives. You've gone to sites which explain explicity how to boot from USB devices?

"So if I have it correct, you are able to boot 10.1 and windows when your internal drive is set first? "
Yes, it's correct..

"But not when external is set first?"
Correct. When external is set first in bios, it gives me the grub shell.(grub shell is running from the flashdrive, I'm positive about that.)

"If that's the case, I would have to assume you have the stage1 of Grub in the mbr of the internal device."
Can I do something about that .. ?


Now ,from the grub shell running from the flash I hit the following commands :
grub> rootnoverify (hd0,2)

this command gave me no error . (when I hit: grub>root (hd0,2) it gave me : filesystem unknow, partition type 0x83 , so I guess that didn't worked .. )

grub> setup (hd0)
error 17: cannot mount selected partition.

Why doesn't setup work ?

I'm not sure if you have changed your menu.lst entries but, in the one you posted earlier, you have no entry for sda3 (hd0,2). You are trying to install Grub on sdb so it should be:

root (hd1,2)
setup (hd1)
quit

to install to the usb drive. Do this while booting into 10.1 with the internal set as first boot device. Mount sdb3 before using these commands.I expect some of confusion comes from switching which device you boot first while trying to install Grub. Anyhow, this should enable you to boot from the external when you have it set as first boot. You will have to have correct entries for the 10.1 and windows in the menu.lst on sdb3 in order to boot them.

" I'm not sure if you have changed your menu.lst entries but, in the one you posted earlier, you have no entry for sda3 (hd0,2). You are trying to install Grub on sdb so it should be:

root (hd1,2)
setup (hd1)
quit. "

Well, I omitted something again, that's why it doesn't make sense. I gave you the responses for the geometry commands from the live cd and from 10.1, but I didn't give the responses for the geometry commands from the grub shell running from the flash . Those responses say that my flash is hd0 and my internal is hd1 ..so that's where the confusion comes from (unfortunately I cannot copy paste them here , but it doesn't say any of my disc is sda or sdb or any notations like that)..., sorry .. my mistake.

Looking back over your posts you indicate you chose to install Grub to the root partition (sdb3) and not to the mbr on the flash drive which means you should be able to boot from the Grub on 10.1 but not from flash. Problems from switching first boot device from hardrive to flash drive before the installation was completed. Use your 10.3 installation CD to see how it reads your drives, fdisk -l, so you know which drive it sees as the flash and install Grub to mbr on that drive. This may not work because of the FAT partition you have?

"..disk -l, so you know which drive it sees as the flash and install Grub to mbr on that drive."

I guess you mean .. install grub from the live cd, isn't it ?

I'm not sure if this will work but I think you need to install the Live CD, the one you used to install 10.3 to the flash. Load it and open a terminal and run 'fdisk -l' from it. You should be able to tell which drive is which by the number of partitions. Then install Grub to the drive which is indicated as flash, don't know if this will be sda, sdb, ??

This still won't account for your not being able to boot the flash from the hardrive? Maybe you don't want to do that also?

I think the simplest way to have done this would have been to disconnect your hardrive while installing from CD. Switching BIOS order before installation completed didn't help either.

Good Luck!

"Then install Grub to the drive which is indicated as flash, don't know if this will be sda, sdb"


I did that :
With both drives connected, from the live cd :
grub > root (hd1,2)
filesystem type e2fs , partition type 0x83
grub> setup (hd1)
grub> quit

When I tried to boot from the flash it said :
Loading grub stage 1.5
Please wait whike loadiong grub
Error 17

and it stalled there ..


"I think the simplest way to have done this would have been to disconnect your hardrive while installing from CD. Switching BIOS order before installation completed didn't help either."

Then ,running put of patience , I reinstalled with the internal drive disconnected, and this time I didn't change the boot order after the reboot , and it still doesn't boot from the flash. ., it gives me the grub shell again .
I don't understand this .. . Maybe I should read more about installing to a flash.., I don't know what I did wrong .... Should have worked with the last installation.. I don;t know why it didn't . Does anyone ?

Is this the site you used to install your opensuse to usb?:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/03...drive-install/

They do recommend disconnecting internal hardrive first. Also, there is no mention of a FAT32 partition being needed: "If your flash drive contains a fat filesystem it will be shrunk and new partitions will be..."

Did you install Grub to the mbr of your flash drive?