Grub problems after installing second hard disk and SuSE11.0 - Page 2

aus9 · 07-29-2008, 09:29 AM

oops only just spotted you have a post above...forget all that.

grub can not find a proper grub setup stage files on sdb1.

I suspect opensuse is in need of correction.

Have you tried to mount manually opensuse in suse?

with root powers try this

Code:

su
mkdir /mnt/opensuse
mount -t ext2 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/opensuse

then navigate in there pls

2) I suspect that sdb1 /boot/grub is missing files...you could use the trouble shooter way but this way is easier

aus9 · 07-29-2008, 09:36 AM

darn it....just re-reading the top posts.

if you are not completely peeved off...what is sdb2 please?

I would like you to post the sdb's /etc/fstab ....you may have to mount sdb2 to get it...if sdb1 was a separate boot partition.

cheerio

Larry Webb · 07-29-2008, 09:37 AM

aus9, Suse has a gui in YaST to modify the boot loader but I have found it easier through terminal.

aus9 · 07-29-2008, 09:42 AM

Larry

Yes I agree I have always used a terminal to install grub to get the success messages but I am not sure our original
poster is happy with grub at the moment so I hope he can shed some light on his sdb setup.

I want HellesAngel to continue to use the sda bootloader or dice grub and go for lilo.

However, I can not help with lilo...but maybe opensuse scripts will stuff up lilo as well?

I can hang around here for half an hour and see if OP has any more info he can share.

Larry Webb · 07-29-2008, 09:47 AM

I have never tried to mix the two (Grub & Lilo) except by chainloading.

HellesAngel · 07-29-2008, 10:02 AM

Here you go:

Code:

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

grub> kernel /boot/
Error 2: Bad file or directory type

It does seem odd, I mean it's not such a weird disk combination or stone age equipment I found in the cupboard. The MSI865PE mainboard has the usual 2+2 PATA channels (all filled with CDROMs) and 2 SATA channels with the hard disks on them.

Will mount sdb1 and post the contents of /etc/fstab. Half a minute...

HellesAngel · 07-29-2008, 10:04 AM

Code:

hefty:/home/toby # mount -t ext2 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/opensuse11
hefty:/home/toby # cd /mnt/opensuse11/
hefty:/mnt/opensuse11 # cd etc/
hefty:/mnt/opensuse11/etc # cat fstab
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_SAMSUNG_SP1614C0696J1FWC04942-part2 swap    swap       defaults              0 0
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_SAMSUNG_HD502IJS13TJ1CQ301928-part1 /    ext3       acl,user_xattr        1 1
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_SAMSUNG_HD502IJS13TJ1CQ301928-part2 /home    ext3       acl,user_xattr        1 2
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_SAMSUNG_SP1614C0696J1FWC04942-part1 /windows/C    ntfs-3g    users,gid=users,fmask=133,dmask=022,locale=en_GB.UTF-8 0 0
proc                 /proc                proc       defaults              0 0
sysfs                /sys                 sysfs      noauto                0 0
debugfs              /sys/kernel/debug    debugfs    noauto                0 0
devpts               /dev/pts             devpts     mode=0620,gid=5       0 0

Edit: I did try LILO and it didn't boot just auto-configured by Yast (the openSUSE setup tool) so I'm strongly suspicious that Yast does not understand the sda/sdb configuration properly.

Edit2: And the contents of (sdb1)/boot/grub/

Code:

hefty:/mnt/opensuse11/boot/grub # ls -al
total 232
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root   4096 2008-07-28 15:53 .
drwxr-xr-x  3 root root   4096 2008-07-28 15:53 ..
-rw-------  1 root root     10 2008-07-28 15:53 default
-rw-------  1 root root     30 2008-07-28 15:53 device.map
-rw-r--r--  1 root root     29 2008-07-28 15:41 device.map.old
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   7596 2008-06-06 21:52 e2fs_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   7328 2008-06-06 21:52 fat_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   6604 2008-06-06 21:52 ffs_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   6600 2008-06-06 21:52 iso9660_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   8268 2008-06-06 21:52 jfs_stage1_5
-rw-------  1 root root   1145 2008-07-28 15:53 menu.lst
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   1054 2008-07-28 15:41 menu.lst.old
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   6832 2008-06-06 21:52 minix_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   9216 2008-06-06 21:52 reiserfs_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    512 2008-06-06 21:52 stage1
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 105630 2008-07-28 15:53 stage2
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   6864 2008-06-06 21:52 ufs2_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   6204 2008-06-06 21:52 vstafs_stage1_5
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   9028 2008-06-06 21:52 xfs_stage1_5

Which look normal enough to me...

aus9 · 07-29-2008, 10:16 AM

quick work...hope I wasn't too demanding?

in the meantime...I have read some of the above posts so feel free to ignore my waffle

1) sdb has no bootable dos partition....thats the missing asterix see your post 1 for an asterix in sda table.
fix it with suse....with root powers

Code:

fdisk /dev/sdb
m for help
a to toggle flag...input partition number as 1
q for quit

2) One of the posts thinks that sda suse has a opensuse sdb entry in grub...I am blind and can not spot it

3) Post 7 concerns me a heck of a lot....hint hint

so sdb2 contains the same as sdb1....thats not good...and as suggested by yancek....a clean install of sdb is called for.

sorry....but I do not think even lilo can rescue this.

4) your sdb fstab table says part 2 is supposed to a swap....but you claim its a mirror of sdb1

that should be enough proof install has failed.

But you have learnt more than I ever did on how to use grub....suck suck.

5) I suggest you rebuild....after making sdb1 bootable

by all means install lilo if you want to...I am almost an old man so have no fear that you may one day come back to
grubland.

good luck

HellesAngel · 07-29-2008, 10:26 AM

No problem, I'm trying to make progress while the wife's out! Since earlier posts I rebuilt sdb and it now contains the correct stuff:
sdb1 - full install of openSUSE 11.0.
sdb2 - empty space for all my /home stuff

I made the fdisk steps you suggested above - how would I see if that has made the difference? The disk is now bootable:

Code:

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1        2611    20972826   83  Linux
/dev/sdb2            2612       60801   467411175   83  Linux

The swap space from fstab is on the other disk, it's confusing from the disk-by-id form.

aus9 · 07-29-2008, 10:41 AM

ok did not realise that...but you should create a swap on sdb as I thought you might eventually get rid of sda linux.

500G might be better off with a few more partitions tho.

since you were so quick to do a clean install....can I talk you into at least 4 primary partitions or an extended system.

The trouble with lots of logical partitions is that info on each part is logically held in that part....which is why some
companies have tried to avoid the IBM limit of 4 primaries.

Leaping ahead....I would have
part 1 for MS
part 2 for linux 1
part 3 for linux 2
part 4 swap

and each linux is nice and large and install virtualbox on it so you can play around with downloaded distros.

if you are as naughty as me....I installed and ran vbox....then copies the dot folder to a spare partition and symbolically
linked it back to my old system....because I use partimage to save images but there is no need to image something that is
available to d/l and is already an image....well I am a cheap skate as well.

HellesAngel · 07-29-2008, 10:45 AM

Thanks for the help - I think I just have to conclude that Grub cannot load openSUSE on a second disk sdb when configured by YaST and booted from sda and make another partition on sda for the openSUSE 11.0 installation. I feel defeated, but didn't switch to LILO...

yancek · 07-29-2008, 11:57 AM

Noticed that in your first post of the opensuse 10 menu.lst the 10 stanzas had root (hd0,2) while you had no such entries for the 11.0 partitions. Did you choose the default Grub installation when installing 11.0, i.e. installing Grub to mbr of sda1?

HellesAngel · 07-29-2008, 12:07 PM

Yes, I let YaST do what it felt best but read it through and couldn't see any obvious errors. I've been through several iterations over the past few days...

It's really odd, I just can't think of any reason why this should not work and my motivation to spend much more time is running low...

yancek · 07-29-2008, 03:36 PM

Have you tried editing your menu.lst file in opensuse 10 to show root (hd1,0), in the line after title, before kernel? Might be worth a try? One of your more recent posts shows your vmlinuz and initrd files in the opensuse 11 on sdb1 so the necessary files are there to boot.

I generally don't have new installations put Grub in the mbr because something might go wrong. I think it is easier to just modify a current menu.lst I know is working rather than hope the new install detects all OS's on the system and makes entries. I know that doesn't always happen. Installing to the /boot directory of an installation of a new OS doesn't and modifying my current menu.lst seems easier, although some would disagree. The default in most installs is to install Grub to the mbr of disk 1.

No sure if the suggestion above will help, does get frustrating but we learn from all our efforts. Good Luck!

aus9 · 07-29-2008, 08:26 PM

yancek....yes I am in Australia so needed a sleep

I spotted there was no sdb entry in the menu for sda.

but me thinks the saikee style might be the safest

bios boots to sda and uses grub for sda and menu from sda

sda menu is amended with root powers to have an extra line to boot sdb1

-------

title opensuse on sdb
root (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

-------

redo grub commands from within suse on sda to ensure its right

Code:

su (or sudo or whatever)
grub
root (hd0,2)
setup (hd0)
....response should have a number of lines including the word succeeded....so grub recognises sda grub in mbr and menu 
for sda

root (hd1,0)
setup (hd1,0)
....response should be similar to other attempt but it puts grub into the root partition for sdb1

quit (to exit)

.......of course I am hoping Toby has successfully re-installed opensuse and the installer has put grub files into
sdb1 /boot/grub