G'day all...

Have Ubuntu v8.10, which installed some months ago.

Finally got grub going, which I invoke from Partition Magic (PM) (this is a multi-boot Windows-Linux machine). Ubuntu is over on the second hard-drive, where the boot (grub) partition resides in an extended partition, device /dev/sdb5. The main Ubuntu install is on a primary partition, /dev/sdb2. Both are ext3 filesystems, although for awhile I had turned them into ext2 partitions, since I was getting the PM error #510 (choking on the ext3 attribute somehow). I have used PM for years, although am now using gparted from the CD. I may eventually convert from BootMagic to grub to do the booting as well on this machine. Anyways, that's another aside. I should be back to ext3 on both these partitions, and I have a Linux swap partition on the first harddrive.

My problem is that when I boot Ubuntu (the install at /dev/sdb2) with grub, I get a stream of error messages on the console (no windowing yet), and things come screeching to a halt with the Caps Lock and Scroll Lock lights on my keyboard flashing away. Maybe I haven't booted correctly? I can boot Ubuntu from the CD without any problems, except I get the BIOS pre-2000 ACPI-force message at startup. Yes, this machine is getting along in years, but it works and is paid for. I hate to junk stuff that seems to have life left in it, and it works fine.

I probably am not doing the boot correctly in grub. As I recall, my grub commands (at the grub> prompt) were:

grub> find /vmlinuz
(hd1,1) -- makes sense, first primary partition after the extended partition, 2nd hd
grub> kernel /vmlinuz root=(hd1,1) -- not certain if this was the command, as I may
have done the root parameter differently
grub> boot

A short pause ensued, and then I got the stream of error messages.

I suspect I am not invoking the kernel correctly. A friend of mine who set up Ubuntu on an HP laptop (vintage 2002), used somewhat different commands in his menu.lst file:

title Linux Ubuntu 8.10 sda3-grub
uuid 0d86d470-55fb-4ac2-b5c1-efb059c988f0
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-9-generic root=UUID=0d86d470-55fb-4ac2-b5c1-efb059c988f0 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-9-generic
quiet

I assume there is not a problem trying to boot by hand from the grub> prompt, although I have noted there is a warning in the grub manual grub.pdf that the prompt mode is an emulator.

Do I need to use the generic version of the vmlinuz as in the menu.lst above? I'm clue-less as to where that UUID string came from.

Ubuntu is replacing RH Linux v8.0 in these partitions. I don't remember having all these problems with grub and booting for RH, but it's been years (2002).

Thanks for any help!

Chuck

hi

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hooter-278748/

this will help you find the correct kernel and initrd names

but

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hooter-237511/

your suggestion of hd1,1....in grub legacy....actually means second drive and second partition as grub counts from zero.

then your kernel line can not read the way you wrote it...AFAIK lol

since we know your Ubuntu is on /dev/sdb2 your manual way to boot Ubuntu up could be

...get to grub...Press C for commands

note that I am assuming you did not create a separate /boot partition ...so if it is...../boot is hd1,1 and / must be something else so re-read my links

We have a boot... We have a boot... Yes!!

Used the commands you gave, and it worked! I was initially discouraged, since I was initially seeing a stream of messages on the console that did not look too hopeful, but then it went into a different mode (/dev/device?), and things went ok from there. I'd have to make a movie of it to get all the console messages. Maybe that's why my friend on the laptop install used the quiet parameter. So got the Ubuntu login prompt and got logged in as myself. I note that I couldn't get logged in as root - I'll have to check my notes to see if I set up a root password (I would think you'd have to have one of those).

Couple of items:

1) The second boot attempt I tried omitting the initrd command. Sure enough, the boot stopped after emitting its console messages, and the keyboard lights were flashing, like on my initial attempt of a few days ago. Looks like the initrd command is pretty important. I think I saw somewhere that v2.6 and up require it. That's init-ram-drive, so...? grub.pdf says:

Load an initial ramdisk for a Linux format boot image and set the
appropriate parameters in the Linux setup area in memory.

2) On the laptop my friend set up for me, he has listed 2.6.27-9 in the menu.lst file. Tab completion on my desktop gives -7, so eventhough we're both using Ubuntu v8.10, apparently there are different builds on the CDs out there. I ordered mine. I don't know where he got his CD.

Thanks much! I'll consider this closed now, but am curious about those two items.

Chuck

yes I would check your notes...you should have been asked to set up a root password.

once you find it...you can edit your /boot/grub/menu.lst to have kernel parameters like quiet in there.
however Ubuntu may not use /boot/grub for its config file....some use /etc/....so look first at /boot/grub then at /etc/ then /etc/grub/

Root is disabled by default with Ubuntu. There's also no wheel group. But if you precede your commands with sudo it'll prompt for your primary user's password and everything works just like root.

I'm still getting used to it myself. I guess I don't have to worry about anyone installing a 'root'kit though. hehe

Yes, when I was running gparted from the Ubuntu CD, I didn't have to supply a root password or anything, just "sudo gparted". Just boot up off the CD, and then I have free rein on a computer. Mount drives and roam where I want. Seems like quite a security risk. Better put a lock on the CD drive!