Fedora 8 x86_64 won't install Grub Boot Loader, had to use Rescue Disk and get into chroot /mnt/sysimage to run "grub-install /dev/sda", now it try's to boot but it can't find;

root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=Label=/12 rhgb quiet

ERROR 15 File not found

Press any key to continue... Then trys to start reboot again.


In /boot , the below files are there

vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 size is 1927704
System.map-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 size 1064713
config-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 size 71912
initrd-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 size 3286410

Fedora 8 is the only OS on this box.
I have tryed this install with two different F8 x86_64 install disks.

The only thing I can think of at the moment is for the File not found error:

If you have a separate boot partition, then the kernel and initrd command lines in the grub.conf should not have /boot in their path. If you do not have a separate boot partition, then /boot should be in their path.

Do you specify an initrd in /boot/grub/menu.lst?

----------------------
Steve Stites

And, when GRUB told you the "file was not found," the normal GRUB action is to drop you into the GRUB editor so you can correct the problem. Did you try to use the GRUB editor? It does have a "tab completion" feature that will tell you what files it sees on the partition (and sub-directory) to which you point it.

Note that the default Fedora installation puts the /boot files system in (hd0,0) and / and swap in a logical volume on (hd0,1) so a default GRUB entry looks like somewhat this:You may, of course, have over-ridden the defaults during your installation.

1. No separate boot partition. /boot is in / .
2. initrd is specified in /boot/grub/menu.lst

I did the yum update while I was in the "rescue mode" and rebooted and got same results.
Below is my menu.lst
I did "update" to a new kernel.

#boot =dev/sda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.23.9-85.fc8)
root (hd0,0
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.23.9-85.fc8 ro root=Label=/12 rhgb quiet
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.23.9-85.fc8.img

The old boot kernel is below that, and everything is the same except for the 2.6.23.9-42.fc8

From what the error is saying it's looking for "vmlinuz"

I did not see a Grub editor, can it be run from "rescue mode" and what is the correct command ? Maybe the Editor can fix the Path problem.

Mmkay. You can try entering the root, kernel, and initrd commands at a grub prompt. But use the <Tab> key to help you complete the commands correctly and find your way to the target files. Maybe you can find what is not right about the grub.conf that way. In case you've never done this, some instructions...

Reboot. At the Fedora splash screen, press a key to get the Fedora menu. At the menu, press "c" and you will get a grub> prompt.

At the grub> prompt, enter root (hd<Tab> and see the possible drives. Enter the one you believe to be correct and a comma. Press <Tab> again and see the partitions in that drive that can go after the comma. Pick one that you think is right and enter it, close the parentheses, press <Enter>.

Back at the grub> prompt, enter kernel /boot/vmlinuz<Tab> and see the possible kernels available in that directory of the drive and partition defined by the previous command. If you don't see a kernel, something is wrong with either the root you entered or the path. If you see your kernels, pick one, type it in, and press <Enter>. Tip: You don't have to type the whole thing. Type just part of the kernel and press <Tab> again. Keep doing the <Tab> thing, and you can get it to fill itself in eventually. When the kernel command is finally done, press <Enter>. Tip: Don't worry about those kernel parameters like rhgb, root, etc. for this. It will still get far enough into the boot process to tell if what you entered was right. It may even boot on up.

Back at the grub> prompt, enter initrd /boot/initrd<Tab> and on and on. See?

That <Tab> thing in the GRUB shell is very handy for troubleshooting a problem like this. You can press <Tab> at almost any place and be shown the possible choices for the next thing on the line. If you don't get any choices, you know you the last thing you did is wrong, and you have gone down the wrong trail.

Finally, after the initrd line is done and you are back at the grub> prompt, enter boot if you want to see if what you have been entering will actually launch the system. If the system launches, then whatever you typed in for root, kernel, and initrd at those grub> prompts to cause that is what needs to be in the grub.conf.

Something is wrong with your grub.conf. This may reveal what it is.

P.S.: I just did this myself to make sure this would not waste your time. It does work. Without the kernel parameters, the boot stopped with a kernel panic, but it got well into it before that happened. If you can do even that with this test, you can confirm what needs to be in the grub.conf. I did this again with the kernel parameters, and of course it booted nomally into the Fedora system.

1. At the grub> prompt, enter root (hd<Tab> and see the possible drives. Enter the one you believe to be correct and a comma. Press <Tab> again and see the partitions in that drive that can go after the comma. Pick one that you think is right and enter it, close the parentheses, press <Enter>.
At this point,following your instructions,

I get, root (hd0.0)
root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=Label=/12 rhgb quiet

ERROR 15 File not found

Press any key to continue... Then trys to start reboot again.


2. Back at the grub> prompt, enter kernel /boot/vmlinuz<Tab> and see the possible kernels

I get, Error 15 File not found.

3. Back at the grub> prompt, enter initrd /boot/initrd<Tab> and on and on. See?

I get, Error 15: File not found

4. Finally, after the initrd line is done and you are back at the grub> prompt, enter boot if you want to see if what you have been entering will actually launch the system.

I get, root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=Label=/12 rhgb quiet

ERROR 15 File not found

Press any key to continue... Then trys to start reboot again.

Why is the root=Label=/12 , why is it 12, other x86_64 boxes use , root=Label=/1 ??

EDIT: I just now saw your last post. As I wrote below, it made me think you have a lot of distros installed on one big drive. But if you don't, then that is very likely wrong, and I don't know where it came from. Until you figure out the label situation, use a device name instead like this: root=/dev/sda1, for example. If you really don't have a separate boot partition, and if you are really right about (hd0,0) being the root partition of this system, then it probably will work with root=/dev/sda1 in the kernel line instead of a label.

What a horrible mess. It's almost hard to believe that anaconda did this (but I do believe it). I recall once recently when anaconda for the 64-bit version would refuse to install GRUB in the Fedora boot partition when that was selected and instead install it in the MBR no matter what.

What I wrote below was my next idea to confirm what is what and where it is (the kernel and initial ramdisk, I mean).


That right there makes me think you are either mistaken about not having a separate boot partition and therefore the path is wrong (shouldn't have /boot in it), or (hd0,0) is not the partition that contains the kernel and initrd.img files. With a root partition label of /12, I'm thinking you must have a lot of Linux partitions or systems on this drive and could easily be mixed up about that.

Try the GRUB shell again, but this time try both of these...and then...If your original kernel is still there, one of those will give a result that will be the drive and partition that contains them like this example when I did it (I don't have a boot partition)...That result will be what the root command should have in the grub.conf. Also, if the first one produces the result, you do not have a separate boot partition, and /boot should be in the path. If the second one produces a result, you do have a separate boot partition and /boot should not be in the path.

Thanks guys for your help.
I guess it was a partition problem, no matter what grub command I used it couldn't find
vmlinuz or initrd files.
I used fdisk to clean the hard drive and I used Fedora 8 partitioner to make;
/
/home
swap
partitions and F8 installed with no hitches, I'm now doing updates.

Thanks again
Jim