Grub not booting after a yum update

michaelsr · 06-26-2006, 04:58 PM

I am running FC4 x86_64 and did a yum update. In the process my kernel updated. But now I just get "GRUB" in the top left corner of my screen when I boot. I have looked at my grub.conf file and it looks basically ok except for the location of the files.
Top line reads:
#boot=/dev/sda
is this used or is it really just a comment?
root (hd0,0)

I know that sda is my raid for data only
sdb1 is /boot
sdb2 is /
sdc1 is swap
sdc2 is another data drive used for MySQL temporary files

I have tried editing the hd0,0 to hd1,0 and hd1,1, to no avail.

I have also tried to reinstall grub by doing an upgrade of my system. As no kernel files are installed grub is not reinstalled... is there a way to force a grub install?

Anything to avoid rebuilding the system - please!

Thanks,
Michael.

Gethyn · 06-26-2006, 06:33 PM

You said you looked at your grub.conf. Could you post the contents of your grub.conf up here, as well as the file listing of /boot?

michaelsr · 06-27-2006, 02:08 AM

Information as requested - hope this helps.
ls of /boot

Code:

System.map-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4
System.map-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp
System.map-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4
System.map-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp
System.map-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4
System.map-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp
System.map-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4
System.map-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp
System.map-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4
System.map-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp
System.map-2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp
System.map-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4
config-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4
config-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp
config-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4
config-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp
config-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4
config-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp
config-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4
config-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp
config-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4
config-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp
config-2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp
config-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4
grub
initrd-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.img
initrd-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp.img
initrd-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4.img
initrd-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp.img
initrd-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4.img
initrd-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp.img
initrd-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4.img
initrd-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp.img
initrd-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4.img
initrd-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp.img
initrd-2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp.img
initrd-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4.img
lost+found
ls_boot
vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4
vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp
vmlinuz-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4
vmlinuz-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp
vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4
vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp
vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4
vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp
vmlinuz-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4
vmlinuz-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp
vmlinuz-2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp
vmlinuz-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4

grub.conf

Code:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/sdb2
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sdb
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.17-1.2139_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.16-1.2115_FC4smp.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.16-1.2111_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.16-1.2111_FC4smp.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4smp.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.1833_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.1833_FC4.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.1831_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4smp.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4smp.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.14-1.1653_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.14-1.1653_FC4.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4smp.img
title Fedora Core-up (2.6.11-1.1369_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.img

Gethyn · 06-27-2006, 07:51 AM

What happens if you try the following at the grub prompt:

Code:

grub> root (hd1,0)
grub> kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4 ro root=/dev/sdb2
grub> initrd /initrd-2.6.17-1.2139_FC4.img
grub> boot

If it gives an error after any of these lines, please post the error up here.

michaelsr · 06-27-2006, 08:07 AM

Gethyn: I am sorry if I was not clear at the beginning. I do not get a grub prompt, just the word GRUB at the top left of the screen. I would kill for a prompt of any kind :-)

Another observation though. I can boot from two drives sda and sdb (I have enabled each in turn via fdisk) and still get the same result. I really think that I need to find a way of fooling anaconda into installing grub for me again.

Other suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks, Michael.

michaelsr · 06-27-2006, 09:42 AM

Grub reinstalled - problem solved. Thanks to all contributors!

fiedorow · 07-09-2006, 12:05 PM

I experienced the exact same problem. I think the problem might be that yum installed new versions of the grub stage1 and/or stage2 files which were incompatible with the older version of the grub boot loader in the MBR (which presumably yum didn't update). Can anyone confirm this?