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Grub error 17 after XP-Ubuntu dual install

I should start out my mentioning I have 3 hard drives: 120 IDE, 200 SATA and 250 SATA. Ive just installed Ubuntu 7.04 on the 200gb sata and kept winXP on the 120. After installing and rebooting, I am met by an error message, GRUB error 17. Im writing this from the ubuntu live cd. I googled for my problems and found a few other forum threads asking about error 17, however no one had problems exactly like mine so I couldnt work out a solution from them.

I expect you will ask for menu.lst and fdisk -l because thats the first thing people said on all the threads I found on google, so here goes

Quote:

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=eedc90ba-d203-41db-8c77-aab9a847c071 ro

## Setup crashdump menu entries
## e.g. crashdump=1
# crashdump=0

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd1,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-15-generic
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-generic root=UUID=eedc90ba-d203-41db-8c77-aab9a847c071 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-15-generic
quiet
savedefault

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-15-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-generic root=UUID=eedc90ba-d203-41db-8c77-aab9a847c071 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-15-generic

title Ubuntu, memtest86+
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

Quote:

Disk /dev/hda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 14592 117210208+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sda: 200.0 GB, 200049647616 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24321 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 23946 192346213+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 23947 24321 3012187+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 23947 24321 3012156 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 484521 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 484521 244198552+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

I have my XP cd ready so I can easily restore access to windows if it comes to that, however I figured that I shouldnt fiddle with that if I wanted to get ubuntu going.

You may want to go after simply installing ubuntu again, occasionally this error pops up time to time and reinstalling generally helps.

Unfortunately I already tried that once :( same thing happened

From terminal on the LiveCD, enter "sudo grub", then "root (hd0," (stop at the comma) and hit the <tab> key. How many partitions does it list ???.
Just hit <enter> then "quit" to get out; <ctrl>-c should work as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by syg00 (Post 2883682)

I opened grub, wrote root (hd0, and hit tab and it just gave me a regular tab (like, a long space). Doesn't list anything. Tried with different variations (root (hd0 etc) and the same thing happens.

Edit: having tried it out, it seems that tab completes commands and filenames anywhere outside grub but not in it. Even though it says that tab can be used for name completion when I start grub

Quote:

Originally Posted by syg00 (Post 2883711)

Sudo ?????

I opened it with sudo grub, yes, if thats what you are asking. Tried more than once.

Erk - I've seen that if not using sudo (in Ubuntu).
Best I can suggest is try another liveCD - I always have a Knoppix laying around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by syg00 (Post 2883776)

Erk - I've seen that if not using sudo (in Ubuntu).
Best I can suggest is try another liveCD - I always have a Knoppix laying around.

Can I burn cds from Ubuntu's live cd? Otherwise I'm kind of stuck.

Having almost exactly the same problem

Hi, I'm having almost exactly the same problem.

I installed ubuntu on a new hard drive (hd1), with Winders XP on the old one (hd0). Upon my first install, all I'd get was a blinking cursor when I booted. LiveCD worked fine. If I put in the LiveCD, the last menu option is "Boot from first hard disk". I think this just runs grub, and it would show me all of my options. Using this menu, I could boot ubuntu from the hd1 partition.

I can't figure out why the grub selection menu lets me boot into either Windows or Ubuntu with no problems when I first use grub from the LiveCD. But when I try to just boot from the hard drives (no CD in the drive), grub comes up, gives me my options, and then gives me an Error 17 if I select Ubuntu or memtest, and an Error 13 if I choose windows.

Grrbt, try typing "sudo grub", then "root (hd1," then hitting <tab>

(hd1 instead of hd0)

I think syg00 meant to say that but was assuming hd0 instead.

Here's what I get:

> root (hd1,
Possible partitions are:
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82

Here's what fdisk -l gives me:

Disk /dev/hdb: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 * 1 4864 39070048+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/hdd: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdd1 * 1 19175 154023156 83 Linux
/dev/hdd2 19176 19457 2265165 5 Extended
/dev/hdd5 19176 19457 2265133+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Can anyone help Grrbt and I?

try booting using grub from the LiveCD

Grrbt, try leaving the Live CD in the CD drive, and then choosing the last option, "Boot from first hard disk"

Grub should let you choose an OS - see if it lets you boot your installation (linux OR windows). This is how I'm operating.

I decided my winxp was fubared enough to wipe it clean. I've reinstalled winxp and Ubuntu on two partitions of the same physical harddrive and now everything works like a charm. Doesn't help you in any way, timbilly, but it's a heads up to anyone who might try to help me with the now nonexistant problem.

OK - I too am having weird Error 5 loading troubles.

I did the grub> root (hd0,

And got:

Possible partitions are:
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82

I too am running from the LiveCD. My Windows XP is completely toast...