I hear you, Tron, but I spent nearly three days configuring and wallpapering two user accounts on the flash drive along with lots of text and art files. Is there anyway to kick-start the flash drive to boot itself again without doing another full install?

Thanks for any advice!

Jim in NYC

If you had followed the suggestion made earlier by syg00, installing Grub to the mbr of your flash while you were still able to boot it, you would now be able to boot either windows or Mint. It's not hard to reinstall Grub but we don't know what you have to work with?

I am a 83-year-old home school mentor and struggling tech newbie at this and I rather have "face to face" post-to-post explanations and directions from linux mavens as yourself than hunt and pour over techie-talk way over my head. I want to wean our home school away from Windows and second-hand donated Macs and I like what I see in Linux so I am anxious to learn anything to also keep the brain cells buzzing! I do have the Macrium XP boot disk and a Mint-XFCE 9 live install CD that when I boot it up I can read all the files of the plugged-in Mint flash perfectly! Is any step by step way to use this set-up to kick-start the boot in the flash drive again?

Thanks for any assist!

Jim in NYC

We need more detail - go here, do as it says, and run the "sudo bash ..." as directed. Just use "unzip" to unzip it - or double-click from a GUI filemanager. (no quotes in any of those commands).
Post the RESULTS.txt here - it'll tell us all we need.

1 members found this post helpful.

I just haven't been able to get that bootscript to take! I'll keep working on it, but in the meanwhile I'll take a gamble and use this result from directions given me by another and hopefully it'll be of some use to you. As novice as I am I think that I don't see the attached Mint flash drive number here even though its icon shows up on this live CD's desktop and I can see and access all it's inside files, so that must mean it's still mounted even though it doesn't show here, right? Thanks a trillion!

mint@mint ~ $ sudo os-prober
/dev/sda1:Microsoft Windows XP Professional:Windows:chain
/dev/sdb1:Linux Mint 9 Isadora (9):LinuxMint:linux
mint@mint ~ $ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7752 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7205cf80

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 7752 58605088+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 7998 MB, 7998537728 bytes
247 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1020 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15314 * 512 = 7840768 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0003d10c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 970 7422976 83 Linux
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
phys=(0, 32, 33) logical=(0, 33, 3)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(924, 62, 34) logical=(969, 140, 54)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb2 970 1020 385025 5 Extended
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
phys=(924, 95, 2) logical=(969, 173, 55)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(972, 78, 2) logical=(1019, 244, 2)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb5 970 1020 385024 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdc: 2031 MB, 2031091712 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 246 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 1 247 1983429 b W95 FAT32
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(1023, 254, 63) logical=(246, 236, 63)
mint@mint ~ $ sudo parted -l print
Model: ATA TOSHIBA MK6034GS (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 60.0GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 32.3kB 60.0GB 60.0GB primary ntfs boot


Model: Kingston DT 101 G2 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 7999MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 7602MB 7601MB primary ext4
2 7603MB 7997MB 394MB extended
5 7603MB 7997MB 394MB logical linux-swap(v1)


Model: Kingston DT 101 II (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdc: 2031MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 32.3kB 2031MB 2031MB primary fat32 boot


This is an attempt to fix the Mint flash's MBR by someone's recommendations. I'll won't venture further without your input!

mint@mint ~ $ sudo os-prober
/dev/sda1:Microsoft Windows XP Professional:Windows:chain
/dev/sdb1:Linux Mint 9 Isadora (9):LinuxMint:linux
mint@mint ~ $ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
mint@mint ~ $ sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sdb1
grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot (is /dev mounted?).
/usr/sbin/grub-setup: warn: Attempting to install GRUB to a partition instead of the MBR. This is a BAD idea..
/usr/sbin/grub-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible. GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists. However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and its use is discouraged..
/usr/sbin/grub-setup: error: if you really want blocklists, use --force.
mint@mint ~ $

Nope that's good - thanks for persevering.
Looks like this your setup:
/dev/sda is your (internal) XP disk
/dev/sdb is the USB with Mint9
/dev/sdc is the liveUSB you booted

First, don't run that last command with --force. It's close, but not what you need. Try This is taken from this article - nice background reading.

That'll make good weekend read! Thanks! Here's the result of your last recommendation. Don't understand what happened.


mint@mint ~ $ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
mint@mint ~ $ sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb
grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot (is /dev mounted?).
Unrecognized option `--boot-directory=/mnt/boot'
Usage: grub-install [OPTION] install_device
Install GRUB on your drive.

-h, --help print this message and exit
-v, --version print the version information and exit
--modules=MODULES pre-load specified modules MODULES
--root-directory=DIR install GRUB images under the directory DIR
instead of the root directory
--grub-setup=FILE use FILE as grub-setup
--grub-mkimage=FILE use FILE as grub-mkimage
--grub-probe=FILE use FILE as grub-probe
--no-floppy do not probe any floppy drive
--recheck probe a device map even if it already exists
--force install even if problems are detected
--disk-module=MODULE disk module to use

INSTALL_DEVICE can be a GRUB device name or a system device filename.

grub-install copies GRUB images into /boot/grub (or /grub on NetBSD and
OpenBSD), and uses grub-setup to install grub into the boot sector.

If the --root-directory option is used, then grub-install will copy
images into the operating system installation rooted at that directory.

Report bugs to <bug-grub@gnu.org>.
mint@mint ~ $ sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb1
grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot (is /dev mounted?).
Unrecognized option `--boot-directory=/mnt/boot'
Usage: grub-install [OPTION] install_device
Install GRUB on your drive.

-h, --help print this message and exit
-v, --version print the version information and exit
--modules=MODULES pre-load specified modules MODULES
--root-directory=DIR install GRUB images under the directory DIR
instead of the root directory
--grub-setup=FILE use FILE as grub-setup
--grub-mkimage=FILE use FILE as grub-mkimage
--grub-probe=FILE use FILE as grub-probe
--no-floppy do not probe any floppy drive
--recheck probe a device map even if it already exists
--force install even if problems are detected
--disk-module=MODULE disk module to use

INSTALL_DEVICE can be a GRUB device name or a system device filename.

grub-install copies GRUB images into /boot/grub (or /grub on NetBSD and
OpenBSD), and uses grub-setup to install grub into the boot sector.

If the --root-directory option is used, then grub-install will copy
images into the operating system installation rooted at that directory.

Report bugs to <bug-grub@gnu.org>.
mint@mint ~ $

Your output from the last post would indicate you do not have a separate boot partition so try this:

2 members found this post helpful.

I think start from scratch is a good idea.
There was a nice tool in Ubuntu 10.04LTS and I don't know if still available in the new LiveCD the tool is called Start up Disk. I am assuming that because linux Mint is the child of Ubuntu it will also be include in Linux Mint. Kubuntu also has a similar tool called usb-creator.
It should be under system>Administration>USB start up disk.
All you need to do is save an ISO file of the distro in a known folder, then boot your computer from the LiveCD and open the USB start up creator, plug your USB flash drive to your computer.

Then from within the tool navigate to the folder in which your ISO is saved, then tell the tool to install it on that flash drive you have inserted, select the persistent mode and proceed with the installation.

Let it do its thing and test it.

Good luck to you.

Fantastic, Yancek!
You hit it on the head!
My virtual Princess Peach avatar smooches you one, Mario!!

Our home school's on its way to Linux with help like this! And this was one learning experience and a half into the ins and outs of Linux, thanks to you! I also learned that for Linux to be more user-friendly like Macs that it has to be a little more non-techie user-friendly in installing and uninstalling and repairing programs, but Linux is the way to go to make "vintage" Windows and Apple-abandoned machines virtually as modern as their current stuff! Now I'm going to more fully explore "Mint on a Stick" because our home school got dumped dozens of unused flash drives thanks a bankrupt company, and by using Mint on them we can take the strain off the HDs on our old machines!

Again thanks all for the help this run!

Jim in NYC

Thanks for that, it was swell. Have fun with Mint!

Hello Friends!

Well, maybe in part it was too good to last, but we might have a culprit.
Everything was going swimmingly using Mint flash on the XP PC, even after repeated detachments and rep-attachments. Then -- and just spectulating -- Mint decided to do a full update, which ate up almost .5 gigs on the flash!

++ Launching mintUpdate in user mode
++ Testing initial connection
-- No connection found (tried to read http://www.google.com and to ping google.com) - sleeping for 30 seconds
++ Starting refresh
++ Auto-refresh timer is going to sleep for 0 minutes, 24 hours and 0 days
++ Connection to the Internet successful (tried to read http://www.google.com)
++ Successfully downloaded new safety rules using proxy: None
++ System is up to date
++ Refresh finished

Wish I can actually SEE and feel what it did under the hood because I sure don't! (I think I did catch a flash of Grub 2-something in the running update list).

Anyway, it was shortly after that update when I detached the drive to start XP and it was Grub Rescue all over again! I got out the Macrium backup boot disk to fix/replace the MRB again but on its list of partitions to work on it now listed two entries:

Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Winds XP (1) 5.1 Windows

I didn't know which to pick or both so I chose the second entry (simply because it seemed to have more title info) to fix the MRB as before and rebooted and Windows popped up:

Please select the operating system to start:

Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Winds XP (1)

I picked the second and XP normally rebooted. I tested things by rebooting again and selecting the first entry but that only circles back to the boot-up screen -- which is the new "default" if I don't select the other entry first. I tested things out with the flash on and off and no change, even when I used Macrium again to "fix" the MRB in the first entry. No dice.

I'm happy enough that XP still boots, but is there any way to delete one of these selections so it's back to defaulting to boot on its own again, and is this updated Grub most responsible?

Thanks!

Puzzled Jim in Queens

If I understand what you are saying, you did an update of the Mint install on the flash drive and after that you were unable to boot xp from the hard drive, correct? I wouldn't expect an update to install Grub to the internal drive during an update which seems to be what happened? Are you saying you cannot boot Mint on the flash now? If that's the case, use the same procedure I suggested above. If you just want to change an entry on the menu, I believe you would need to edit the boot.ini file which is a hidden file in the root C:\ of your windows system. I've never used xp and don't remember exactly how to view a hidden file on windows but googling edit boot.ini file should give you some results.

Well, it pretty much goes like I said above: From a cold start boot-up I get a screen asking which operating system I want to boot, whether the flash is on or not, which it didn't do before but just went straight to the regular Microsoft start-up screen. The only way to boot the Mint flash -- as always have -- is by using F12 to select the flash drive. I wouldn't have any complaints if there was a way to move up the second Microsoft Windows XP item in the start-up screen so it's the first item to boot by default but I don't see any way to do that. My Mac-failing, I guess. All this started ever since Mint did its first autoupdate for the first time since I installed it so I just can't think of any other cause because everything was just running peachy keen till then, the flash normal on both XP and Vista machines till then. Wish I can provide more info. I have to look up how to the boot.init thing though. Has anyone ever actually checked whether the Mint updater for Linux Mint 9 does or not do something to activate Grub so? Just a wild non-techie guess.



jimwg@rubymint ~ $ sudo os-prober
[sudo] password for jimwg:
/dev/sda1:Windows NT/2000/XP (loader):Windows:chain
jimwg@rubymint ~ $ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7752 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0005e494

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 7752 58605088+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 7998 MB, 7998537728 bytes
247 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1020 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15314 * 512 = 7840768 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0003d10c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 970 7422976 83 Linux
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
phys=(0, 32, 33) logical=(0, 33, 3)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(924, 62, 34) logical=(969, 140, 54)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb2 970 1020 385025 5 Extended
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
phys=(924, 95, 2) logical=(969, 173, 55)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(972, 78, 2) logical=(1019, 244, 2)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb5 970 1020 385024 82 Linux swap / Solaris
jimwg@rubymint ~ $

Possibly helpful addendum:

Re: Grub kills XP boot-up after Mint 9 USB flash full instal

New postby mintybits on Sun May 27, 2012 12:27 pm

breaker wrote:

OK. Hold up. Some of this doesn't make sense without more information. I really don't think a Mint update should trigger GRUB to install new code in the MBR, if this is the newest trend, I would be surprised and shocked. So, for the moment, I will assume Mint isn't taking this really horrible approach.


The Grub package installer is configured to install Grub to a particular location. If a Grub upgrade occurs the installer will re-install it to the same place. In this case, the internal HD MBR. To fix this requires running "sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc" which will do both a grub-install and update-grub and make any change of location permanent.

mintybits
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