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Old 06-07-2007, 10:17 PM   #1
gilloz
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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: High Desert, So. Calif.
Distribution: SimplyMepis 6.5
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Mepis won't boot up


I removed my Windows hard drive from my computer and in it's place I installed a 30GB hard drive for the sole purpose of installing Mepis 6.5. It loaded fine and each time booted up normally. Now, I removed this Mepis hard drive and reinstalled my Windows drive with my Mepis drive in the G Drive location. Windows booted up normally. I restarted Windows and selected HDD1, which would be the Mepis HDD, to boot up. It started, but quit with the word grub/ and waiting for me to enter something. I tried my username, password, root name, nothing works. Can someone tell me what it is I have to enter to get my Mepis to come up?
 
Old 06-08-2007, 07:57 AM   #2
comprookie2000
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Well the drive has now changed in linux from /dev/hda to /dev/hdb maybe!
boot up the mepis cd and log in as root;
from a terminal
Code:
fdisk -l
now open /etc/fstab and change where you see hda and change it to hdb, if that is what fdisk tells you
next you will need to do the same on /boot/grub/menu.lst
but still I am not sure windows will boot linux without you changing something else;
http://highlandsun.com/hyc/linuxboot.html

Last edited by comprookie2000; 06-08-2007 at 08:00 AM.
 
Old 06-08-2007, 08:32 AM   #3
masonm
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Registered: Mar 2003
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Yes, you'll need to determine the new drive designations and edit fstab and menu.lst accordingly as grub can no longer find the files. You have to tell it where to look.
 
Old 06-08-2007, 08:55 AM   #4
gilloz
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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: High Desert, So. Calif.
Distribution: SimplyMepis 6.5
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Thanks comprookie2000 and masonm for your responses. I will try your suggestions and return with feedback. I feel so stupid about all this. see ya.
 
Old 06-08-2007, 09:14 AM   #5
masonm
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No need to feel stupid. Everyone has to learn.
 
Old 06-08-2007, 09:16 AM   #6
saikee
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The root cause of the problem is when an operating system is installed, be it a Windows or a Linux, a record of the partition number and disk bumber is kept so that on a boot up the boot loader knows where to find the system files.

Altering the boot disk order is playing a "cat and mouse game" with the boot loader.

The easiest way to get over this problem is

(1) Let Mepis disk be the first bootable disk. Verify it working properly.

(2) Add these lines to its /boot/grub/menu.lst
Code:
title Sausage factory dude said I can boot Windows as the 2nd disk
root (hd1,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
chainloader +1
and save the file.

(3) Attach the Windows disk now. Make sure it is a slave if you run Pata disks.

Your Windows will now boot.

Explanation

You can ask Grub to swap the disk order on-the-fly, as indicated red above. I have assumed your Windows is in the 1st partition of the 2nd disk, know to Grub as (hd1,0) as Grub counts from zero. Make the necessary adjustment to suit your case.

By the way I suggest users to chop off the hands fiddling the disk order in the bios to cause their systems unbootable. If they send the chopped hands to me I would have enough meat to open a sausage factory. I think the fiddling hands are surplus because if one uses Grub why then at the same time try to do its job.

Last edited by saikee; 06-08-2007 at 09:20 AM.
 
Old 06-08-2007, 12:09 PM   #7
gilloz
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Jun 2007
Location: High Desert, So. Calif.
Distribution: SimplyMepis 6.5
Posts: 10

Original Poster
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Ok, I am back. Thank you for that link. After 1.5 hours of trial and error, I managed to boot up my Mepis by entering the proper line after grub>. But, it's a one time boot. I restarted the computer and I was back to the grub command line. I tried your suggestions with /etc/fstab and I kept getting "permission denied" When I installed Mepis originally, I had to enter a Username and Password and a Root Password. How can I get pass this Permission Denied? By the way, it was just a matter of telling it which hard drive and partition Mepis was located. I sure hope you can help me modify the menu.lst. Thanks.
 
  


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