I have downloaded and installed grub 2 from this site. After the install was done, I found grub-install and grub-setup, but no grub. Did I do something wrong? Install the wrong file or something?

I've been trying to install grub to my USB device, in which I followed the instructions with grub-install, to which no grub was installed onto the USB's boot record. Instead the device still has a broken lilo on it which hangs after the first three characters of lilo are printed to screen.

<Just thinking about it, maybe someone here could help me to decide if I want to keep looking into this>

I am a noob to linux, and after having a few problems with boot programs, I've decided to see if it was possible to find or create a boot disk for a USB device in which any distro or OS for that matter could be loaded from it.

It wouldn't work like the regular boot managers I've seen so far (perhaps I haven't looked in the right places yet).

This is one odd problem I've had. I use Zenwalk 5.2 on a regular basis, but sometimes while installing different distro's onto another hard drive, they either don't install the boot loader correctly, or install the second OS as the first distro to boot into, which I'd rather have Zenwalk first.

The last time I had this problem, I used the Vector Linux 5.8 gold edition liveCD and booted up in that and ran Zenwalk. Well, Vector reads the HD's as hd# where as Zenwalk reads them as sd# so the config files wouldn't work correctly in Zenwalk.

So, thinking of this only in a noobie way, I'm wondering and have been searching to see if it's possible to create a bootable disk which would allow me (i.e. the user) to input how a disk is to be read and what image file will be loaded (if possible). Such as if I was trying to load Zenwalk from the boot disk, I could just type in something like vmlinuz (sd0,1), and if I were to run a different kernel (I think that's the correct name for it, or image file, I'm still a bit new) then I could type in something like (sd0,1) /boot/memtest86.bin.

I think grub can do this, but I'm not sure, which is why I want a working grub on my USB so I can test it and learn how to use it...

Anyway, thanks for any help anyone can give me...

I don't know if grub 2 supports USB yet. Try the old (legacy) grub. Perhaps have a look at supergrubdisk for inspiration.

I've actually got Supergrubdisk for USB .9590 and .9766, but I need grub to install them, I guess from what all I've read in the readme's...I'll try legacy and see if that gets me going...

Thanks

Alrighty then. I downloaded and installed grub .97. Everything seemed to work fine. grub's there, grub-install is there, too...However, wont install to my USB. I think I've read that there is a problem with USB's and grub...

Anyway, any suggestions?

This is what I got when I tried it, using the text files that come with the Super Grub Disk files.

I'll try to copy the files from /boot/grub to the usb /boot/grub and see if that does it...

Can't see why it won't work - I just did a (successful) test on an old 256Meg key. Loaded the kernel, died trying to mount the root - as it should (in my case) as there wasn't one ...

I think my computer is haunted...Not the first time someones said something along the line of "I don't know why", LOL...

I tried about 2 more things I've seen in different forums around the web, but yet, same results...I'll try to see if it might be just a problem with .97...Well, if it is a problem with .97, then that means that I should go after one of the versions between .97 and 1.96...Both don't work...

Which version of grub did you use?

0.97 - just created a /boot, and copied the whole lot (you need the grub sub directory) with "cp -a ..." Then issued commands similar to yours above.

Yep, that's what I done, too...

First, I copied the Super Grub Disk files over to /boot, then tried to install grub...Fail...
Second, I copied the /boot/grub from the HD to the USB, then tried to install grub...Fail...

Just keep getting that error, and only the first three characters of lilo when I try to boot with it...Driving me bonkers...

Well, reach into a pot and grab a wet noodle and slap me happy...It's there now...Didn't do anything different...One of the errors I must have gotten was a lie...Ha ha ha...Or it might have had something to do with copying Damn small linux over to the drive...I don't know...Either way...Odd as hell...Now if only I can get it to work...That'll be on task for tomarrow...One step closer, ha ha...

Thank's...

<Edit> Used cat to create a menu file to load DSL following these instructions http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/i...SB_Flash_Drive. grub, gone...The first three characters of lilo are back...