Unable to install grub-legacy with grub-install command on latest Antix/Debian
 

Since I have a MB with a Via C3 processor, because a bug in grub2 that prevents booting grub2 with this processor, I had to install grub-legacy (grub2 is automatically removed) with these commands:

Unfortunately the second command doesn't run. The output is:

but here it stops to run.

I also tried with a live and chrooted system and same command (grub-install) now emitted this output:

Obviously /dev has correctly been mounted in chrooted system.


Some ideas?

Back when AntiX used grub legacy as a boot loader. I used to install grub4dos to handle my mulit-boot situations back then.

grub4dos menu edits are like grub legacy. My reply to your question in AntiX forums pretty covers the rest as far as ideas go.

Edit: You do remember installing grub2 to mbr of hard drive. Not to root. So your error message is probably related to that step.

Thank you for your reply.

I will try grub4dos but I wonder if this program needs a floppy or a dedicated partition to run.

I have installed grub2 in MBR (not root partition).

Thanks for your reply in Antix forum too.


EDIT: I've solved installing the old good "lilo"

One of the nice things about Grub that Grub2 discarded was simplicity. There's no need for any script to install it, and it can even be installed to a partition that is not mounted. Simply start the grub> shell, verify the device and grub directory exist, set root, run setup. The man page explains. All my myriad installations, spread across more than 25 multi- multiboot machines, except the *buntus, have only Grub installed, including AntiX. The *buntus are an exception merely so that I need not be completely ignorant about Grub2. Oh, and I have no MBR with any version of Grub installed. All my MBRs have generic PC boot code installed.

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my idea is you didn't read grub legacy info(1) pages

you could try this: make a grub floppy (if you have a floppy !). boot from the floppy. run grub install from the floppy. (read the info pages , that is one way grub can be installed if i remember). i'm unsure if grub floppy can be put on usb or if your board supports faking usb as a floppy: heard of it but never had such a motherboard bios to try it with.

older grub can still be found (but not on it's offical development page - they removed the code !!) and still compiles

i'm unsure if your running the newest debian why you'd want to install older grub - and "really new systems" don't even have a bios that can be accessed by grub (grub legacy does require a bios be present)

why are you doing this ?