SuSE 10.1 GRUB BootLoader how to repair

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 02:59 AM

Hi,

I need help. I had to reinstall my second OS which is Win XP Pro, because I could not repair it. I was aware that I will have to repair GRUB boot loader after reinstalling Wins.But I cant. I do not know what happened, I cant repair it. I can enter into my system using DVD install option >boot installed system. In GRUB boot loader there is SuSE 10.1 load option but it only boot into wins. Do not know how to change this. Now I am in Wins because from SuSE I cant connect anymore. There are no repositories (packman, gwdg etc). If there is no other way to repair , I shall reinstall SuSe, but then I will loose my files and I will loose my e-mails ant the attachments. And this is the real problem. How to save them and where? I have a separate disc FAT 32 whre I have most of my important files. The problem is that I do not know how to save e-mail& attachments. So I really need help.

reddazz · 10-19-2006, 03:21 AM

Can you boot into Suse using the DVD? If so, login as root and run "grub-install /dev/hda" (replace /dev/hda with whatever drive letters that represent the hard disk where you had installed grub before).

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 04:23 AM

Hi reddazz,

thanks a lot .Everything is OK now.

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 10:10 AM

Now I have another problem. On the boot menu there are no Windows ?? What can I do to repair that?

Is it fixmbr or something like that?? or bootcfg ??

abisko00 · 10-19-2006, 10:38 AM

You mean Windows doesn't show up on the menu?

Don't run fixmbr, as this will revert what you've just done. Simply edit /etc/grub/menu.lst and add an entry that points to your Windows partition, e.g.:

Code:

title windows
   root (hd0,0)
   makeactive
   chainloader +1

This example should work if Windows is installed on the first partition of your primary HDD.

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 10:53 AM

abisko00 the problem is I do not have(find) etc/grub/menu.lst ???

abisko00 · 10-19-2006, 10:55 AM

Sorry, my fault! Should be /boot/grub/menu.lst

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 11:45 AM

Nothing. SuSE is booting normally but wins no. If I go and reinstall SuSe now, will I have normal bootloader then(with both systems) or I have to run fixmbr first and then install SuSE???

abisko00 · 10-19-2006, 12:21 PM

Not so quick with the re-installation! The above example does not necessarily work with your configuration. When you are in Linux, type 'fdisk -l' to get a list of your partitions (as root). Please post the output here, together with your menu.lst and we may be able to safe you a lot of work and time with the re-installation. Have a look at the grub manual from SUSE: http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:The_Boot_Manager_Grub

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 01:04 PM

Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Enote = cylinders od 16065 x 512 = 8225280 bajtov

Naprava Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 1912 15358108+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 1913 2038 1012095 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda3 * 2039 9729 61777957+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/hdb: 40.0 GB, 40027029504 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4866 cylinders
Enote = cylinders od 16065 x 512 = 8225280 bajtov

Naprava Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 * 1 4866 39086113+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

reddazz · 10-19-2006, 01:54 PM

From the info you have given, Windows is on /dev/hda1, so abisko00s code for the windows grub entry should work. Have you tried it?

riba43 · 10-19-2006, 02:26 PM

well, yes I did. Nothing, I do not see wins in myboot loader window. This is what I get when grub-install:

bgorjup@Bogomir:~> su
Password:
Bogomir:/home/bgorjup # grub-install /dev/hda3
Installation finished. No error reported.
This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub/device.map.
Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect,
fix it and re-run the script `grub-install'.

(hd1) /dev/hdb
(fd0) /dev/fd0
(hd0) /dev/hda
Bogomir:/home/bgorjup #

I have lost my wins when I did : grub-install /dev/hda1. Maybe this was wrong. Before I did it I have wins but no SuSE.

abisko00 · 10-19-2006, 04:06 PM

A little detail confuses me: you've installed grub to /dev/hda3, but to my knowledge it should be /dev/hda (without the partition number). The confusing part is, if grub resides on hda3 while the MBR is still the windows bootloader, how can Linux boot at all (grub should be in the MBR, not the partition's boot sector)?

Even more confusing to me is that since it works obviously, why the setting I proposed doesn't work. I have no clue!

EDIT: I have a theory:

After you've installed grub to hda1 instead of hda, the windows bootloader chainloads grub (Linux) through hda1. Changing menu.lst doesn't do anything, as it again runs the same vicious cycle: boot hda (hd0,0), which then boots Linux. My problem is that I have no idea how to remove grub from hda1. Fixmbr will only change hda, but not hda1.

Reddazz, what do you think about this? I probably miss a point here.

reddazz · 10-19-2006, 07:51 PM

Grub should have been installed to the MBR of the primary master hard drive (which in this case is /dev/hda). If indeed its been installed to /dev/hda1, I am not sure how it can be removed without reinstalling Windows. I will look into it and post back if I find any useful info.

riba43 · 10-23-2006, 03:51 AM

Hi to all,

I am back now. Have been reinstalling both my OSs.I had to.Well, now everything seems to work well. I have only one (not a problem)but a question. My GRUB BootLoader menu has now one additional line. That is Suse 10.1 /dev/hda6. What is this and can I simply remove it from boot line?