Long, but a good deal of background and things already tried. Can't get grub to see a re-installed SuSE 9, amongst 6 OSs in multi-boot. Yes, have searched, read, even posted (elsewhere on the web, not lq, no useful response yet). Please read the whole long thing.

I had the following in grub (showed in menu w/o quotes; all six booted OK):
"Lx: RH9 2.4.20-6"
"Lx: RH7.2"
"Lx: Mandrake 9.1"
"Lx: SuSE 9"
"SMSQ (Sinclair Tebby) via W98"
"Win...98SE/DOS"

All the partitions and installs were through Partition Magic 8.0, which worked fine, and use of the Lx installs (started with W98 alone. Two physical disks). Usually a separate boot & programs partition, sometimes separate data partition.

Forgot SuSE & Mandrake root pw's. Managed to reset Mandrake pw through Rescue from CD. Tried similar with SuSE. It requested "Rescue login: " for which I give nothing. I decided there was little data to be lost by re-installing (SuSE). Tried to delete /boot partition for SuSE (this may have been after trying to reinstall, requesting custom partitioning, then getting dozens of "module failed" messages during install and aborting. My memory gets hazy here). Got message from PM 8.0 that it could not delete partition (extended within primary) due to its not being able to understand file system. (Other Lx's were ext3; SuSE was Reiser; wonder if Reiser did not exist at time PM 8 was created & if that's critical). First time in years I've gotten notification of any problem from PM.

As I remember at this point I could do nothing with that partition, so decided to try install again at tail end of (former) /boot partition, accept less of a custom partitioning, not necessarily separate /boot & / (actually the install never gave me an opportunity for separating them, or at least it wasn't clear), and allow a separate swap for SuSE (instead of one for all Lx). No "module failed". Ended up with SuSE-related Swap and one large /, presumably including /boot.

Puzzling: it never asked me to set a root pw for SuSE re-install.

Not surprisingly, the SuSE entry in the grub menu, including the first line "rootnoverify (hd0,5)" (for /dev/hda6) did not work. Nor did (hd0,7), a guess, or (hd0,6). Kept getting "Error 12", a not very specific or informative message, somewhat of a catch-all/miscellaneous. Long ago when I was installing Mandrake and SuSE I kept getting "Error 13: Invalid executable format" which was solved by email (lq I believe) and then setting (hdx,y) exactly. (Cannot find that old email).

The following was a guess from some other old email:
grub> rootnoverify (hdx,y)
grub> makeactive
grub> chainloader +1
grub> boot

or some such--the exact detail may not matter, as it never got past the "makeactive", giving the message "invalid device specified" or some such.

grub.conf and /etc/fstab below. How do I get the reinstall "seen"?

I've spent some time looking through [other experts sites] e.g. "grub" and found nothing similar; sorry. (Rather messy install with no separate /boot, an extra swap, etc. but that's another question). So far examination of gnu's .html grub manual has not solved this either.

Dell Dimension 4100 approx. 2000 or 2001, 733MHz, 1.44, Zip100, CD RW, 256MB PC133, 2 HDD 30GB (Maxtor?)/60GB (IBM), 17" P780 or some such, HP 882C, HP5100C (can't get to work anymore w/ W98), above OS's (and still 10s of GB free...!). Generic wheelmouse & kbd I believe. Probably more. Pretty vanilla.

I suspect this is something simple to readily be solved by someone (an outside expert) looking at those three outputs and the above, possibly like the grub "Error 13" I was getting a year ago installing Mandrake & SuSE.

I've scanned that 25,000 character grub post elsewhere in lq.

Note grub.conf "you have /boot partition; all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot" and latest SuSE has no (separate) boot partition... any clue there? Except that should change the number 1, and I've tried (hd0,5 ... 7).

At this point every OS/grub.conf entry boots but the re-installed SuSE.

grub.conf <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hdb3
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=15
splashimage=(hd1,1)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#psswd --md5 $1$2mmuLNi3$0cjav7Nn9sctUwNfx032Q/
title Lx: Red Hat 9 (2.4.20-6)
root (hd1,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/1 hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6.img
title Lx: Red Hat 7.2
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
title Lx: Mandrake 9.1
rootnoverify (hd1,4)
chainloader +1
# kernel (hd1,4)/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-0.13mdk ro root=/dev/hdb6 hdc=ide-scsi
# initrd (hd1,4)/boot/initrd-2.4.21-0.13mdk.img
title Lx: SuSE 9.0
rootnoverify (hd0,5)
chainloader +1
title SMSQ (Sinclair Tebby) via W98
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
title Windows (98SE)/DOS
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

fdisk -l <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


Disk /dev/hda: 30.0 GB, 30020272128 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3649 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 1275 10241406 c Win95 FAT32 (LBA) ..... W98
/dev/hda2 1276 1281 48195 83 Linux ...................... RH 7.2 boot
/dev/hda3 1282 2491 9719325 83 Linux ..................... RH 7.2 root
/dev/hda4 2492 3649 9301635 f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 2492 2530 313236 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda6 2531 2540 80293+ 83 Linux ..................... former SuSE boot "cannot delete partition" PM 8
/dev/hda7 2541 2604 514048+ 82 Linux swap ............ "SuSE" swap after re-install
/dev/hda8 2605 3649 8393931 83 Linux ..................... SuSE whole after re-install

Disk /dev/hdb: 61.4 GB, 61492838400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7476 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1353 7476 49191030 f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hdb2 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux ......................... RH9 boot
/dev/hdb3 14 1352 10755517+ 83 Linux ........................ RH9 root
/dev/hdb5 1353 1362 80293+ 83 Linux ........................ Mandrake boot
/dev/hdb6 1363 2510 9221278+ 83 Linux ....................... Mandrake boot
/dev/hdb7 2511 3785 10241406 83 Linux ...................... Intended Lx "common"; common not needed
/dev/hdb8 6136 6201 530113+ b Win95 FAT32 ........... Win swap
/dev/hdb9 6202 7476 10241406 b Win95 FAT32 .......... Win and Lx (has evolved to sys-wide "common")

Partition table entries are not in disk order

/etc/fstab <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
It has hit me that this isn't that useful, but I'll include the fstab from RH9 as an example of something done

LABEL=/1 / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot1 /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
/dev/hda5 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hdd4 /mnt/zip auto noauto,owner,kudzu 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner,kudzu 0 0
/dev/hda1 /mnt/win vfat noauto 0 0
/dev/hda2 /mnt/bt7.2 ext3 noauto 0 0
/dev/hda3 /mnt/rt7.2 ext3 noauto 0 0
/dev/hda5 /mnt/su9bt auto noauto 0 0
/dev/hda6 /mnt/su9rt auto noauto 0 0
/dev/hdb5 /mnt/mk9bt auto noauto 0 0
/dev/hdb6 /mnt/mk9rt auto noauto 0 0
/dev/hdb7 /mnt/lxcomm auto noauto 0 0
/dev/hdb9 /mnt/winusrdat vfat defaults,umask=000 0 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,owner,kudzu,ro 0 0

Seems complicated to me ...
I've had some problems like that.
I'll give you my hints perhaps it will help.

First when using rescue system at rescue prompt log in as root.
Try using cfdisk if fdisk won't do what you want. It is operationnal
under rescue#
It permitted to me to activate and suppress partitions which were not modifiables
with fdisk

My grub.conf looks like this
root (hd0,0)
install --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 /grub/stage1 d (hd0) /grub/stage2 0x8000 (hd0,0)/grub/menu.lst
quit

Well I haven't a multi boot machine but here we can see that some of your instructions
are perhaps not needed. One another hand you have here the loading of
stage2 absolutely needed to boot
The multiboot options are in menu.lst.

Hope it helps ...

Nadine,
Thank you for your giving me input.

Re rescue & fdisk: that sounds promising, at least if we're not talking about my previous attempt to use Rescue and getting "Rescue login" (since that would require root password, which I had forgotten).

Is fdisk safe? Various programs have reputation for not being safe; perhaps I'm thinking of the old FIPS. Your or anybody's real-world experience could be as valuable as being, say, pointed to man pages.

Again, fdisk sounds promising. Maybe because I've forgotten a lot.

Re "install" in grub: Thanks again, for a reminder at least. I'm 90% sure this is done behind the scenes in the loading, etc. done in my grub file, but I can check what's going on. Of course there is the grub.html (gnu) manual.

Those seem to be the main two points of your post Anything further you think of will be appreciated.

DGL/ch_merlin

You are in France?

Note "SuSE "Error 13"?!; RH7.2/RH9/W98 OK", Jan. 2004, also tuxisnottux. This in fact was the problem in installing Mandrake and SuSE referred to in the current post--just happened across it. I need to go back now & study it.

DGL/ch_merlin/tuxisnottux/bombadil42 etc.

Looks like it could be a matter of trying rootnoverify (hd0,8): (1) I didn't go that high, only going up to (hd0,7), and SuSE according to fdisk -l is on 8; (2) that would follow the pattern in my similar post in Jan. 04, although (3) that doesn't sound like "invalid device."

Will have to try that tonight or sometime I have time for the confuser (computer :-) at home.

Of course, then it may be a matter of coming back to ask the question prior to this one: how do I reset root pw, given that I've forgotten it and some of the obvious first thoughts require ... root password! Getting SuSE to boot is only the precursor to that, the real problem. Rescue does not work the same simple way it did for Mandrake (viz., resetting the Mandrake root pw).

DGL/ch_merlin/tuxisnottux/bombadil42 etc.

Yes I'm in France near (ex-)border between France and Germany ....
I don't know if fdisk is reliable I'm used to CFDISK
Concerning FIPS I think I haven't used it since SuSE 7.2 so ...

Wish you good concentration for your study

I had the same problem for awhile, my Suse 9.1 was not showing up. What I actually ended up doing was putting the Suse disc into my drive and booting off of it. Then I selected installation. I think selected repair installation. It went through and did what it does, and it found some errors in my grub loader, and fix them. Then after that it gave me the selection to boot into Suse, which I did. I then ran Yast, and went into the boot loader config. I made sure that everything looked okay and that all my partitions were showing. When I saved it, it re-configured Grub. So then I rebooted and everything showed up the way that it should be. Hope this can help, I know that it is kind of a hack job, but it did the trick for me.

Thank you for your input, onelung.

Let me ask you, before I commit time enough to try your thoughts and have to figure out the results:
Does using the CD entail logging in in response to "Rescue login:" or "Repair login:" or some such? The first requires root pw, which I've forgotten (and in fact resetting it is the ultimate problem), and I suspect if there is a "Repair login:" it requires the same (at least in SuSE. Mandrake did not).

It may prove out that with re-install not asking me to set root pw, there may not be any and it will be possible to log into root once I get SuSE to boot--then all problems are solved. We'll see.

Are you directing to install Grub itself, or just change some of the configuration? I'd have to think where the various parts of grub--e.g. stages, grub.conf (or menu.lst in some instances)--are, but other than change configuration--obviously something is wrong--I'd as soon not tell it to install (and in fact that's why you so "don't install" in an installation of say another distro where you already have at least one linux somewhere).

So that leaves trying nadine's and your and my hd0,8 above out when I can.

And don't feel self-conscious; I've survived 27 years "in the industry" specializing in hack jobs, rather than stuffing my head full of endless technical details. "Never commit to memory what you can look up"--Albert Einstein (approximate).

Many of us have lives outside of being geeks :-) .

Thanks again.

DGL/ch_merlin/tuxisnottux/bombadil42 etc.

When you insert SuSE CD1 and boot it choose Rescue system.
Image is loaded into memory and starts without mounting devices.
At Rescue login system asks for username (root) and that's all.

Concerning Grub, I would try to modify it first because I know it and I've already
had problems with it.
Many docs and examples are provided on the internet and quiet good.
So if you have to look for a complicated solution with lots of OS you'll
probably find the good example.

I've never found a repair option in the SuSE CDs.
I've been looking for it a month ago because I had a big disk pb and some
binaries and script disapeared from /bin. I had to reinstall !
So if you find the repair option please tell me.

I'm curious about your French sentence:

"And it is not in turning one's back on things that one faces them"?

I also tried Systransoft after using my own head, but it gave a translation with a different sense, incorrect I thought. However, machine translations are known for possibly doing this (I was admin for the Machine Translation site at work till they took it down; while I am not top expert at the translations themselves, this gave me knowledge of how the process did--and didn't--work).

Translation is good.
Note : The author Pierre Dac is very interesting. He's not my favorite but I found the sentence
interesting because I see that lots of our pair have this attitude.

NONONONONO. LoL. What I mean is this. When you boot off the cd go to installation, then it will say, hey do you want to delete the installed linux system, or repair it. That is when you click the repair button. It gives you a nice GUI of everything that is going on, and makes things rather easy. Post the feedback, lets get this thing taking care of!!!

Nadine, onelung & everyone else:
I've gone from "invalid device" to "Error 13: Invalid or [something] executable format." Both grub; the first interactive, the second trying to boot.

I finally found "Repair" after starting from CD (there's one counter-intuitive feature I had to get past), and went through the whole of the "automatic analysis" (the other choices are "custom" and "expert"). Yes, slick. The one unsettling aspect, in fact both unsettling and encouraging, was the choices about bootloader. I basically told it to do nothing about installing a bootloader, as I had at the previous week or so while re-installing SuSE. The idea is/was that telling it to install a bootloader tells it to overwrite the current grub (viz., presumably the MBR, with grub.conf in the RH9 space)--likely messing up my whole machine.

But how true is that? How much was the (slick) SuSE "repair" intending to write a bootloader in the SuSE partition's BR--which would then be the chainloading boot ("rootnovery (hdx,y)" / "chainload +1")? That would be really sharp if that's all that's needed to fix the "Error 13" problem. Seems to me the problem in my other LQ question from January was something that was fixed by some interactive grub that included something like "makeactive (hdx,y)" and/or "setup (hdx,y)" or other--maybe we just haven't made something aware of where to look for the chainloading boot.

HOWEVER. If I can't be sure that I'm not overwriting the main (MBR?) grub to agree to take SuSE repair's "setup bootloader" "setup config file" etc. as for the partition BR (not MBR)... I'm very reluctant to experiment and tell Repair yes, install a bootloader (and mess up a grub which is working fine). I don't know at this point where to go for definite, authoritative direction on this.

Yes, let's get this done, but we have to, I have to, know what I'm doing. And not doing.

DGL/merlin_ch/ch_merlin/bombadil42

Well, unfortunately I do not know everything that it does. I will give you the steps that worked for me though.
1. Did the repair
2. It gives you the option to boot suse after it is done, do that.
3. Open up Yast (either through the KMenu>System>Yast) or you can just run yast through the run dialog box.
4.Go to the system icon.
5. Click on the bootloader config.
6.Make sure that everything is looking good, then hit finish and it will re-write grub with those settings.
7. Reboot and see how it works.


I am sorry that I do not know what goes on in the repair, I am actually looking into that now, and I will post if I find anything useful. Thats it for now though, keep us updating on progress, and good luck.

Latest: grub> rootnoverify (hd0,7) [viz., /dev/hda8]
grub> setup (hd0,7)
did not start up getting "Error13: invalid executable..."; it got ... drum roll [rum droll :-) ] ... "grub>" . So that didn't entirely fail, but it isn't what was needed or expected. At this point "grub > boot" gets "kernel must be loaded first". So, if one wants to and can fish up the exact kernel loading command, one probably can boot, but one is supposed to be able to [readily] just select from the 6 OS's in the grub boot menu "SuSE 9x" and have it go to SuSE rather than "just" grub.

It has occurred to me that at least sometimes when you install a new (gnu? :-) Linux you are given a chance to merge the config file of the bootloader of the new install with what's already there. I think this would mean that either the previous bootloader survives and selecting (in this case) SuSE would cause loading to go from the original bootloading grub to a bootloader specific to SuSE, though maybe the latter will have extra titles/ entries. In short, it may not be as risky as it seemed to try accepting the repair's setting up a bootloader. I don't have the patience at the moment to be absolutely safe & save MBR, make sure I can restore it , etc. In any case it seems one could always boot via CD to RH, where the grub install resides now, and do the root/setup path above. Then again, I may be unknowingly talking through my hat, red or no.

So I have my own stuff suggested immediately above and your material, when I next have time. By the time I get SuSE going Pro 10.5 may be out :-) :-( .