Okay I am totally NEW and totally LOST in the biggest way. I loaded Ubuntu on my 2nd internal hard dive in my HP Notebook. See my 'fdisk -l' below:

root@ubuntu:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xdbb8555d

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13297 106808121 42 SFS
/dev/sda2 13298 14594 10411647+ 42 SFS


Disk /dev/sdb: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3042211a

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 13995 112414806 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 13996 14593 4803435 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 13996 14593 4803403+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

root@ubuntu:~#


Everything was working fine after install of Ubuntu. I rebooted into Ubuntu many times – no problems. Then I reboot and went into Windows Visa (which is on my first harddirve) for the first time since I installed Ubuntu. Vista booted right up – no problem.

I then shutdown Vista and my notebook rebooted. I get the POST then I see 'GRUB loading....' and then, my notebook reboots. It is stuck in a continual reboot.

Obviously Vista rewrote the MBR and now GRUB will not load properly.

Furthermore I have tried to reinstall GRUB but not sure what I'm doing. When I run the command below It says STAGE1 not found.

grub> find /boot/grub/stage1

Error 15: File not found

grub>



I also tried this:

# grub-install --root-directory=/boot /dev/sda
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
Could not find device for /boot/boot: Not found or not a block device.
root@ubuntu:~#


Please help me. I really need to get my notebook running for work and I have tried and read everything and I am totally lost.

Thanks,
Greg

What happens when you try grub-install /dev/sda

# grub-install /dev/sda
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
Could not find device for /boot: Not found or not a block device.
root@ubuntu:~#


I am so screwed if I can't get this working. thanks for trying to help me.

Can you boot UBUNTU from the install media ?
And if remember it well also a option repair a installed version ore something like that
There is a option boot from hard drive

No. I select that option and its says,

Booting from First Hard Drive....
GRUB Loading.....


Then it reboots.

I'm so pissed!

thanks again for continuing to try and help me.

try this
#grub
grub> root (hd1,0)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit

Okay I couldn't wait any longer. So I reinstalled Ubuntu and now Grub works. I get a menu on bootup to select Ubuntu, Memory Test, or Window's Vista.

I currently am using Ubuntu and plan on switching to it from vista. However, I really need help with figuring out GRUB.

Can some help me get all the details of GRUB now that my system is working?

I ask because as soon as I boot into Vista, I know GRUB will go into a continual REBOOT because Vista will screw it up.

This way I will have all the details I need and with some of your help I will eventually understand how to reinstall GRUB correctly and fix this problem with Vista rewriting the MBR once and for all.

thanks and please let me know what commands I need to type in order to reinstall GRUB correctly.

Oddly, I have searched for a menu.lst and a grub.cfg and cannot find them anywhere except in the "example" directory of GRUB.

Greg
Sarastoa, FL

In you're original post you mention UBUNTU , which version of UBUNTU are we exactly talking about.
UBUNTU 9.10 uses GRUB2
The older version use GRUB1
The syntax is totally different.
Some people said that GRUB2 is not yet totally stable .
True or not we first neat to know which version you are using
GRUB1 uses menu.lst you can find it /grub/boot/
GRUB2 uses grub.cfg you can find it /boot/grub/
Depending on the GRUB version you use you need one of this files , if you mist it it won't work

Hello Ronlau9,

I can't thank you enough for helping me and for your time. I really need to boot into Vista but I'm very afraid to do so because I don't want to have a computer that is stuck again in a continual reboot.

To answer your Q's I am running Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Kola.

I must be running GRUB2 because I only have a '/boot/grub' folder and inside the folder is 'grub.cfg'.

k now that we have that, do you want me to email you or post the contents of the grub.cfg file?

thanks again so much,

Greg

My grub is already customize to my needs beside that it is booting 6 different Os so it a hell of list
It might a good idea to visit http://gnu.org/software/grub/

Hey RazorV. I've been having the same problem, and apparently Vista rewrites the MBR every time it boots. I still haven't found a way to keep Vista from screwing things up, but I already have the process down to fix the mbr every time this happens.

Try using this process: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2#Recover Grub 2 via LiveCD

It works for me...

1 members found this post helpful.

OMG finially someone that can help me. What a Godsend! I am so darn scared to boot into my Vista Partition using GRUB because I know Vista will render my computer useless due to Vista RW'ing the MRB.

When I have some time, i will probaby try this.

Let me ask, do you have 1 or 2 drives in your computer? My notebook (an HP dv9500 series) has 2 HD in it. so I'm wondering if this procedure will work. I'm sure it will if I can map out the details correctly.

I'm so new to Ubuntu that sometimes I get confused as to the hardware device names.

I'm glad it worked for you.

Cheers and hope to hear back.

Greg

Wow, i just read those instructions in the link that pepe_le_piu sent and have some questions becuase I have no clue the exact commands to run re: my fdisk output.

Below is my Fdisk output:

gheidt@ghUbuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for gheidt:

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xdbb8555d

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13297 106808121 42 SFS
/dev/sda2 13298 14594 10411647+ 42 SFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3042211a

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 13995 112414806 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 13996 14593 4803435 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 13996 14593 4803403+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
gheidt@ghUbuntu:~$


Vista is on /dev/sda1 and obviously linux is on /dev/sdb1. Two seperate harddrives.


So in response to this statement in the instructions:

* Now, you need to remember which device listed is your linux distribution, for reference, /dev/sda1 will be used. Now we need to mount the filesystem to /mnt

$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt"


What would I type?



Then, the instructions say:
* Now mount the rest of your devices

$ sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev


What other devices would I mount according to my fdisk output above?



And lastly, the instructions say:

* Now you need to edit the /etc/default/grub file to fit your system

$ nano /etc/default/grub

I have no idea what to edit in the /etc/default/grub file?!? Below is my file:

# If you change this file, run 'update-grub' afterwards to update
# /boot/grub/grub.cfg.

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
#GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)
#GRUB_TERMINAL=console

# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
#GRUB_GFXMODE=640x480

# Uncomment if you don't want GRUB to pass "root=UUID=xxx" parameter to Linux
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true

# Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entrys
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_RECOVERY="true"


Not sure what to put in there.



Can anyone help out a truly novice newbie? I do apologize for the questions, but really appreciate any help. I am forced to use Ubuntu and I don't dare boot in to vista due to it rewriting the MBR. I really haven't needed to truly boot Vista, but i do have things in Adobe Indesign that i need to get to. And in Sarasota, I need to get to the MLS site to look up properties and it only works with the newest version of IE.

Other than that I find Ubuntu so much nicer and quicker than windows. I really love it and I do like all the folks that are trying to help me out. Thanks so much again!

thanks to all,
Greg

What you posted is that really you're GRUB.CFG ?

Here is another way to reinstall grub2 from the Ubuntu 9.10 live CD without having to chroot into your installed system:
http://members.iinet.net/~herman546/...B_from_Live_CD
That site has lots of good info on grub2:
http://members.iinet.net/~herman546/p20.html
I have not heard of Vista rewriting the MBR every time it boots before. Do you have some antivirus program or security app installed in Vista that protects the MBR or something like that?