Reinstall Suse Bootloader into MBR

Hi Guys.
I hit Major problems, with my Suse 10.3. I have looked through different posts, and cannot find the answer.
I rarely mess up my system, even with all the experimentation I do !

I have two 250GB Hds. The First was an install of Suse 10.2. As an emergency & expansion strategy, I later installed
another 250GB HD this time a Sata.
At one stage I had an original old 20GB IDE drive which I stopped using, and eventually physically removed.
I ran Yast from the Suse10.3 install disk, and everything was fine (GRUB etc).

Recently I had noticed that my system was insisting that I was running out of space on my 20GB disk,
even though it was not attached !
I thought editing out the etc/FSTAB & the boot/grub/menu.lst references would cure this.
I backed up the FSTAB but some how not the menu.lst

I later noticed that after I had physically removed the old 20G that my BIOS was not seeing
a Primary master disk, but only a Primary slave IDE disk and a Primary SATA. I moved my IDE slave
to Master via jumpers. [Not sure if Suse ignore BIOS ?]

I have tried to run the Suse 10.3 YAST Install/repair, and even 10.2 to correct any wrong configurations.
in partitions, FStab, menu.lst, and grub etc. But no joy !
10.3 would not work. Install/RepairYAST 10.2 gets as far as "REPORT"

ERROR OCCURED WHILE INSTALLING GRUB
grub 0.97
grub>setup -- setup2=/boot/grub/stage2(hd0,1(hd0.1)
error 21:selected disk does not exist
grub>quit

While booting FSCK fails, and asks me to repair manually & reboot
then goes to commandline:
(repair filesystem)#

When I do a fdisk -l
it shows me my two disks as /dev/sda & /devsdb

When I do (repair filesystem)# fdisk -l
to see contents of disk to try and edit my root directory. It shows folders and files for
"Documents", "Desktop", user files etc. But no sign of /etc /boot /root /bin /sbin /sys /usr /tmp etc....
The folders/files in the disk containing Suse 10.2 seems intact.

I am quite lost, trying to figure this out. If I didn't have valuable work on both disks, I'd be
going format & re-install to pull me out.
I am posting this now via a Live Knoppix disk. Strangely. Knoppix thinks it can see the old removed
20GB still as well !! Weird !

This will require knowledge well beyond my own. Any ideas, would be more than appreciated. Thanks.

Mark

Dunno if this is any help, but I just got my laptop situated with Vista and openSUSE 10.3. *IF* you can use gparted or fdisk to switch the boot flag between your NTFS-based Vista partition and your openSUSE /boot partition, *AND* you can successfully boot Vista <or> boot openSUSE by switching the flag, then read on. You're almost there!

Otherwise, there are smarter people with a lot more detailed help in other posts and replies.

My disk layout looks like so (sorry about the font, but I can't seem to get alternative fonts to work for me. view it as fixed width and it'll line up fine.):

linus-three:/home/will # parted -l
Model: ATA TOSHIBA MK1637GS (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 160GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 1574MB 1573MB primary ntfs , , , , , , , , , type=27, ,
2 1579MB 68.7GB 67.1GB primary ntfs , , , , , , , , , type=07, ,
3 68.7GB 68.8GB 107MB primary ext3 boot, , , , , , , , , type=83, ,
4 68.8GB 160GB 91.2GB extended , , , , , , lba, , , type=0f, ,
5 68.8GB 72.0GB 3224MB logical , , , , , , , , , type=82, ,
6 72.0GB 74.2GB 2155MB logical ext3 , , , , , , , , , type=83, ,
7 74.2GB 160GB 85.9GB logical , , , , , lvm, , , , type=8e, ,

The first partition is some sort of Toshiba Satellite recovery partition.
The third partition on the list is the partition I created to hold the openSUSE /boot directory.
I was able to boot into Vista or GRUB->openSUSE by switching the boot flag between partition #1 and #3. I just couldn't get them to both work from the same menu/boot program.

From a high level, I did this:
(1) Used mbrfix to fix Vista's screwed up bootloader. My original try at installing openSUSE overwrote the Vista-specific MBR, and as far as I can tell, Vista just won't boot unless its very own Vista-only bootloader is in place. ( see http://www.sysint.no/nedlasting/mbrfix.htm ... the download's free)

(2) Used gparted live cd to set the "Boot" flag to my openSUSE linux /boot partition. That's the third one on the list above.

(3) Edited the /boot/grub/menu.lst to to crank up Vista and openSUSE. THAT is where I was stuck, even when tinkering with easyBCD running under Vista. I could get Vista to boot if the first partition on the drive was flagged as "boot", but Vista's boot loader couldn't make openSUSE start correctly. It kept complaining about a corrupted windows partition.

My /boot/grub/menu.lst looks like so:

<blockquote>[font=Fixedsys]# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Thu Feb 7 20:36:52 EST 2008
default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd0,2)/message
##YaST - activate

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 10.3 - 2.6.22.16-0.2
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.22.16-0.2-default root=/dev/sda6 vga=0x314 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /initrd-2.6.22.16-0.2-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- openSUSE 10.3 - 2.6.22.16-0.2
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.22.16-0.2-default root=/dev/sda6 vga=normal showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume edd=off 3
initrd /initrd-2.6.22.16-0.2-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: windows###
title Windows Vista
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
[font=Arial]</blockquote>

What did I keep doing wrong? I kept insisting that the partition where my C: drive was situated was really the one from which I wanted to boot Vista. My C: drive is the SECOND one on the list, not the first one. The rootnoverify I kept trying said (hd0,1) [my C: drive], not (hd0,0), the first partition on the physical disk.

GRUB now handles the dual boot, but to start Vista, it must hand you off to the Vista boot loader. If I select "Vista" from GRUB, I'm sent to the Vista boot loader, which has one entry, namely Vista. Hit <return>, and Vista wakes up fine, and none the wiser about linux.

i installed opensuse 10.3 in a IDE 40gb hdd, and i already had xp installed in another sata 80hdd, opensuse runs just fine, my problem is with xp, never got it to load, it just show me:

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1

i unpluged the ide drive (xp install drive), and xp works fine, so i think, its de boot loader, i want to keep xp for the other people in my house. i am new to linux, this is my firts intall with a linux os, i hope some can help me, thanks in advance...

and sorry about the english

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1
[/b]

Just a guess, but if the drive with XP boots when it's the only drive on the computer, try putting both drives back in, and change the GRUB menu.lst entry like so:

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

If that doesn't fly, try "rootnoverify (hd1,1)". Since I don't know your partition layout on the XP drive, I'm just guessing, but if XP's the only thing on the drive, then it's probably in the first partition on that drive (partitions number from zero).

I'm also guessing about which partition on each of the drives has its boot flag set, but if each drive boots as expected when it's the only drive on the system, then the boot flags are probably correct.

After installing openSUSE on my laptop (which also has XP installed), my windows no longer would load. "Windows" showed up on the bootloader but when I selected it an error message popped up saying "NTLDR is missing". So I tried restoring the previous bootloader through yast using the "Restore MBR of Hard Disk" option. After rebooting the MBR appeared exactly as before (still the openSUSE bootloader). I tried it again but the same thing happened. So then I tried using the Windows boot CD to fix it using the "fixmbr" command. This didn't change anything. I tried experimenting with the options for the yast bootloader (I think I deselected the yast bootloader or uninstalled it). Now I still get the openSUSE bootloader prompt, but when I select openSUSE it says there was an "Error 15: File not found".

So now I can't start either operating system. I did try and use the openSUSE CD, specifically the "Rescue System" option. I didn't see any commands to help me though, especially since I don't know what I'm looking for.

Windows is more important to me, and if I can't get a solution soon I will give up on openSUSE and reinstall Windows, overwriting both operating systems. But I was hoping I could save everything I've got for both operating systems since the files on both partitions should be fine.

Thanks for the help.

Hi I need help i'm trying suse so i download today the dvd from the webpage and copy it do a dvd.. when i'm on winxp and i insert the dvd it load and ask me if i want to install it.. boot when i try to boot my pc from the dvd so i can install it on a different partition it wont boot from the dvd.. what i'm doing wrong.. is the dvd bad??? it is not de bios setting because i have it set to boot from cdrom!!! please!!!

Hi I need help i'm trying suse so i download today the dvd from the webpage and copy it do a dvd.. when i'm on winxp and i insert the dvd it load and ask me if i want to install it.. boot when i try to boot my pc from the dvd so i can install it on a different partition it wont boot from the dvd.. what i'm doing wrong.. is the dvd bad??? it is not de bios setting because i have it set to boot from cdrom!!! please!!!
[/b]

I would think it's the dvd problem. These problems were common since the 10.1 versions. Even me was'nt spared by this trouble. It is my best wish that with the new version coming(suse 11)
the cd and dvd will be as good as in the suse 9 versions.

Hello i am Running Windows Vista Ultimate its a HP laptop with two Harddrives. I have had SuSE 10.3 installed on the other Harddisk but the problem is that when i use GRUB i get a grub error 22. So i got this program called Super Grub to try to fix it. That did nothing, i just had it start up vista again. So now i am trying to reinstall it using Grub or LILO. Also in my Bios i can NOT pick to boot from the harddrive that SuSE in on. The only Harddrive thats on there is Vista one.

Now the other question is, Would i want to put Grub or LILO on Master Boot Record of /Dev/sda(vista) or on the Boot Sector partition /dev/sdb2(linux Home) or even on Other?

I would love to have SuSE work on my computer and to be able to switch from one OS to another with out having to mess with a CD.

I have 2 hd's: disk 1 has vista, disk 2 has xp and opensuse 10.3. XP was installed last. I got back the grub bootloader via grub from the livecd, but now xp won't boot (never got vista running either). In xp i get NTLDR missing. my xp menu.lst and fdisk as follows:

title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1

Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
38 heads, 36 sectors/track, 456975 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1368 * 512 = 700416 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000001

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2 456974 312568832 7 HPFS/NTFS (VISTA)

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000a9afe

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 7833 62918541 7 HPFS/NTFS (XP)
/dev/sdb2 * 7834 13055 41945715 83 Linux
/dev/sdb3 13056 28721 125837145 83 Linux
/dev/sdb4 30027 30401 3012187+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
[/size]


I tried all possible combos of rootnoverify( hd0,1) and chainloader(hd0,0)+1, replacing with all combos of 0,0, 1,1 etc, but none works. any ideas? i'd ideally like both xp and vista running. I will eventually get rid of vista when i'm sure i don't need it. i need xp for some old dos programs and one other program that won't run under wine.

can the forum change the font size? i have trouble reading such small fonts.