Grub load fail

**mingus725** · 27-Jul-2008, 08:47

Try this: In YaST Boot Loader under the Boot Loader Installation tab, install grub to the "root partition" boot sector. In that same dialog window, go to Options and check the box for "Write Generic Boot Code to MBR". Make sure the "Set active flag" is also checked. Generic master boot code will chain to the active partition boot sector, which will in turn call grub stage2 (this is the Windows "chain load" method, as opposed to having grub stage1 in the MBR which loads stage2, i.e., the "direct" method).

On a different tack, and just on a hunch, is it possible at all that after the upgrade your system starting seeing the SATA drive as the first drive and the IDE as the second? Take a look at your /etc/fstab - if it is mounting by "device ID" (the new default method which identifies drives by serial number) rather than "device name" (i.e., "/dev/sdb"), the order could have been changed without noticeable effect (except in grub where only device-name is used, which would then fail).

**JopSway** · 27-Jul-2008, 10:31

And check the jumpers for the IDE and the DVD (if any), just in case.

**mingus725** · 27-Jul-2008, 12:13

Originally Posted by JopSway

And check the jumpers for the IDE and the DVD (if any), just in case.

And double-check your disk bios settings, too. With your drive, you probably have an LBA or equiv setting needed.

Unfortunately, we can't be certain exactly how the DVD is doing the boot hand-off. I installed 11.0 on an empty disk, installing grub on the newly created root partition's boot sector and marking it active, instead of installing grub in the MBR. Worked fine; the generic MBR code which is placed there during partitioning chained to the partition boot sector. The DVD appeared to call the master boot code rather than going directly to the boot sector - when I zeroed out the master boot code in the MBR, the DVD hand-off failed. It may be that the DVD is not chain loading from the MBR but may be using an element in the partition table (which is what the master boot code does) or other logic to get to the boot sector. In other words, the DVD is using the MBR but possibly doing so differently than the master boot code does. We just don't know.

If you cannot find anything amiss, and the above suggestion re using the generic boot code + partition boot sector doesn't work either, I would try installing lilo. You don't have a complicated, multi-booting, changing setup - hence, lilo should do fine. Unlike grub, lilo does not use a pointer and an external loader; everything needed is embedded in the boot record. I've seen lilo work where grub would not, with no one knowing the reason why. Before switching, be sure to back up your existing MBR twice, one from YaST and the other from a terminal as root, thus:

Code:

#dd if=/dev/sd<x> of=/home/<user>/sd<x>.mbr bs=512 count=1

Because, the MBR contains the partition table, and if that gets borked, nothing will boot the drive. I would also create a grub boot floppy (if you have a floppy drive), very handy.

**ksurf1** · 27-Jul-2008, 16:39

Ok Mingus725,
you hit something here...

I installed GRUB from YAST using your method (flag and generic method) and 1) Grub still did not load and 2) I could not boot from the DVD / harddrive option !

Then I remembered that I had altered the menu.lst and device.map for the one disk test ! So I went back using the repair option from the DVD, mounted my root partition and edited my device.map and menu.lst to set them as they were when it worked. I re-installed grub.

But now, without the DVD, grub does not load: sits at "GRUB Loading stage2" and with the DVD, it is not booting using the harddrive option anymore ! I am using my portable MAC to write this !

Bottom line:
- chain loading the loading sequences did something that affected my system a great deal
- but I cannot boot whatsoever now !

How can I fix the grub from the repair console ?

**ksurf1** · 27-Jul-2008, 17:17

Ok, I think having bad menu.lst and device.map files caused the issue. I repaired my system using the DVD. It found errors in GRUB, I managed to repair it and it booted again (with the DVD inside as usual). Then I went in YAST/Boot loader and forced the set flag and chaining options. I booted again: no change from before. It does only boot with the DVD inside.

Hargh ! I am getting frustrated even more ! At least my system works.

I am back to square 1 Mingus725 !

**mingus725** · 27-Jul-2008, 20:08

How can I fix the grub from the repair console?

Once again, first and foremost, please make a backup of the MBR as described above. Even if the boot code is not working, the MBR still holds the partition table! By far the easiest fix when you got into the un-bootable situation above, would have been to just restore the MBR with dd. Murphy's Law is real - so have a second MBR backup on separate media (like a floppy) as well as backup boot media (another plug here for making a boot floppy!).

I think at this point I would give lilo a try.

**hellesangel** · 28-Jul-2008, 09:10

This may help you: SuperGrub boot disk and if you haven't made one already then do so ASAP. This allows me to now easily recover my similarly not booting dual hard disk 10.0/11.0 computer to at least get the SuSE 10.0 system going.

I'm still no nearer finding a solution either and if you weren't similarly stuck I'd be thinking my second disk was defect.

**ksurf1** · 28-Jul-2008, 17:56

Thanks guys, but as I said, I am back to square ONE. I can ONLY boot using the DVD and say "Boot from Harddrive". And it works ! But if I boot with no disk inside, it sits at "GRUB Loading stage 1.5.". Weird ...

If tests fails and I cannot boot, I can always use the repair option from the DVD and not worry about the MBR.

I don't want to put too much energy in this. If you guys have an idea, I will be glad to test it.

But for me the 11.0 is worse than 10.3. Period.

**TheSuSeGuy** · 28-Jul-2008, 18:19

I also have SATA drives and Grub would not 'get it right'. I tried multiple times to no avail. Finally I tried Lilo instead - and no problem. Personally I think Grub has trouble with some SATA drive setups.

Like Mingus725 suggests, try using Lilo instead. It worked for me. Good luck!

**ksurf1** · 28-Jul-2008, 21:57

Ok guys, I made it !

This was the working combination for me:
1) specify in the BIOS as the 1st bootable disk, the one that does NOT have the boot partirion (!). In my case /dev/sda
2) install LILO with in the loader options the /dev/sda disk as the top one in the list
3) install the GENERIC code in the MBR and activate the boot partition

And it boots with no problem ! Unreal.

I tried all the GRUB configurations !

One weird thing: I installed LILO having my /dev/sdb drive as primary boot drive in the BIOS and at boot it would see the GRUB information ! So i tried to force grub to be install on the MBR of my sda drive but it wouldn't boot either.

So in the end, I think the boot loader needs to be installed in the MBR of the 1st disk (/dev/sda) regardless where my OS resides. That is very twisted. It may be some food for future GRUB or LILO releases.

Cheers All, thanks for your help. Much appreciated. I almost gave up.