Boot with grub, use partiition from usb disk

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hi all,

I use Suse 11.1 (32bit).
It is installed on an internal disk. I use GRUB Menu, to choose
i.e. Suse or Windows OS. Everything is fine.

For test purposes, I installed sucessfully Suse 11.2 64bit
on an external usb disk, inside a new partition.

Problem:
I would like to add an entry to menu.lst (which is installed
in the internal disk) to make SUSE 11.2 boot from a partition
from the external usb device.
After power-on the grub menu is shown (as intended).
But I get “Error 15: File not found”, if I choose the last entry.

Here is my menu.lst:

chris@linux-c4je:~> cd /boot/grub
chris@linux-c4je:/boot/grub> sudo more menu.lst
root’s password:

Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Mi Dez 2 17:34:14 CET 2009

default 0
timeout 30
##YaST - generic_mbr
gfxmenu (hd0,2)/boot/message
##YaST - activate

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.39-0.2
kernel (hd0,2)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27.39-0.2-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD753LJ_S13UJ1BS301129-part3 resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD
753LJ_S13UJ1BS301129-part2 splash=silent showopts
initrd (hd0,2)/boot/initrd-2.6.27.39-0.2-pae

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.39-0.2
kernel (hd0,2)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27.39-0.2-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD753LJ_S13UJ1BS301129-part3 showopts ide=nodma apm=off noresume n
osmp maxcpus=0 edd=off powersaved=off nohz=off highres=off processor.max_cstate=1 x11failsafe
initrd (hd0,2)/boot/initrd-2.6.27.39-0.2-pae

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: windows 1###
title XP Home Edition
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD753LJ_S13UJ1BS301129-part3 showopts ide=nodma apm=off noresume nosmp maxcpus=0 edd=off po
wersaved=off nohz=off highres=off processor.max_cstate=1 x11failsafe
initrd /boot/initrd

----> Here is the problem <<<------------

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 11.2 - 64bit
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.5-0.1-desktop root=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-SAMSUNG_SP2514N_0-0:0-part2 resume=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-SAMSUNG_SP2514N_0-0:0-p
art2 splash=silent showopts usb-storage
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.31.5-0.1-desktop

Please have a look at the last grub section.
The USB Device can’t be adressed as (hdx,x). I tried to address
the USB Device by its ID, but this does not work …

Any help is kindly expected. Thanks in advance !
Chris

#2

I think I know what your problem is, and I see that you looked at it too.
For grub, I think you HAVE to address it as (hdx, x).

Don’t know if you know this, but you can open Grub - it has it’s own shell. Hopefully someone will come along and give you an easier answer, but I’d look at the Grub shell, and see how to look at the drives from there. If I recall, you can get Grub to tell you what it “sees”.

One of the guides to creating a USB boot drive might also shed light on this.

Good luck.

#3

AFAICS that should be
root (hd2,1)
Don’t know if usb-storage is needed.

Couldn’t you better do this through Yast? I mean, first backup the /boot folder, boot with the drive connected and on, start Yast - System - bootloader configuration. See if all three installs can be detected and configured. If not, restore the original /boot and you should be fine again.