Hello,
I have one computer that gives curious and not so funny situations.
Just three days ago I got a curious yast message (on a working config): “according to the partitionning I can’t install grub”.
This is the same computer seen here https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=691060 a and here http://forums.opensuse.org/forums/english/get-technical-help-here/install-boot-login/467313-grub-stops-1-5-if-i-add-new-sata-drive.html.
It’s an old, very loaded computer.
Right now it have 3 HDD: 123 Gb sda with 6 partitions, sata; 80Gb sdb, one partition (linux), IDE; 150Gb sdc one (NTFS) partition.
I had a working 11.4 system with some problems (see links), solved.
I had to reinstall 12.1 (on sda3). After that the XP didn’t start anymore, but I was used to such Windows problem and do nearly never use it so let it go.
Then I had a need for a windows install (updating my tomtom map, no linux driver available). So I decoded to install W7 on the place where was XP.
No install problem, except than, of course, after this install, I couldn’t any more start linux. I booted a rescue disk, mount the 12.1 root, bind sys, dev and proc, then chroot and could access my 12.1.
I fired Yast, asked for a new grub install… and got the message in subject (“according to the partitionning I can’t install grub”). I didn’t change the partitionning… so why this message?
reboot and no grub, windows still boot alone. I decided to make a new install to force grub, using the now unused 11.4 partition (sda6). I did a minimal install. write error at the grub step, but then grub was installed and I had a menu and my new install stated. Though I had no access to root (I don’t know for sure why, I suspect I was in QWERTY keyboard when typing the root pass - but I guessed that later). Using the rescue dvd, I could access this install and change the passwd for a good and working one. I don’t know for sure if something other than what I have seen happenned to this install.
(sorry to use several messages, but I have problem whith the message delay)
I asked me this because this minimal install (yast option - 863Mo) was extremely minimal: no editor (not even vi, not pico or nano), no running yast, not even zypper!
gladfully there was rpm :-). I could mount the dvd and use rpm to intall vi, zypper and yast.
My goal was to be able to change the menu.lst to have my 12.1 as default, because this grub worked like a charm… everything boots with it: my new 12.1, the old 12.1, my main install (I use it right now - work by chaining to the old grub menu) and even windows 7…
Just to say it’s really usefull to know how to boot rescue :-))