I recently purchaed a new laptop with SLED 10(spring 2007) and Ubuntu (Hardy Heron) installed on it.Yesterday while on the internet the online update showed some updates.So i let it download and install it.I think it contained some kernel update.After reboot i’m unable to login into SLED 10 both normal and failsafe mode:(.But i’m able to login to Ubuntu.I’m very much a newbie to Linux.So someone please help me solve this problem.I can’t reinstall the OS as the old one has important files in root user.Please explain steps to be followed in detail.
SLED 10(spring 2007)
Ummm…
Spring 2007 would be ref to Mandriva
SLED to: Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop
Do you have the install media for Suse?
Otherwise you should read the link giving a tutorial on the Grub bootloader
Though it was written for OpenSUSE.
You could explain to us if you know where your grub is written to eg: MBR of sda
Can we assume that it is Suse’s Bootloader you are using or could it be Ubuntu?? If you update the kernel in Suse and the bootloader is from Ubuntu and it pointed directly to the kernel rather than the menu - it will fail. In which case you simply edit the menu.lst in Ubuntu to point to the new kernel
If all else fails it should be possible to backup data from Suse using Ubuntu or a Live CD.
JopSway:
I think the bootloader is grub.I entered the command in
grub> cat /boot/grub/menu.lst.
In the bootloader the options are
1.SUSE
2.Failsafe SUSE
3.Ubuntu
4.Failsafe Ubuntu
caf4926:
I have the installation DVD.I tried Rescue System and in Installation->Other Options->Repair tried it too.
As for where it is written i have no idea unless you tell me how to find it.
So I guess you got to /boot/grub/menu.lst from Ubuntu?
Since it is SLED I’m not sure what is different from openSuse but try editing those lines you posted so they look like:
title SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1/ vga=0x314 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
title Failsafe--SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1/ vga=normal showopts ide=nodma
apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd /initrd
See if that works, if it doesn’t we can try to find the new kernel version and the menu.lst contents of the opensuse install by mounting the drive in Ubuntu, if it’s not mounted by default. Hope it’s not needed
It’s working now.Gave it as you said but didn’t know how to save the changes so just clicked boot ‘b’ after editing the changes without saving.Guess what it booted,after restart checked the cat /boot/grub/menu.lst.Nothing has changed not even the
kernel /vmlinuz
.it still is
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.16.54-0.2.8-smp
.But i dont know how it worked.
Thank you very much
C.S.Shreeram
(Is there any points system here so i can assignu big 10)
I don’t know how you got on, but you need to familiarize yourself with some basics. Your opening post makes it sound like both SLED and Ubuntu both came pre-installed. This is not common.
Anyway one had to be installed before the other, and it’s likely that the second OS to be installed is controlling grub.
And this forum, which you are most welcome to use - is for OpenSUSE - different but not unrelated to SLED.
as you’ve been told, pointing the kernel in boot to the new kernel installed. This should’ve been done automatically but it seems it failed.
If you did:
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1/ vga
and it worked too, that means SLED keeps a symlink in /vmlinuz to the newest kernel as openSuse does. This should also be updated automatically.
vmlinuz is a symlink to the real kernel filename, and initrd is a symlink to the real initrd filename. Whenever openSUSE updates the kernel, the symlinks are also updated. Therefore, in menu.lst you can always use vmlinuz instead of the full kernel file name, and initrd instead of its full filename. So . . .
title SuSE
root (hd... whatever it should be, you don't show that
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 vga=0x314 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /initrd
Wow, thanks for your solution. I have OpenSuse 1.11 as first OS and Ubuntu 8.10 as second and I had the same problem. The Suse upgrade really spoiled my week. Why isn’t this fixed? Pity I have to do this manually, but at least I can solve it now.
Thanks again.
Good. By the way, it is fixed. Look in the Update repository (Yast/Software/Online Update), IIRC the patches are “perl-bootloader” and “parted”. Of course these bugs were/are on the installation media, so using the DVD Repair only replicates if not exacerbates the problem.
Well, I did the internet installation for both Suse & Ubuntu, and I kind of expected that all existing fixes would be included that way. I will follow your advice and see what happens.
Thanks
