Error 17 - System won't boot after updating software

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi!,
I recently installed openSUSE following the instructions in your tutorial Dualboot WinXP/Opensuse 11 using grub4Dos.

Everything well and I used it for a few days.

Later, I decided to perform a software upgrade after which I was unable to boot. The system gave me the message Error 17: File Not Found.

Something during the upgrade process caused both copies of menu.lst to be updated in both c:\ and /boot/grub. The update must have happened at least twice since /boot/grub/menu.lst.old contains identical data.

Following the instructions in the Install/Boot/Login forum I entered:

find /boot/grub/stage1
	which responded with (hd1,0)
root (hd1,0)
	which responded with ext2fs 0x83
kernel /boot/vmlinuz
	which responded with [Linux-bzImage, setup=0x3000,size=0x204dc0]
initrd /boot/initrd
	which responded with [Linux-initrd@0x3f0ff000,0xx560cf5 bytes]
boot
	At which point the boot process started and I was taken to openSUSE.

Unfortunately, I do not know how to restore menu.lst so that it will once again boot directly.

Can you help me please?

I append copies of relevant directories, fstab, and both menu.lst files.

Many thanks,

George.

Directory entries for /dev/disk/by-id> ls -al usb-Maxtor_OneTouch

george@linux-4795:/dev/disk/by-id> ls -al usb*

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 2008-09-02 01:41 usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0 → …/…/sdb
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2008-09-02 01:41 usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 → …/…/sdb1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2008-09-02 01:41 usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part2 → …/…/sdb2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2008-09-02 01:41 usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part3 → …/…/sdb3

Listing of fstab

george@linux-4795:~> cat /etc/fstab

/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part3 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 / ext3 acl,user_xattr 1 1
/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part2 /home ext3 acl,user_xattr 1 2
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_TOSHIBA_MK8009G_2742S3VSS-part1 /windows/C ntfs-3g users,gid=users,fmask=133,dmask=022,locale=en_GB.UTF-8 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs noauto 0 0
debugfs /sys/kernel/debug debugfs noauto 0 0
usbfs /proc/bus/usb usbfs noauto 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts mode=0620,gid=5 0 0

Listing of /boot/grub/menu.lst

george@linux-4795:/dev/disk/by-id> sudo cat /boot/grub/menu.lst

Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Sun Aug 31 07:16:20 MYT 2008

default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd1,0)/boot/message

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.11-0.1
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 resume=/dev/sdb3 splash=silent showoptsvga=0x317
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.11-0.1-pae

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.11-0.1
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off x11failsafe vga=0x317
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.11-0.1-pae

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

Listing of c:\menu.lst

Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Wed Aug 27 08:22:39 UTC 2008

default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd1,0)/boot/message

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.5-1.1
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.5-1.1-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 resume=/dev/sdb3 splash=silent showopts vga=0x314
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.5-1.1-pae

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe – openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.5-1.1
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.5-1.1-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off x11failsafe vga=0x314
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.5-1.1-pae

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

###Don’t change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: floppy###
title Floppy
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader (hd0)+1

2

you might find some help here
Installing SuSE on External USB Drive - openSUSE

Grub4dos tutorial - Grub4Dos Wiki

3

To restore and recalculate menu.lst do this:
Go to Yast → System → Boot Loader. The Grub configuration screen comes up with the Tab “Section Management” activated. In the lower right is a drop-down selector labelled “Other”. Select from “Other” the option “Propose New Configuration” and then wait for Grub to analyse your partitions and display a new configuration. This may take a while. Important: When that finishes, activate the tab labelled “Boot Loader Installation” and select to “Boot from the Master Boot Record”. [Yast will often default to booting from the root or boot partition rather than from the MBR but that’s for experts only – always choose the MBR.] Then click Finish to save the changes and install the reconfigured Grub into the hard drive’s MBR. If you get a message that "The bootloader boot sector will be written to a floppy disk … don’t bother with the floppy – just click OK to proceed and install to the MBR. Reboot and you should be able to boot to openSUSE using the Grub menu screen.

4

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-pae root=/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part1 resume=/dev/sdb3 splash=silent

/dev/disk/by-id/usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part3 swap swap defaults 0 0

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2008-09-02 01:41 usb-Maxtor_OneTouch_2HAS00SC-0:0-part3 → …/…/sdb3

If sdb3 is swap - “file not found”

If sdb2 = / - “file found”

The instruction for GRUB must point to the partition containing the image.

Also, you can find a list of GRUB errors here GRUB Error Messages

If you really want to learn GRUB in all its glory, you could start here Illustrated Dual Boot Site Don’t be thrown off by the ubuntu label. You can do much in SUSE automatique from gui but it never hurts to learn how to “type”.

It is also a good thing if you review all updates, read all the info concerning them and decide if it is worth it. If it is not security update, but only a tweak of a package that is working fine, there is not need to update.

But, as you have discovered, nothing ever breaks in Linux because - Linux Rocks.

5

Thanks to all. Managed to get up and running again using the yast boot configurer however SUSE’s own boot screen replaced the grub4dos screen. Using the references you provided I am sure I will be able to get grub4dos running again.:slight_smile:

6

Why would you bother if multiboot is working already?

7

Why would you bother if multiboot is working already?
My thoughts exactly swerdna!

8

Thanks for your question. I find that the grub4dos menu more elegant than the large green suse menu - just a personal whim. Also, I want to understand grub.