Online update corrupts Grub

English Install/Boot/Login
1

This morning, I clicked INSTALL in online update in Suse 11.1 without looking at exactly what it would be updating (kernel perhaps?). Everything went fine and when it finished it gave a popup that said: REBOOT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. So, I rebooted and now it hangs at Grub. The Grub menu options were changed to the following 10 options:

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openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(pae)
Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(pae)
openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(pae)
Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(pae)
openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(part3)
Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(part3)
openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.7-9
openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.18-0.2
Windows Vista
Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1
########################################

There should only be 4 options for openSUSE 11.1, openSUSE 11.0, Windows Vista, and Failsafe – openSUSE 11.1. I’m not sure where the first 6 options came from.

The default now is the 5th one (openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(part3)).

The only 2 options that work are Vista and openSUSE 11.0 (before you ask, when I upgraded from 11.0 to 11.1, I put a clean install of 11.1 in a new partition, so I could easily revert back to 11.0 if I wanted. I never use the 11.0 partition anymore, but I did check and am able to boot into it, just as I can still boot into Vista)

When I select any of the 11.1 options, I get the following error:

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Booting ‘openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.19-3.2(part3)’

kernel resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_SP1604N_S013J20X827976-part1 splash=silent vga=0x317

Error1: Filename must be either an absolute pathname or blocklist

Press any key to continue…
##################################

When I press a key, it takes me back to the grub menu with the same 10 options.

I assume the data is intact and that this is just a Grub problem. Any ideas on what to do? I don’t know what I’m doing, so if you have an idea, please be specific with step-by-step instructions, or I probably won’t understand what you mean.

Thank you in advance.

2

Seems to be a wrecked Grub. Try this:

Assisted Boot into openSUSE: Insert Suse’s installation DVD and reboot the computer. On the boot screen choose to “Repair Installed System”. On the page titled “Repair Method”, select “Expert Tools”. Then click option “Install New Boot Loader”. Select the partition where you installed Suse (if asked). You’ll get the Grub GUI setup screen. Check under the Tab “Boot Loader Installation” that the checkmark is in “Boot from Master Boot Record” and remove any other checkmarks. Click “Finish”. Wait for message “The boot loader was installed successfully”. Click OK → Next → Finish. Ignore any error messages and reboot. That should install an elementary Grub and allow you to boot to openSUSE.

That Grub won’t have vista included, so do that next. It’s too much to put here, so if the above gets you back to openSUSE, look here for the following steps:
GRUB Boot Multiboot openSUSE Windows (2000, XP, Vista) using the Grub bootloader.

3

swerdna,

Absolutely PERFECT. I can’t thank you enough.

You provided the step-by-step instructions I needed to get through it in exactly the right amount of detail. I never would have figured that out on my own.

The only problem now is that Grub doesn’t include the options for Vista, or Suse 11.0, exactly as you predicted. I haven’t made the changes to bring Vista back, but if I run into any trouble, I now know who to ask for help.

Thanks again!

lrnck

4

Glad for you.