I am an amateur at this. I have my disk partitioned with opensuse 11.2 and Ubuntu9.10. I downloaded konquerer and was playing with it when my computer froze. I tried to restart it and it won’t restart in opensuse. the screen says
error:you need to load the kernel first
Press any key to continue
When I do it brings back to the opening screen. The only way I can get on the computer is if i go to Ubuntu.
How did you install openSUSE? With a CD or DVD?
And who’s grub are you using Ubuntu or SUSE
I installed with a dvd and I’m not sure whose grub I’m using. I first installed suse and then i installed Ubuntu with a cd that partioned the hard drive.
You will have ubuntu grub then, which is grub2
The suse dvd has a repair feature. But you may loose ubuntu in the process - as I think you don’t really understand how it all works! I don’t mean it will delete ubuntu. But it will probably install the suse grub and we may have to edit things after to get your ubuntu option back.
thanks, but right now I’m in the middle of my second semester and I don’t have the time to learn this. After the semester is done I will try to fix it and put my posts back on the board. Again thanks so much.
No worries. Take care:)
Hello there, I can see this is an old post but I have just experienced the same problem. Last night there was an update of the kernel and this morning when I boot it gave me the same error message as quoted earlier in the thread (that you have to load the kernel first).
Just like the other person, I have SUSE and Ubuntu, with Ubuntu being the second system and supposedly using its grub.
I can imagine that the boot is not possible since the grub has not registered the change in the suse kernel, thus not being able to load the kernel.
If indeed that is the matter, I have two questions:
-how to find what was the kernal that i installed last night?
-how to modify the grub in order to link to the correct kernel for suse?
Any help will be appreciated.
Cheers
hehe, now I see that it is not an old post at all :))
I was looking at the join date of the users, silly me.
So the problems seems to be rather common then 
@zinaf
The issue here was related to grub 2 from another distro
Your issue is related to a kernel update that has broken your grub or perhaps it’s that your new kernel didn’t install properly. Ideally you need the install dvd to repair this.
Hello everyone, I found a solution to my particular issue.
I can confirm that the problem consists of Ubuntu’s grub2 not reflecting the change in suse’s grub file.
The solution is extremely simple. The objective is to reflect the new kernel version in grub.cfg and to point to the correct initiation file for suse. Here is what you have to do:
sudo update-grub
it is as simple as that - no manual changes to the files, nothing. The annoying thing is that one has to do this each time there is a kernel update for suse. Perhaps once suse rolls out grub2 the problem will disappear.
Good luck everyone.
z.
I had the same problem with my OS11.2 after a suggested update.
I have used zinaf’s (PuzzledPenguin) advice and it worked straight away! How very helpful!
Thank you very much, I was about to re-install it.
Yay! Thankyou. 
I too have openSUSE 12.1, Win7, Mint 12 Cinnamon and Mint 12 KDE installed and am using Mint 12 KDE boot loader.
After a recent update I could no longed log into my usual desktop (I use openSUSE daily).
Thanks again for this poke in the ribs as I kinda already knew this but forgot in the panic of the moment.