semi-broken Grub / BCD

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I am working without a net here. All of my data, terrabyte of family photos…etc.

I had Vista running as my only OS. I installed openSuse 11.2. On the first install it failed due to bad media. I burned another DVD and installed again. This gave some strange results. GRUB comes up first with a 2 Suse options and 2 failsafe options and Windows 1 and Windows 2. The first Suse option worked for several days but now it’s saying no such partition. Windows 2 works and then brings up the Vista boot loader with the option for Vista or two Suse options. I’ve only selected Vista from here.

Basically I would like to straighten this out and only use the Vista loader. As of right now I cannot access Suse but, I am in Vista. I looked at Disk manager and all of the partitions look good so I’m guessing the problem getting to Suse is only with Grub…I hope.

Any ideas? :shame:

#2

Trouble is any info you get me from windows will be useless. So I really need you to get Parted Magic and boot it and then open a RoxTerminal and do fdisk
Downloads

fdisk -l

Post me the results. If you don’t have internet in Parted Magic, take a screenshot of it, save it to a usb or to your windows partition (you will need to mount it )
Using Parted Magic an Introduction - openSUSE Forums

==========================================

It sounds to me like you may have 2 suse installs, maybe?!

#3

I was able to get into Suse just now. It looks like Grub somehow switched from HD1 to HD0. I just edited the line and I can get into Suse. All other issues with the boot loaders remain.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4249576749_c4745df527_o.png

#4

It does look like you have a bit of a mess

Can you establish which partitions are which from sdf5,7,and 8

#5

I don’t know how. Although my root folder has 15 of 19.7GB free so I would guess it is on the 20.0 GB partition sdf7.

Carl

#6

Tried to edit the above but I guess 10 minutes is the limit. Here is the output from fdisk -l:

linux-kk8g:/home/carl # fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xeb1eeb1e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 30402 244196352 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdf: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x2f4d2f4c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdf1 * 1 21228 170505877 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdf2 21228 30401 73690124 f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sdf5 21228 21237 80293+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdf6 21238 21499 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdf7 21500 24110 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sdf8 24111 30401 50532426 83 Linux

Disk /dev/dm-0: 250.1 GB, 250059348992 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x2f4d2f4c

 Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/dm-0p1 * 1 21228 170505877 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/dm-0p2 21228 30401 73690124 f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/dm-0p5 21228 21237 80293+ 83 Linux
/dev/dm-0p6 21238 21499 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/dm-0p7 21500 24110 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/dm-0p8 24111 30401 50532426 83 Linux

Disk /dev/dm-1: 174.6 GB, 174598018048 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 21226 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x69205244

This doesn’t look like a partition table
Probably you selected the wrong device.

 Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/dm-1p1 ? 13578 119522 850995205 72 Unknown
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/dm-1p2 ? 45382 79243 271987362 74 Unknown
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/dm-1p3 ? 10499 10499 0 65 Novell Netware 386
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/dm-1p4 167628 167631 25817+ 0 Empty
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order
Warning: ignoring extra data in partition table 6
Warning: ignoring extra data in partition table 6
Warning: ignoring extra data in partition table 6
Warning: invalid flag 0x072c of partition table 6 will be corrected by w(rite)

Disk /dev/dm-2: 75.5 GB, 75458686976 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9173 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x2ff41800

 Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/dm-2p1 1 10 80293+ 83 Linux
/dev/dm-2p2 10 272 2104515 5 Extended
/dev/dm-2p5 11 272 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/dm-2p6 ? 77063 261619 1482446688+ 4 FAT16 <32M

Disk /dev/dm-3: 82 MB, 82220544 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-3 doesn’t contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-4: 2154 MB, 2154991104 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 261 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc5787cb5

Disk /dev/dm-4 doesn’t contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-5: 21.5 GB, 21476173824 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-5 doesn’t contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-6: 51.7 GB, 51745204224 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 6290 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-6 doesn’t contain a valid partition table
linux-kk8g:/home/carl # ^C
linux-kk8g:/home/carl #

#7

Taking the only part I really understand:

Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xeb1eeb1e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 30402 244196352 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdf: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x2f4d2f4c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdf1 * 1 21228 170505877 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdf2 21228 30401 73690124 f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sdf5 21228 21237 80293+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdf6 21238 21499 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdf7 21500 24110 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sdf8 24111 30401 50532426 83 Linux

sda
and it’s only partition sda1 all seems OK

sdf on the other hand not so much

Using the install DVD install again and use custom partitioning
If I were you, delete sdf8,7,6,5,
sdf2 is an extended partition it contained all those partitions you just deleted. With the SUSE partitioner create 3 logical partitions
swap 2GB
/ (root) 20GB
/home (all the remainder)

Custom Install.mpeg.rar - Windows Live

#8

Okay. I decided to tackle some of this today. I wiped out all of my linux partitions. Oops, didn’t take care of Grub first. Used Vista recovery to fix that. I’m going to install openSuse again with the recommended partitions and I plan on using Vista BCD as the boot manager. Before I do though, I need to clean up the Vista boot manager. For some reason it still lists two openSuse Install (local) options in the boot menu. How can I get rid of these? Bootrec doesn’t seem to take care of them.

Thanks,
Carl

#9

I really can’t offer much advice on Vista or easyBCD
Did you originally run the SUSE installer from within windows?

#10

IIRC I booted from the Suse DVD. The first failed due to a media problem and my bad decision to “proceed anyway”. The second, with new media, was successful. I selected Grub loader during the installation. I’ll just keep hunting for a Vista solution.

#11

Have a look at this, it’s what made me think you had run the suse dvd from within windows:
Cannot boot into Vista after openSuse 11.0 Install - openSUSE Forums

Personally I would just use grub, especially if you have a vista dvd also. If it comes to it and you need to restore vista boot record, it’s just a few mins of a job and the same with grub.