Grub..we hates it!! Yes we do!! Stuck.Again.

Visceral

Like many others, I've completed my gentoo install only to run smack into the wall of pain that is GRUB.

hda is the 40 gig hard drive Windows is on.
hdb is the 120 gig hard drive I've installed gentoo on as such:

hdb1=Boot
hdb2=Swap
Hdb3=Root

Here's my config:

default 0
timeout 30
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=My Gentoo
root (hd1,0)
kernel (hd1,0)/boot/kernel-2.4.20 root=/dev/hdb3 vga=921

initrd (hd1,0)/boot/initrd-2.4.20

title=Windows XP
root (hd0,0)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1
:evil:

So when it boots up I get the word "Grub" on the screen and then everything hangs.

Thoughts?

corsair · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 8:09 pm Post subject:

well... just a guess: shouldn't the splashimage be on hd(1,0)?

Markus

HackerBunny · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 8:47 pm Post subject:

True dat, the splash screen is installed in your Linux Boot Partition.
_________________
~I'm not using linux to be cool, I'm using it to show the people wanting to use linux that I'm cool and know their OS better then them.~

Visceral · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 8:56 pm Post subject:

Arg. Ok, so I went back in and tried to fix the splash screen line in grub, however, when I try to nano into it there is nothing there..it's blank. So I create a new grub file but when I try to save it get an error message that says the file system is read only.

I'm really about to lose it. Does this mean I must start totally over from square one?

ed0n · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 9:04 pm Post subject:

Use lilo

HackerBunny · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 9:08 pm Post subject:

Go through your mounting step first.

Then log on the chroot step.

Then fix your grub.

Kinda like sex instructions.
_________________
~I'm not using linux to be cool, I'm using it to show the people wanting to use linux that I'm cool and know their OS better then them.~

kamikaze_gerbil · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 7:41 am Post subject:

I see lots of people have grub problems but very few seem to have lilo probs. Just more people using grub? I've always used lilo and have never had problems.

HackerBunny · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 1:53 am Post subject:

The instructions say, Lilo = the tried and true Linux Bootloader. Grub is just an alternative.
_________________
~I'm not using linux to be cool, I'm using it to show the people wanting to use linux that I'm cool and know their OS better then them.~

blight01 · n00b Joined: 26 Sep 2003 Posts: 24 Location: Belgium

Hello...

I think you have to try again to reinstall a last time Grub before going definitely to Lilo... ;-)

In fact, I had the same problem than you...I have reinstalled Grub several times before I realize that I missed something in the Grub installation.

Have you first mounted your windows partition before trying to install Grub?

You have to mount your windows partition first into your /boot directory and after, under the Grub prompt, tell it where is your boot partition (i.e., where you have just mounted your windows partition...In other words, in your /boot directory). This last command can be performed by the "chroot" command. After that, you can simply type the "setup" command, which is the one needed to install effectively Grub onto your MBR.

All this stuff above can be performed only when you have booted from your CD live and you have performed these following commands (see the installation guide):

mkdir /mnt/gentoo
# mount /dev/hdd3 /mnt/gentoo
# mkdir /mnt/gentoo/boot
# mount /dev/hdd1 /mnt/gentoo/boot
# mount -t proc proc /mnt/gentoo/proc
# chroot /mnt/gentoo /bin/bash
# env-update
Regenerating /etc/ld.so.cache...
# source /etc/profile

Ciao,

Blight.

devsk · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 3:07 am Post subject:

alligator421 · Apprentice Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 191

Hi, it seems that I have exactly the same config as you.
gentoo is on hdb drive and
hdb1 = boot
hdb2 = swap
hdb3 = root

Here is my grub menu file for loading this excellent distro

cyrillic · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:03 am Post subject:

devsk · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 6:50 am Post subject:

I didn't read that one. That's a mistake! Could cost someone their precious data.

blight01 · n00b Joined: 26 Sep 2003 Posts: 24 Location: Belgium

Hi,

Of course, the "setup" must be "setup (hd0)" (MBR) and not "setup (hd0,0)" which can make unbootable the windows partition (if you have the windows partition on hda1)...That is perhaps you wanted to hear...Is that right? Because I didn't know that to mount the windows partition in the boot directory can be dangerous without installing effectively Grub with the "setup" command on the windows partition...
It becomes important to me to understand because the problem I had could appear suddenly again, like the first time. LOL

Thanks a lot,

Bye.