MESSAGE
| DATE | 2006-06-13 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Re: [nylug-talk] Problems with GRUB
|
Hey Vinnie
How well do you know grub? Well enough to right an article on it ??
Ruben
On Tue, Jun 13, 2006 at 03:41:21PM -0400, Vin wrote:
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>
> On Tuesday 13 June 2006 12:14 am, phantom21-at-mindspring.com wrote:
> > Windows XP Home reinstalled and works fine.
> > I've installed the following distros:
> > Fedora 5
> > Kubuntu (Dapper Drake)
> > CentOS 3
> >
> > In all cases GRUB was configured to use the MBR, the Linux system as the
> > default OS, with XP Home as the alternative choice.
> >
> > At boot, With Fedora, it flashes loading GRUB, but doesn't display the
> > menu, and goes directly to a Fedora splash screen, but freezes there. The
> > only keys it recognizes are the CTRL-ALT-DELETE (CAD) reboot command.
>
> If you want it to stop at the grub menu, then you need to add the timeout line
> to your menu.lst or increase the timeout. See my menu.lst entries below.
>
> > Kubuntu displays the GRUB menu, and highlights the primary selection, but
> > doesn't move the selection (via the arrow keys) or accept ENTER to select
> > the highlighted item. CAD works.
>
> Perhaps the link between the kernel entry in grub and the actual kernel is
> broken somehow? Or there is a problem with initrd? Some setups/kernels use
> initrd, some don't. Does yours, and is it working correctly? man initrd.
> >
> > CentOS pretty much emulates the way Kubuntu works. Display the GRUB menu
> > (much more colorful) but freezes there, except for allowing CAD.
>
> See paragraph above, same questions I think.
>
> > So, my question is, what's going on? Why is it not working. Note, I can
> > boot from CD without problems, and the system boot into Knoppix 4.0 or
> > SimplyMepis live CD, and they work completely.
> >
> > So, I think the problem lies with GRUB.
>
> I don't think so. All Grub does is tell the system where to get further info.
> You have a problem with initrd, with a link to your kernel(s), with your
> kernel(s), or something else. My menu.lst is below
>
> > Any ideas?
>
> As for going directly into fedora splash screen instead of halting at grub
> menu, make sure you have timeout line as indicated below and increase the
> number if it exists, from the 1 or 2 or 3 seconds, to a higher (9?) seconds,
> which will give you more time to decide what to boot.
>
> Another problem, one I had, was choosing which partition holds the MBR. My
> system has raid, so I had some trouble figuring out which partition to
> specify in grub to get it to work when I switched from lilo to grub, when
> installing Debian Sarge over my Suse install. Grub's numbering of partitions
> differs from lilos, and from what most people would consider normal. I don't
> remember the issue over this, but I know that it is highlighted and discussed
> on mailing lists, including submissions over this issue (numbering
> partitions) as a bug, but RMS explaining that correcting this issue is not
> simple (or more probably iirc, his explaining that the way he did it is
> correct and you are thinking wrong 8-P ). See the documentation on Grub, as
> indicated at the beginning of the menu.lst entries below. Also note that my
> system doesn't do windows, so you'll have to manually check and correct as
> necessary any Windows entries you may have or need.
>
> One more thing. Ruben's single word suggestion about lilo, while tweaking you
> (if meant that way) or just suggesting to simplify things (more likely) (lilo
> is simpler to figure out, you see which letter, l-i-l-o the boot process
> stopped on and take it from there), still provides a hint to help you (and
> his hints are usually one or two word terse answers, or quickly figuring out
> the answer on screen in person while you watch, without him saying anything
> at all, to give you a quick hint or kick in the pants, from my experience).
>
> When using lilo, if boot hangs, it hangs and on the screen, as its booting,
> spells out lilo. See which letter it stopped at, then look up an aborted
> boot at that specific letter to see what went wrong. While you aren't using
> lilo, make believe you are. Look at what each letter of lilo specifies as
> the problem, and you may have the same problem even though you aren't using
> lilo.
>
> As to accessing menu.lst, boot with knoppix disk, then access underlying
> system and edit as necessary.
>
> Debian and Mepis boot without a problem because you are booting from the CD,
> they have their own working kernel (and Mepis uses initrd iirc, don't recall
> for knoppix), so everything works correctly. You have a problem with initrd,
> you kernel, links to your kernel, a missing kernel, or something similar,
> which has nothing to do with Knoppix or Mepis.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Mark
>
> you bet,
>
> Vin.
>
> # menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
> # grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
> # grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
> # and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.
>
> ## default num
> # Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
> # the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
> #
> # You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
> # is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
> default 0
>
> ## timeout sec
> # Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default
> entry
> # (normally the first entry defined).
> timeout 5
>
> # Pretty colours
> color cyan/blue white/blue
>
> ## password ['--md5'] passwd
> # If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
> # control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
> # command 'lock'
> # e.g. password topsecret
> # password --md5 somemd5jibberishpasswordhere
> # password topsecret
>
> #
> # examples
> #
> # title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
> # root (hd0,0)
> # makeactive
> # chainloader +1
> #
> # title Linux
> # root (hd0,1)
> # kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
> #
>
> #
> # Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST
>
> ### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
> ## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
> ## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below
>
> ## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs
>
> ## ## Start Default Options ##
> ## default kernel options
> ## default kernel options for automagic boot options
> ## If you want special options for specifiv kernels use kopt_x_y_z
> ## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
> ## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
> # kopt=root=/dev/sda1 ro
>
> ## default grub root device
> ## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
> # groot=(hd0,0)
>
> ## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
> ## e.g. alternative=true
> ## alternative=false
> # alternative=true
>
> ## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
> ## e.g. lockalternative=true
> ## lockalternative=false
> # lockalternative=false
>
> ## altoption boot targets option
> ## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
> ## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
> ## altoptions=(recovery mode) single
> # altoptions=(recovery mode) single
>
> ## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
> ## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
> ## alternative kernel options
> ## e.g. howmany=all
> ## howmany=7
> # howmany=all
>
> ## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
> ## e.g. memtest86=true
> ## memtest86=false
> # memtest86=true
>
> ## ## End Default Options ##
>
> title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.11-1-k7
> root (hd0,0)
> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11-1-k7 root=/dev/sda1 ro
> initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.11-1-k7
> savedefault
> boot
>
> title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.11-1-k7 (recovery mode)
> root (hd0,0)
> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11-1-k7 root=/dev/sda1 ro single
> initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.11-1-k7
> savedefault
> boot
>
> title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.8-2-386
> root (hd0,0)
> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 root=/dev/sda1 ro
> initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-2-386
> savedefault
> boot
>
> title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.8-2-386 (recovery mode)
> root (hd0,0)
> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 root=/dev/sda1 ro single
> initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-2-386
> savedefault
> boot
>
> ### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
>
>
>
> --
> Debian Hint #23: If you want to change the module settings for Linux
> kernels in the 2.4 series (found in /etc/modules.conf, or /etc/chandev.conf
> on the s390 architecture), edit the files in /etc/modutils and run
> 'update-modules'. For Linux kernels in the 2.6 series, edit the files in
> /etc/modprobe.d instead (no additional utility is required; these are read
> directly by modprobe).
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