[SOLVED] Can't Boot an OS: Grub Restore Prompt

[dibl]

Re: Can't Boot an OS: Grub Restore Prompt

I suspect, rather than linux "hating" your drive this is a bios related issue.

I was thinking that too. I'm also wondering, are any IDE drives involved in this adventure? Because on my Intel mobo, I learned that it is absolutely not possible to install (during *buntu installation via ubiquity) Grub on a SATA drive if an IDE drive is also connected to the mobo.

Also, I see I made a mistake yesterday in my guidance on installing Grub (been setting up USB sticks to boot an ISO and forgot the difference). The final command should have been

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/BDRIVE/boot/grub /dev/sda

Sorry about that -- it could have led you wrong.

[notyourbuddy]

Re: Can't Boot an OS: Grub Restore Prompt

This leaves you with two bootable drives - one Windows, one Grub. Then either change the bios boot order to boot to the grub drive or switch cables so it boots first. Then if grub won't play nice booting directly to your Windows install partition, simply "chainload" to the other drive's MBR and boot that way.

I suspect, rather than linux "hating" your drive this is a bios related issue.

Here is a log of today's funtastic adventures

1) Plugged 2nd drive back in.

2) Installed grub loader to 2nd drive pointing to linux partition on the 1st
   a) sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/media/linux/boot /dev/sdb

3) Restart = auto boot into windows (expected)

4) Restart into bios... no way to select 2nd drive as boot. Ugg... didn't feel like swapping the drives at this point so exited back in Windows

5) Someone mentioned BIOS possibly being an issue so while in Windows 
   decided to update the BIOS in hopes it would give me the option to boot
   from the second drive, but it didn't.  Both my drives are IDE so i guess 
   ribbon swap is the only way in this kind of setup? (i have very little 
   experience fiddling with drives and boot up procedures)

6) Decided therefore trying the chain load suggestion would be best.
   a) Linux Live CD boot.
   b) Copied first 512 bytes off of drive 2 (sdb) and put file alongside the boot.ini on drive 1
     - sudo dd if=/dev/sdb of=/media/winxp/linux.mbr bs=512 count=1
   c) Added c:\linux.mbr="grub" to boot.ini

7) Restart = NTLDR showed Windows and Grub option. Both worked! Was able to boot into Kubuntu from GRUB.

8) NTLDR => GRUB => KUBUNTU was an ugly extra step so back into Live CD, crossed my fingers, and tried writing grub boot loader to first drive again.
  8a) sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/media/linux/boot /dev/sda

9) Restart - GRUB shows up like it was supposed to all along. Linux and Windows options both worked.

Wow.. everything works... the nightmare has finally ended?!!!! 8)

So hmm... errr.... uh...I guess, odds are, all this hell was the result of an out-of-date BIOS? I can't be 100% sure what the BIOS revision was before I updated as my dog was distracting me. WHY DOG WHY!!! But I kinda think it was revision A05 and is now A08. I'm not knowledgeable on the BIOS, but whats the deal... could it not recognize a ext3 formatted partition or something? (note: this computer is probably ~10-ish years old. Dell Dimension 4550 service tag: 10H1121)

P.S. Thanks for all the suggestions.... kept me from otherwise giving up.

[dibl]

Re: Can't Boot an OS: Grub Restore Prompt

Wow.. everything works... the nightmare has finally ended?!!!! 8)

Yay! That's what it's all about! 8)

[oshunluvr]

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Boot an OS: Grub Restore Prompt

Great! BIOS issues can be buggers to figure out. Glad the dog didn't knock the power cord out!