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**askrieger** · Sep 30, 2006, 10:42 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

As you probably know, Grub error 17 is emitted when the partition exists, but it cannot be mounted because the file system is not recognized. This is almost always due to a mixup in /boot/grub/menu.lst between grubspeak (hd0,0) and devspeak, hda1, i.e. the partitions were specified manually but incorrectly. This can also happen if the partitions were set automatically, but all the drives were not connected during installation. I can't be more specific because I don't know what your partitions look like or where your menu.lst file expects to find root.

**eekie** · Oct 01, 2006, 03:31 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

Thanks for your advice. I was already aware of the nature of the error message.
I had installed on a manually created partition. So I have now completely deleted my sata disk and allowed the installer to use the complete disk. After it formatted the disk with Ext3 (sda1) and linux swap (sda5) KDE daemon detects a new medium automatically and recognizes it as an Unmounted Harddisk Volume (sda1). This volume contains a lot of directories and files pertaining to kubuntu.
Installation gives no error messages. It installs grub on hd0. This is the disk on which the suse grub already dwells. So that should be the right place (mbr of hda)
Alas on restarting the computer the same error 17 message as before.
The mix-up of linux and grub nomenclature does not seem to apply.
Both suse and kubuntu see my ide disk as hda, de sata disk as sda and the software raid sata disks as hdb and hdc.
Bootitng assigns these disks hdo, hd2 and hd1 (hdb+hdc) respectively.
If you can't start grub there is no way to rectify errors either. To me it is quite obvious that the multiboot option of kubuntu still contains bugs.
While installing bootitng again to access the other operating systems it says: EMBR on HD2 with partitions that are different than the partitions in MBR. Please delete EMBR.

Do you have a concrete set of instructions how to get kubuntu running on my harddisk?

**askrieger** · Oct 01, 2006, 07:43 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

Do you have a concrete set of instructions how to get kubuntu running on my harddisk?

Not really, I still suspect that the error 17 message implies that Grub's notion of hd0 1 and 2 is not what you think it should be. If your Suse Grub is working properly, just add an Ubuntu stanza to the Suse /boot/grub/menu.lst file.

**eekie** · Oct 02, 2006, 08:38 AM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

O.K.
I have added a stanza to the menu.lst of the following configuration:

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title Kubuntu 6.06
kernel (hd2,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd (hd2,0)/boot/initrd

This is derived from the suse 10.1 stanza.
The partitions are correct as the partition list gives the following information
/dev/sda1 73.2GB linux native
/dev/sda2 3.1GB Extended
/dev/sda5 3.1GB Linux swap

When I try to start kubuntu now from grub menu it echos:
kernel (hd2,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent
Error 15: File not found

The kubuntu partinions are mounted in suse 10.1 (as data3* and data4*) but these directories seem to be empty.

What am I doing wrong?

**K0LO** · Oct 02, 2006, 10:52 AM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

When troubleshooting GRUB issues like this, I find it helpful to let GRUB start up, then press "c" to get to an interactive command line. I also refer to the command line reference in the manual for help in deciphering commands.

One thing that seems to be missing from your Kubuntu stanza is the line:

Code:

root (hd2,0)

If you don't have this then GRUB won't mount the filesystem therefore it won't be able to find the referenced kernel.

I suggest trying the command

Code:

root (hd2,0)

manually to see what text GRUB returns. If it indicates that it understood and mounted the filesystem, then try

Code:

find /boot/vmlinuz

to verify the location of your kernel.

Hopefully this will point you towards the solution.

**eekie** · Oct 03, 2006, 02:05 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

By trial and order in the interactive command line mode I have composed the following stanza for kubuntu:
root (hd2,0)
kernel (hd2,0)/vmlinuz root=(hd2,0)/dev/sda1 resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd (hd2,0)/initrd.img

This brings me a bit further ahead.
Now I get the kubuntu start screen with the blue progress bar.
But this is a frozen image. Nothing happens except permanent access to the harddisks.

By mounting the kubuntu partition in suse I found out that the shortcuts to vmlinuz and initrd are located in the root directory. No wonder these files can't be found! Besides the initrd shortcut is called initrd.img and it refers to a zip file of the same name but a longer extension in the boot directory. By default it unpacks to the modules directory.

I have never encountered such stubborn basic problems installing a new operating system.
How do I continue from here?

**askrieger** · Oct 03, 2006, 02:51 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

By mounting the kubuntu partition in suse I found out that the shortcuts to vmlinuz and initrd are located in the root directory. No wonder these files can't be found!

Where else would you expect them to be? I went from Mandrake, which used Lilo to Debian, and then Kubuntu, both of which put those links in /. I thought that they did it that way because that's the only directory that anyone knows about at boot time.

**eekie** · Oct 03, 2006, 02:56 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

In suse you find them in the boot directory
This is the suse stanza:
###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title SUSE Linux 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd

**K0LO** · Oct 03, 2006, 07:17 PM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

eekie:

You need to reference the kernel file and the initrd file specifically by name and path. So first look up the precise path to each file. You should find them both in /boot, and you'll also find a simlink in /.

Here is what your GRUB stanza would look like if you have the same kernel version as I do. If not, change the filenames and paths to suit:

Code:

title      Kubuntu
root      (hd2,0)
kernel    /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-27-386 root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash
initrd     /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-27-386
boot

The "resume=" kernel argument is no longer recommended or needed.

**eekie** · Oct 04, 2006, 03:04 AM

Re: installing kubuntu in multiboot messes up grub

Thanks Kolo!
I mounted the kubuntu partition in suse and found the version data in /boot.
My version is vmlinuz-2.6.15-26-amd64-k8. The same for initrd.img.
I copied your stanza in yast while substituting the version data and finally kubuntu worked!
Still I think there are basic errors in kubuntu with regard to multibooting with suse. The automatic installation either in graphic or text mode doesn't work
When I looked into the configuration file in yast it struck me that yast couples sda with hd1, hda with hd0, hdb with hd2 and hdc with hd3., where hdb and hdc are raid-0 disks.
Yet grub finds the root partion of kubuntu on hd2=sda.

Eekie

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