Q: Install Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn to external hard drive, Grub error 21 & 17

[v04OV8f8]

Dell d410, internal 80GB hd Windows XP, SP2
external 40GB hd
Kubuntu 7.04
Boot order: CD, USB, Internal

I booted from the CD and installed 7.04 on my external hd. After the installation completed successfully, I rebooted. Grub reported error 17, it could not find the boot partition.
So I decided to be smart and pull my internal hd and replace it with the one from my external hd. I re-installed and again the installation process finished successfully. Then I swaped the hds again and rebooted.
7.04 now booted successfully from the external hd. Then I disconnected the external hd and tried to boot from my internal hd (XP). Now Grub is reporting error 21.
I've down installations like this in the past without problems, i.e. just the week before I installed Kubuntu 6.0.4.1 LTS on an external hd and both booting from the internal hd (XP) or 6.0.4.1 from the external one worked without a glitch.
I need to get my XP back. I am dead in the water. Help please ... !
If this needs to be posted under Newbie, please let me know.

Thanks!

[jankushka]

Re: Q: Install Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn to external hard drive, Grub error 21 & 17

this might help in future:
http://supergrub.forjamari.linex.org/

for now you should be able to re-install grub in the mbr by:
a) boot off kubuntu's live cd
b) start a konsole
c) start grub (by typing "grub" and hitting return)

the commands you need are:
a) root (hdn,m)
b) setup (hdn)
c) quit

type "help root" and "help setup" in grub for an explanation of these commands.
basically, though, if you have only 1 disc, then (hdn)=(hd0) and, if your /boot (which is
grub's root directory) is in /dev/hda1, then (hdn,m)=(hd0,0)...if it's hda2, then it's hd0,1...

then reboot.
all should be back all right.

hth
cheers

[v04OV8f8]

Re: Q: Install Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn to external hard drive, Grub error 21 &

jankushka - Thanks for the tips. I tried the manual grub install but failed. Your instructions were clear and the syntax made sense, but grub reported error 23 (not able to parse number).
Anyway I used supergrub and within 5 minutes I was up and running.
Awesome!

Thanks again!

[eriefisher]

Re: Q: Install Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn to external hard drive, Grub error 21 & 17

If you put grub on the external disk only it should not interfere with the windows boot. You would only see grub when the external drive was plugged in and your system set to boot from that drive. You could add window to the /boot/grub/menu.list and have it boot your choice rather than plug and unplug everytime.

erie

[v04OV8f8]

Re: Q: Install Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn to external hard drive, Grub error 21 &

Hm ... that's exactly what I would have expected! This was not my first *ubuntu or *nix install either, so I was quite suprised. It was my first 7.04 install though and I created the partitions manually.
Weird. Anyway, now when the external is plugged in XP just boots and when the external is plugged in Kubuntu does, so all is swell.

Cheers.

[penguin.ch]

Re: Q: Install Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn to external hard drive, Grub error 21 &

Weird.

May be "yes", may be "no"

I'd rather suspect /boot/grub/device.map of contradicting /boot/grub/menu.lst (as a result of "disk juggling").