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**Qqmike** · Nov 04, 2007, 06:42 AM

Re: Grub acting up

During the installation of your main, latest Gutsy, where did you have the installer put GRUB?
Actually, it doesn't really matter.
I'm wondering now if re-installing GRUB would clear this up; in some way, get GRUB to see Recovery and MEPIS. I don't think any harm would be done by trying it (I do it all the time, but as the saying goes, YMMV).

As you probably know, but just to be clear about what I have in mind,

at Konsole
sudo grub
root (hd0,2)
setup (hd0)
quit
$ exit

re-boot to test it.

(By using root (hd0,2), we are using the new GRUB image files that just got installed fresh with Gutsy.)

I don't see anything wrong with your menu.lst.
I'll think about it here some more, too, and watch this, but if it were me, I'd try the re-install, *especially* if I just installed an OS and it messed up my booting like it has here with yours. Maybe the installer script did something that caused this ( ? ).

**Fintan** · Nov 04, 2007, 06:58 AM

Re: Grub acting up

Thanks mike.

I'll think about it here some more, too, and watch this, but if it were me, I'd try the re-install, *especially* if I just installed an OS and it messed up my booting like it has here with yours. Maybe the installer script did something that caused this ( ? ).

I've had grub installed to MBR and the various hd(0,x's) respectively. The main grub menu.lst is on hd(0,2). I haven't installed Grub since tribe3 and mepis has been around since 2-3 months.

If I don't find something else I'll go for a grub install.

**Qqmike** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:04 AM

Re: Grub acting up

The only thing a GRUB install might mess up is the menu.lst. However, in your case, you have all the valid boot stanza entries for the OSs (like MEPIS) that you could easily copy into any newly generated menu.lst. So the GRUB install shouldn't mess anything up. (Famous last words . . .)

**dibl** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:08 AM

Re: Grub acting up

Any changes to partitions (additions or deletions)?

**Fintan** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:17 AM

Re: Grub acting up

Nada

**Qqmike** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:32 AM

Re: Grub acting up

A bit off-beat, perhaps, but how about re-typing (& saving) the entries for Recovery and for MEPIS?
Those kernel & initrd files seem to be correct—ie, no misspellings etc.—but maybe something got corrupted, assuming the disks/partitions have not changed, and assuming the kernel & initrd files are not corrupted.

EDIT: I just had a strange experience like this in 7.04 -- copying commands I typed in OOo Writer into Konsole that didn't work right; but typing the exact same commands by hand did work! But, then, I've had some other problems with OOo , too.

**Fintan** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:42 AM

Re: Grub acting up

but maybe something got corrupted, assuming the disks/partitions have not changed, and assuming the kernel & initrd files are not corrupted.

I doubt it is a corrupted initrd file as I can boot into gutsy user, although not mepis (but it worked after the last updtate 4 days ago). I'll try that typing bit, god I hate typing

**dibl** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:50 AM

Re: Grub acting up

The last time I such troubles, when I was setting up XFS filesystems on 5 drives, I used the Super Grub Disk and using the "boot this OS" function, I would change the (hd,x) value, substituting different values for "x", and retry until it booted. That's how I found out how Grub was numbering the partitions (which wasn't what I thought they were, obviously). That's a "non-destructive" way to examine what's going on without editing anything permanently.

**Qqmike** · Nov 04, 2007, 07:52 AM

Re: Grub acting up

dibl -- exactly! I just logged on again to suggest the same: try SGD to see if it likes your files and can boot them up.

**leo123** · Nov 05, 2007, 09:07 PM

Re: Grub acting up

Hi,

I have the opposite issue. I can boot to Gusty normal user and Feisty recovery but not to Feisty normal user.

2 hard drives:

hda - Gusty
hdd - Feisty (the bootloader was loaded here and I switched it to Gusty)

Don't know what happened to cause this. The login screen comes up for Feisty and after typing in the password and pressing Enter the login screen comes back again.

menu.lst (Gusty):

## ## End Default Options ##

title Kubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=85cd5e07-6df0-4264-b2ce-fda8ce2b6d35 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

title Kubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=85cd5e07-6df0-4264-b2ce-fda8ce2b6d35 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic

title Kubuntu 7.10, memtest86+
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hdd1.
title Kubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-16-generic (on /dev/hdd1)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-16-generic root=UUID=8a1b78cd-5ce2-4880-8cfb-e2620daf84ed ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-16-generic
quiet

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hdd1.
title Kubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-16-generic (recovery mode) (on /dev/hdd1)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-16-generic root=UUID=8a1b78cd-5ce2-4880-8cfb-e2620daf84ed ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-16-generic
savedefault
boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hdd1.
title Kubuntu, memtest86+ (on /dev/hdd1)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
savedefault
boot

Any suggestions on how to correct this?

Thank you

**Fintan** · Nov 06, 2007, 03:33 AM

Re: Grub acting up

@dible&mike: thanks for the SGL idea. I tried it but still no recovery mode. although now for some reason I can boot into mepis again and I get to recovery mode on my gutsy test (the one I play with). So everything except recovery on my main install works at the moment. I guess I am to first base but not home yet.

@leo: Well it is not really the opposite because at least you get to the login screen

The login screen comes up for Feisty and after typing in the password and pressing Enter the login screen comes back again.

This sounds like a /home/usernameforfeisty issue.
Do you have /home on a separate partition and do you use different usernames for gutsy and for feisty?

**Qqmike** · Nov 06, 2007, 06:28 AM

Re: Grub acting up

Fintan, so the only change was the re-typing.

Now, you may be hesitant to "risk" re-installing GRUB, perhaps?
It couldn't goof anything up, except you might have to fix the menu.lst (and so save a backup copy of it), but even then, on just one hard drive, that probably will not happen.

Also, I realized that SGD probably would not be able to pick up the Recovery mode, but it should boot MEPIS. Did it?

--Mike

**leo123** · Nov 06, 2007, 10:09 PM

Re: Grub acting up

Fintan,

Code:

@leo: Well it is not really the opposite because at least you get to the login screen Wink

Quote
The login screen comes up for Feisty and after typing in the password and pressing Enter the login screen comes back again.

This sounds like a /home/usernameforfeisty issue.
Do you have /home on a separate partition and do you use different usernames for gutsy and for feisty?

Yes, /home is on a different partition and the same username is used for gusty and feisty. What is the correct format to add the /home partition to the gusty menu.lst?

Thank you

**Fintan** · Nov 07, 2007, 01:54 AM

Re: Grub acting up

I will venture a guess: you had feisty installed and then installed gutsy? Well, you can't use the same username for both gutsy and feisty as gutsy uses a newer version of kde. Undless you upgraded to kde.3.5.8 before installing gutsy, feisty won't be able to open kde.

My suggestion would be to boot with recovery mode and do startx at the prompt. Add a new user, delete the old user WITHOUT deleting the /home/username. Add your new user to the admin list and you should be okay. Now you can copy all of your mail, kalanders, FF settings, etc over from your old user to your new one.

Your menu.lst has nothing to do with /home.

I hope his helps

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