Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

[calibre97]

I have System Commander and the following setup:
/dev/sda1 30GB primary partition for XP MCE SP2
44GB Extended partition with following in order:
/dev/sda5 11.8GB NTFS data partition
/dev/sda6 10.2 GB openSUSE partition (GRUB installed to partition)
/dev/sda7 12.8GB Kubuntu partition (GRUB installed to partition)
/dev/sda8 2.4GB SWAP partition shared by Kubuntu and openSUSE

Here's the deal. The openSUSE partition was 20GB but I shrank it and moved the extra space to after the Kubuntu partition and before the swap because I'm going to increase the Kubuntu partition size. I haven't yet because I wanted to make sure the shrinking and moving didn't break anything. It did. I can boot to XP from System Commander. I can boot to Kubuntu from System Commander. But when I select openSUSE, I get:


System Commander 9
[splash screen of stuff]

GRUB _

and that's it. No error. Nothing. I figure that the shrinking of the partition fubar'd the GRUB there but when I boot into Kubuntu and look in /boot/grub/menu.lst, everything appears to be in order.

Now I'm afraid to try to add that free space to Kubuntu because the same thing might happen. Is my solution as simple as rebooting with the SuperGrub disc and reinstalling GRUB to /dev/sda6?

[Qqmike]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

My guess is like your guess: Something might be messed up in the boot sector of SuSe.
I haven't used System Commander. I'm assuming it is a boot manager that boots OSs by chainloading (passing control to the OS's bootloader located in that OS's boot sector).
So, yes, try that—it won't hurt: Reinstall GRUB to SuSe's boot sector (to the SuSe partition). (Be careful not to install GRUB to the MBR of the drive if that's not what you want.)

In GRUB terms, the re-install would be:
grub> root (hdx,y)
grub> setup (hdx,y)
grub> quit
$ exit
re-boot to test it
Done from a live CD (or even possibly from the Kubuntu partition).
Where: (hdx,y) is GRUB notation for the SuSe partition.
You can use
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
to locate GRUB installations to figure out the (hdx,y).
(usually, sda6 = (hd0,5))

=> try it first with Super Grub Disk.

[calibre97]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Rut roh raggy.

I booted with System Rescue Disk and in the terminal I type grub to get a prompt:
grub>
then
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
(hd0,6)
**Yes, that's correct. That's the Kubuntu partition.
grub> root (hd0,5)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
grub> setup (hd0,5)
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists...no
Checking if "/grub/stage1" exists...no
Error 2: Bad file or directory type
grub>


I don't think we're in openSUSE Kansas anymore. Wow. WTF? How did resizing the partition warp it sooooo badly? Luckily I have a semi-recent backup done with Ghost 14 when booted into XP so I'll restore that and see what happens. This is not good.

[Qqmike]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

GParted will show you your "new" partition layout.
(not the first time I've seen this happen ... )

[calibre97]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Not sure what you mean. The layout is the same except now there's empty space between the Kubuntu partition /dev/hda7 and the swap space. The openSUSE partition, /dev/hda6, just shrank.

[Snowhog]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

How did resizing the partition warp it sooooo badly?

Your stated "The openSUSE partition was 20GB but I shrank it and moved the extra space to after the Kubuntu partition and before the swap..." in your initial post, I think, points to the problem you created.

"I shrank it ..." Shrinking a partition (or growing it for that matter) is always from the 'end of the partition.' The resulting 'unallocated space' created by this act can't be moved (how does one copy (how one 'moves' a partition) nothing? So, I don't see how you could have moved this unallocated space 'to the end' of your Kubuntu partition.

[Qqmike]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Does SuSe not use GRUB?
Back to Reply #1, (hdx,y) should be the SuSe partition.
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
should return all partitions where GRUB files are located (= SuSe and Kubuntu).


Back to the OP:
"Is my solution as simple as rebooting with the SuperGrub disc and reinstalling GRUB to /dev/sda6?"

At least in theory, that also is an option (if it will go => if you can identify the SuSe partition while in SGD).

[calibre97]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Snowhog: semantics. What I meant was I moved the Kubuntu partition. Of course you can't move the free space. The end result is the same: openSUSE partition smaller, and now there's free space between Kubuntu and swap.

Qqmike: The only stage1 GRUB finds is Kubuntu's. There doesn't appear to be anything for the openSUSE partition anymore. It's gone.

I think I can identify the openSUSE partition from SGD. The command is just

grub-install /dev/hda6

right? I'll have to go look it up. I did it before after installing Kubuntu since it had problems installing anywhere but the MBR, but I've forgotten the syntax. Anyway, I'll look it up and try installing GRUB from SGD to the openSUSE partition. Fingers crossed.

[calibre97]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Turns out perhaps I didn't have the openSUSE partition properly mounted. When I open in it Dolphin (click on Media and then the 10GB icon, I authenticate and then the contents appear), and run grub> find /boot/grub/stage1, both (hd0,5)-openSUSE and (hd0,6)-Kubuntu appear so I'm able to do the root and then setup repairs with grub.

Booting into openSUSE as I type. Strange, strange, strange.

[Qqmike]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Well, good. That's how it often happens. Something subtle, a bit confusing, and not always consistent with what we think or expect. (Trick is, Not to think. Who said that? Was that the bartender in Barfly, with Micky Rourke?) Some folks say not to mount when working with GRUB, but I've found what you just found in some situations.
Nice work, calibre97.
Now, on to that next step you were referring to ... another partition edit ...

Glad you got it.

[calibre97]

Re: Grub halts at "GRUB" no error

Thanks. And yes, on to the other edit in a moment. While I've got you, I notice now that I have to leave the /backup SD card in to boot into openSUSE and it appears at Root - meaning when I click on Root in Dolphin, I see a "backup" directory at the top of the tree. Under Kubuntu, it's /media/backup and it's just easier to mount or unmount the other filesystems under Kubuntu (quickly checks which forum he's in. Yep. Kubuntu is the one). So while it's fun to mess around with openSUSE just for the hell of it, it's nowhere near ready for primetime with KDE4. I don't really care for Gnome, and I couldn't get Ubuntu 8.04 to install and completely work. I just like KDE and maybe 4.1 will be better.

So, back to "now that I've got you"-I'd like to ask another question. I was going to ask how to change the mounting for the SD card under openSUSE but I think I answered my own question with heck with it. I'll just leave it in and things are easier in Kubuntu land anyway. So my question is I'm still 'stuck' on 2.6.24.18. I know a previous update had put in 2.6.24.19 but I've since messed with menu.lst so the only entry for .19 I have in there now doesn't work. Is the only way to get a newer kernel through the updates? I guess I'm fine, since, I mean, things WORK with .18 so maybe I shouldn't complain.

The only reason I need openSUSE available is I inadvertently installed KMymoney .9 under openSUSE and then opened my data file. I know, big oops. So now that's the only way I can edit my data since I haven't found a way to get .9 installed under Kubuntu. Latest stable version for Kubuntu is .8.8.2 (or something. anyway, .8 regardless). I've not yet been able to compile anything and install it. Someday I'll do it.

OK, that's it for this thread. And for anyone out there who stumbles upon this thread, please, PLEASE remember to follow up and close the thread with a resolution if you find one. Don't just say, "Solved! Thanks. Nevermind." Try to be thorough and reply to yourself with updates and information. It'll help.