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**ghoul** · Jul 26, 2008, 07:04 AM

Re: GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

Here is my menu.lst (I removed most of the comments):
## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

title Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic
root (hd1,5)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-generic root=/dev/mapper/kozak-kubuntu8.04_root_crypt ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.24-16-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd1,5)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-generic root=/dev/mapper/kozak-kubuntu8.04_root_crypt ro single
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.24-16-generic

title Ubuntu 8.04, memtest86+
root (hd1,5)
kernel /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 a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional RU
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb2
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional RU
root (hd1,1)
savedefault
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1

**Qqmike** · Jul 26, 2008, 07:35 AM

Re: GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

Swap is probably being shared. It wouldn't cause Error 15 either way.

Well, your GRUB files are all there.

And /boot files look right.

You say that Kubuntu “supports” encryption, so I'll go with that (which implies that GRUB should not be foxed by it?).

LVM ... don't know much about it, except it seems to cause GRUB-booting problems. A long time ago (a year?) there was a post here with a GRUB problem where SuSe & LVM were involved, but I can't remember how we resolved it.

(hd1,5): sounds like you are pretty sure that's correct (i.e., that it is hd1)?
That's where the vmlinuz kernel files are, right?
From a live CD
sudo grub
grub> geometry (hd<Press the TAB key now>
shows your hard drives as seen by GRUB at boot time
grub> geometry (hd0)
grub> geometry (hd1)
etc
explores the drives.
grub> find /vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-generic
may find the kernel files (in GRUB notation).

The command sudo fdisk -lu also gives useful information about the partitions.

(Finally,
root=/dev/mapper/kozak-kubuntu8.04_root_crypt
is a new one for me and no doubt has to do with the encryption stuff? That tells the kernel where the root files of Kubuntu are.)

The main culprit with Error 15 usually is in the
root (hd1,5)
statement.
=> wrong hard drive (hd1); or something about the LVM is messing it up.

**Qqmike** · Jul 26, 2008, 07:42 AM

Re: GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

More thoughts (before I leave for awhile here):

GRUB doesn't understand LVM (I don't think--BIOS can't read LVM, so GRUB gets confused, too). So reformatting may help.
Or, putting /boot on a separate non-LVM partition is another way.

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-generic root=/dev/mapper/kozak-kubuntu8.04_root_crypt ro quiet splash

Assuming (hd1,5) is right, is that the correct path?
Is it /boot/vmlinuz or something else?
(i.e., Where did you put those kernel files? under /boot or under / ?)
(thought: with LVM, you may need /boot directory)

EDIT:
a google on
LVM and GRUB
produces many issues similar to yours.

**dibl** · Jul 26, 2008, 07:52 AM

Re: GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

@ghoul, what is your filesystem type on the Kubuntu partition?

**ghoul** · Jul 27, 2008, 05:00 AM

Re: GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

@dibl and @Qqmike thanks for your help. Especially @Qqmike

@Qqmike, your suspicion for (hd1,5) was correct. After changing it to (hd0,5) GRUB loaded the image. There are problems with Kubintu startup, but the problem with GRUB is solved.
The most strange thing is that during installation Kubuntu installer referred to this hard drive as sdb (which should be hd1), but when the GRUB was loaded, the same hard drive was referred as hd0. I'm 100% sure about naming during installation because /boot partition was mentioned 2 times: firstly on partitioning and secondly on boot loader configuration. Also the correct partition was formatted and all GRUB files are present there.
I assume there is some some inconsistency in my BIOS or something like this.

I'm providing some more info below hoping this may be helpful for another person.

My Kubuntu /boot is not localed on LVM. AFIK it is not allowed to put /boot on LVM.
Filesystem on both /boot and / Kubunty partitions is ext3. Also / is located on encrypted logical volume.
I had not live CD at hand, so I used the GRUB command line when boot menu was shown. Tis allowed me call find and geometry commands.

P.S. I'm renaming this thread as solved.

**Qqmike** · Jul 27, 2008, 05:26 AM

Re: <SOLVED> GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

Device naming --
The Kubuntu installer may “guess” device naming differently than GRUB. (And, by the way, GRUB sees the devices the same way BIOS sees them). Whenever possible, before running a Kubuntu/Ubuntu installer, I first explore the devices on my machine using both GRUB commands (geometry) and sudo fdisk -lu (say from a Live CD or another installed Linux distro). Then I run the new installer, knowing how GRUB sees all my partitions. But, anyway, ghoul, you are right that the installer may see the partitions/devices differently.

One fact, though: In BIOS setup, you specify a hard drive to be the first-in-order boot drive that BIOS is to boot from (the CD/DVD is usually set in BIOS as the very first device, then comes the hard drives in the order you specify). Now, when you re-boot your PC and BIOS then boots from that first hard drive (that you specified in BIOS setup), that hard drive is always seen by GRUB to be hd0 at the time the PC boots from it and during that PC session. That's a fact. (And that first-in-order drive that you set in BIOS to boot from can be anything: a flash drive, an internal drive, or an external drive).

“I assume there is some some inconsistency in my BIOS or something like this.”
--No – your BIOS is working fine! It's the Kubuntu installer that got it “wrong.”

Thanks for the feedback in your last paragraph. In particular (and I was not very clear on this myself), BIOS & GRUB can not read LVM. From what you said, you've set things up so that GRUB doesn't have to read LVM, which, of course, is the correct way.

Well, very nice work on your part, ghoul, and thanks very much for the nice feedback and for your tips to the next person here! Carry on!

**ghoul** · Jul 28, 2008, 01:04 PM

Re: <SOLVED> GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

Originally posted by Qqmike

Device naming --
The Kubuntu installer may “guess” device naming differently than GRUB. (And, by the way, GRUB sees the devices the same way BIOS sees them). Whenever possible, before running a Kubuntu/Ubuntu installer, I first explore the devices on my machine using both GRUB commands (geometry) and sudo fdisk -lu (say from a Live CD or another installed Linux distro). Then I run the new installer, knowing how GRUB sees all my partitions. But, anyway, ghoul, you are right that the installer may see the partitions/devices differently.

When I first installed Kubuntu, I used my openSuse to prepare the /boot partition and / logical volume for Kubuntu. Installation was easy till the moment where GRUB is configured. I did not noticed the ID of my /boot partition in partitions section

To avoid messing the hard drive I canceled the installation.
On my second try I was already wiser and accurately written down the ID for Kubuntu /boot partition. Again I did it in openSuse. openSuse showed it as sda6. So, when the installation was at the GRUB configuration section I typed sda6 as /boot partition

And there was a surprise after reboot: the Kubuntu's GRUB did not showed up. At all. That was because the installer modified first record of wrong partition (#6 but on another hard drive, still I had a little of luck and data on that partition was not corrupted

), but GRUB files were written to the correct partition. Probably there was some way to update first record of /boot partition to make GRUB work.
But I just installed Kubuntu for the third time. And this thread was about it

Thanks for your time and help!

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<SOLVED> GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

<SOLVED> GRUB shows Error 15 after installing 8.04

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