USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

[Browser_ice]

(since I am getting no answers on the Ubuntu forum and that my thread is now passing page 5, I posted here)

I have installed Kubuntu 8.10 on my USB key (8Gb Rally OCZ). It is a persistent usable O/S.

At the office, I have no problems booting with it as it has its own Grub on it.

At home, on my multi boot, booting with the key does nothing. It just goes through the PC Grub instead. I have the USB Key enabled as first boot device.

If I go into Grub and try to manually boot off of my USB key, I get either errors below (depending on how I attempted it):
Grub Error 11
Grub Error 24

Any suggestions as to what I should do to enable booting directly from that USB key ?

added comments ...
I have no problems with any O/S on my Home PC. I boot to any of them

From the Live Kubuntu 9.04 CD (had mounted the USB key as /usb):

ubuntu@ubuntu:/usb/etc$ cat fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
# /dev/sdb1
UUID=73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d / ext2 relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /dev/sdb2
UUID=51668974-02d2-4212-8ca6-c5deceaf8f6c none swap sw,pri=253 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
# /dev/sda2
UUID=1529e151-364f-407a-b6b9-3ee6841ea79c none swap sw,pri=254 0 0
# /dev/fd0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 vfat rw,user,noauto 0 0
# /dev/sda3
UUID=a6ece3dd-73a6-4ae9-8a1f-f721ac128c7d /PC ext3 relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1

ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ blkid
/dev/sdc1: LABEL="Office Linux" UUID="73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d" TYPE="ext2"
/dev/sdc2: UUID="51668974-02d2-4212-8ca6-c5deceaf8f6c" TYPE="swap"

ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sdc: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 974 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc3072e18

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 1 843 6771366 83 Linux
/dev/sdc2 844 974 1052257+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ cat/usb/boot/grub/menu.lst
...
## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu 9.04 (PC)
root (hd1,2)
chainloader +1

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-14-generic
uuid 73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-14-generic root=UUID=73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-14-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-14-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-14-generic root=UUID=73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-14-generic

title Ubuntu 8.10, memtest86+
uuid 73fab218-de73-47ad-a1f6-2b3d849d4c3d
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 a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Windows NT/2000/XP
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
chainloader +1


grub> root (hd0,
Possible partitions are:
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Partition num: 1, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82

/dev/sda is my primary 80Gb HD
/dev/sdb is my second 250Gb HD
/dev/sdc is my USB key plugged in


sudo xxd -l 2 -p /dev/sda
eb48

sudo xxd -l 2 -p /dev/sdb
1000

sudo xxd -l 2 -p /dev/sdc
eb48

sudo xxd -s 1049 -l 2 -p /dev/sda
05ff

sudo xxd -s 1049 -l 2 -p /dev/sdc


With the LIVE CD, it finds the stage1 file on my USB but if I go without the LIVE CD, it does not find it

grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
(hd0,0)


sudo fdisk -lu

Disk /dev/sda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders, total 160086528 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x28842883

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 20964824 10482381 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 31439205 160055594 64308195 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 118109880 160055594 20972857+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 76164228 118109879 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 31455333 76164164 22354416 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 251.0 GB, 251000193024 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30515 cylinders, total 490234752 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000782bb

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 63 8385929 4192933+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb2 8385930 71300490 31457280+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb3 71312535 176152724 52420095 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb4 176152725 490223474 157035375 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 176152788 226484369 25165791 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb6 226484433 276816014 25165791 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 276816078 329187914 26185918+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb8 486303678 490223474 1959898+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb9 350152803 371117564 10482381 83 Linux
/dev/sdb10 329187978 350152739 10482381 83 Linux
/dev/sdb11 371117628 379503494 4192933+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb12 387889488 486303614 49207063+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb13 379503558 387889424 4192933+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdc: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 974 cylinders, total 15663104 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc3072e18

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 63 13542794 6771366 83 Linux
/dev/sdc2 13542795 15647309 1052257+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Ok, now I booted with the USB Keyed Ubuntu 8.10 in and with no Live CD (in other words, the normal PC Boot). That grub was installed by my last O/S being Ubuntu 9.04

Once in the grub, I tried the followings:

root (
Possible disks are : fd0, fd1, fd2, fd3, fd4, fd5, fd6, fd7, hd0, hd1



root (fd0,

Error 24: Attempt to access block outside partition

Possible partitions are:
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
Filesystem type is unknown, partition type 0x82

Error 24: Attempt to access block outside partition


find /boot/grub/stage1
(hd0,4)
(hd0,5)
(hd0,6)



root (fd0,0)

Error 11: Unrecognized device string.


Do ESCAPE to return to the grub menu and try to select the line I have to boot to that USB Key. I do an EDIT on it to get:

root (fd0,0)
chainloader +1

Type B to boot from this but get :

Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS.


Then I do ESCAPE and no matter which O/S I try to boot from the Grub menu, I get :

Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS.


The only way out is to Ctrl+Alt+Delete and not select that USB Key grub menu item to be able to boot to any O/S. I only get these Grug errors if I try to select the USB key from the grub menu or if I try to manually grub boot to it.

Any questions or suggestions to help me be able to boot to that USB Keyed Kubuntu 8.10 ?

[pookito]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Dude, this might sound silly to you but, did you change the BIOS to boot from the USB instead of the hard drive or the CD? I did not read in your thread that you did that. No offense if you did, it is just a question.

[Browser_ice]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Dude, this might sound silly to you but, did you change the BIOS to boot from the USB instead of the hard drive or the CD? I did not read in your thread that you did that. No offense if you did, it is just a question.

Yes I did and I even forced it to use the USB with the PF11 key (at boot time, choose device to boot with PF11 key).

[Qqmike]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Doing a quick scan here, I keep noticing that you keep messing with the floppy drives ...?
fd0 = floppy ... ?

For a flash drive or external USB, you want hd's (hard drives).
I'd get those floppies out of the way (in BIOS and otherwise).

[Qqmike]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Another tidbit ...
When your PC boots from a given disk (ANY disk), that disk is seen by BIOS and by GRUB as hd0, and your other disks get shifted by 1 (so the usual hd0 becomes hd1, etc.).
When you boot from the flash drive, your PC's BIOS sees it as hd0 (and so does GRUB) during that booting session.

[Browser_ice]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Another tidbit ...
When your PC boots from a given disk (ANY disk), that disk is seen by BIOS and by GRUB as hd0, and your other disks get shifted by 1 (so the usual hd0 becomes hd1, etc.).
When you boot from the flash drive, your PC's BIOS sees it as hd0 (and so does GRUB) during that booting session.

For the floppy thing, I did not intentionnaly wanted to mess up with the floppies. Its just that in Grub while looking for any bootable device, that seamed to be the only one where it detected that I had my USB key on (that is if I boot on my home PC without a Live CD).

I know about the HD0 but the thing is, I am using that USB Keyed Kubuntu at the office right now. I am writting the reply throught it. My USB Key has its own Grub to take this into account. When I boot with that same USB Key at my home PC, the USB Grub is not even executed. It goes directly to the HD Grug instead and I did setup the BIOS to use any detectable USB boot first.

[Qqmike]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Maybe you need to train your Home BIOS
Re-boot, manually enter BIOS setup, manually put the USB key at the top of the boot list (perhaps after the CD), and see if your BIOS will then boot from the USB key. (Has happened like that on my Intel D915GAV board, even though it is supposed to automatically boot from USB if USB is present -- it is inconsistent and sometimes needs some prodding in BIOS setup.)

[Browser_ice]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Maybe you need to train your Home BIOS
Re-boot, manually enter BIOS setup, manually put the USB key at the top of the boot list (perhaps after the CD), and see if your BIOS will then boot from the USB key. (Has happened like that on my Intel D915GAV board, even though it is supposed to automatically boot from USB if USB is present -- it is inconsistent and sometimes needs some prodding in BIOS setup.)

Tried all that. No USB boot.

I am even looking at my MB's forum in case its a Motherboard thing (MSI-6712 KT4V).

[Qqmike]

Re: USB Keyed Ubuntu boots on office PC but not on home pc ?

Well, I don't know.

USB bootable keys DO become damaged (not physically so much, but filesystem-wise), bugs, etc., but yours still boots at the office.

BIOS's are sometimes buggy (just read the develp lists to learn about that).

Why not drop this, just to close the possibilities ->
in addition to setting BIOS to boot from USB key first (in the BIOS disk boot order), you must also "Enable boot from USB" in a separate BIOS setup option/menu. I presume you've done that.

As I said, my D915GAVL board/BIOS will sometimes behave perfectly, by the book, and detect and boot from any bootable flash drive that is present. However, at times, it decides that it needs me to intervene right and left to keep it on track. Bugginess? Who knows. My DG33FBC board/BIOS seems better behaved, but I haven't tested it as extensively as the older board yet.

Keep us posted. If I think of anything new, I'll post it, too.