Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

[mmcduffie1]

I have windows vista (only because I have to use adobe software for work) on a partition. I have kubuntu on seperate patitions. Finally I have backtrack 3 on a 10gig partition. All three will boot on this machine. Vista came installed so i didn't do anything with it. I installed kubuntu then backtrack. Backtrack tok over and would only let me boot to backtrack. I re-installed kubuntu. Now all my backtrack files are in place as they should be.

I can boot to either vista or kubuntu. I cannot get backtrack to boot. I edited my grub menu.lst and added backtrack but when i choose that option I get an error:

"Error 8: kernal must be loaded before booting"

The bottom part of my menu.lst file (which is where I should add my variable i think) looks like this:

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.31-16-generic
uuid		e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-16-generic root=UUID=e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655 ro quiet splash 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-16-generic
quiet

title		Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.31-16-generic (recovery mode)
uuid		e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-16-generic root=UUID=e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655 ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-16-generic

title		Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.28-11-generic
uuid		e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-11-generic root=UUID=e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655 ro quiet splash 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-11-generic
quiet

title		Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.28-11-generic (recovery mode)
uuid		e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-11-generic root=UUID=e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655 ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-11-generic

title		Ubuntu 9.10, memtest86+
uuid		e4ded213-78d3-4028-9608-86a9878c2655
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 less than useful OS choices:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title		Windoze Vister
rootnoverify	(hd0,0)
savedefault
chainloader	+1

title		BT3
rootnoverify	(hd0,0)
kernal 		/boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm
boot

What am I doing wrong? Any ideas?

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

I'm not familiar with Backtrack. First thing I'd do is use a live CD (e.g., the Kubuntu CD) to access Backtrack's root filesystem and look for its boot menu and try to verify if the entry you used is right, this one:

title BT3
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernal /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm
boot


Is this right:
/boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm
?

btw, you don't need the boot command in the boot menu (it is implied there); you only need it at a GRUB prompt grub>;

For example, is the kernel actually called vmlinuz and is it under /boot? Etc.
The full boot entry should appear in the boot menu that Backtrack keeps in its root file system somewhere (usually /boot/grub).

Is Backtrack on (hd0,0)? I doubt it. I'll bet Vista is there (and thus NO KERNEL is there!).
Where is Backtrack on your disk? What is its (hdx,y) (= hard drive x, partition y)?
sudo fdisk -lu
would show you your partitions (issued from either Kubuntu or from a Live CD).


Kernel is mis-spelled as kernal.

title BT3
rootnoverify (hdx,y) <<<---
kernel /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm


You can get this fixed.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

Here's something else you might try.
Boot into Kubuntu.
Open Konsole and run this command:
sudo update-grub

If you are very lucky, that might automatically generate a new and correct boot menu for you (/boot/grub/menu.lst). After running the command, have a look at menu.lst and see if it worked.

[mmcduffie1]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

yeah, ima noob - mispelled kernel lol

ok here is the result of my fdisk - lu:

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders, total 234441648 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x4573c650

  Device Boot   Start     End   Blocks  Id System
/dev/sda1      2048  143362047  71680000  7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2    143364060  198804374  27720157+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3    198804375  212218649   6707137+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda4    212218650  234436544  11108947+  c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

SDA4 is where backtrack is

i corrected my spelling but now i get an error 17: cannot mount selected partition

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

Change this:

title BT3
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernal /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm
boot

To this:

title BT3
rootnoverify (hd0,3)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm

(Note: sda4 = (hd0,3) = the first hard drive (hd0), the fourth partition (partition "3" -- the old GRUB counts partitions starting at zero, so 0, 1, 2, 3 = four!).)


Try that.
If it doesn't work, then something is wrong in the kernel line.

[mmcduffie1]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

Change this:

title BT3
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernal /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm
boot

To this:

title BT3
rootnoverify (hd0,3)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm

(Note: sda4 = (hd0,3) = the first hard drive (hd0), the fourth partition (partition "3" -- the old GRUB counts partitions starting at zero, so 0, 1, 2, 3 = four!).)


Try that.
If it doesn't work, then something is wrong in the kernel line.

ok, that gets me past the boot issue but now something is wrong with the kernal line - it panics near the end and asks me to append the root= line

thanks for the advice so far - i'm getting further and further down the road to a successful boot

[skunk]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

kernel /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm

change oot= to root=

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

Only things I can think of is:

> Try the
sudo update-grub
from within Kubuntu and see if that generates a better menu.lst (better save a copy of the old one first!).

> Use a live CD (e.g., Kubuntu CD) to access that sda4 partition and hope to find a boot menu for Backtrack (looking under /boot/grub); that would tell you any parameters you are leaving out.

> This:
oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm

Shouldn't that be
root=

[mmcduffie1]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

kernel /boot/vmlinuz vga=0x317 oot=/dev/sda4 rw autoexec=xconf;kdm

change oot= to root=

i fixed that earlier - i seem to be having typing issues today

I'm going to change the kernel line to the same thing backtrack has in it's grub menu.lst and see if that works

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

That's the best idea.
The other thing people try is searching the specialized forums; e.g., if there's a Backtrack wiki/forum/etc. You are not the only one who is trying to do this!
But first, as you say, try to copy from sda4 ...

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

btw skunk, nice catch, too; posted in passing in a hurry

[mmcduffie1]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

thanks for all the help guys

i tried using the same params in my grub menu as backtrack used in its but now I get no response when I select backtrack from my grub menu

I'm going to post on their forum since it seems to be directly related to the way backtrack boots.

Thanks again - i'll post a solution if i find one

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

OK, good, we'll look forward to hearing the good news!
This usually boils down to a research project, even possibly to guessing the right boot options, stealing them, copying them, whatever. Wished I knew something about Backtrack and could help you more.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

You want to be sure that the kernel path is right: in Backtrack, is the kernel under /boot or under / or where?
Sometimes that is a problem with panics.


autoexec=xconf;kdm
I guess that's the right format, with ;kdm at the end?

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista + Kubuntu + Backtrack 3 triple boot grub issue

and you don't have an initrd statement, another thing that causes panics.
you might check to see that you have an initrd file (in sda4, probably under /boot);
some distros don't use an initrd, some do;
see, for example, you Kubuntu boot entry;
an initrd statement would be easy to make up; just copy yours for Kubuntu, but use the specific initrd file you find in sda4 (pay close attention to the suffix, like .img or whatever it is);
That might be an issue here, don't know for sure;