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    #1

    Boot problems

    Hi all!
    I have installed Kubuntu 7.10 on my 250 gb drive. But I do not get any boot options...the pc boots direct to Win XP(installed on a sata hdd).

    I have also tried to install Kubuntu on a sata hdd. But same problem there...boots directly to Xp.

    What can be wrong?
    Tags: None
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    #2
    Re: Boot problems

    You do not need to re-install Kubuntu. But you do need to re-install the bootloader GRUB.
    You can do it from the Live CD.
    From what you say, you have one hard drive with both XP & Kubuntu on it.
    So, here we go:

    Start up the Kubuntu Live CD (i.e., get it in the tray and re-boot).
    Open K > System > Konsole.
    Type
    sudo grub
    to get a GRUB prompt, like so: grub>.
    Type at the prompt
    grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
    (note the space after find).
    That gives some value (hdx,y). Use that next:
    grub> root (hdx,y)
    grub> setup (hd0)
    grub> quit
    exit
    Exit out the Live CD session, selecting “Re-boot” or “Re-start,” removing the CD when prompted.
    See what happens.


    (with just one hard drive, x will be zero: x = 0; this recipe should work whether you have one drive or more drives)

    (Sometimes when installing Kubuntu, the placement of the bootloader GRUB gets messed up or lost. That probably happened to you.)
    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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      #3
      Re: Boot problems

      Thanks for your answer! But it did not work.
      I am getting an error message that it cannot mount the selected partition.
      I tried hd0 and hd1...same error on booth

      I have kubuntu on a ide disk and xp on a sata disk.
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        #4
        Re: Boot problems

        Well, then we need to get the information down right.
        When you have both IDE and SATA disks, the installer may goof up the naming of the drives and where it puts GRUB.


        Which disk is BIOS set to boot from first—the XP disk or the Kubuntu disk?
        Which partition is XP on?
        Which partition is Kubuntu on?

        If you are not sure, then:
        Using the Live CD, again, get the grub>, and type each of these:
        grub> geometry (hd0)
        and
        geometry (hd1)

        See if you can tell where XP is and where Kubuntu is. XP may be on
        Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
        (it is usually on “Partition num: 0”)

        Kubuntu will be on one that looks like this:
        Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

        And, just in case it's relevant,
        what happened when you performed the fix (in my first post above)? Did you get a boot menu after re-booting?
        And what was the result of
        grub> find /boot/grub/stage1?
        It was (hdx,y) = ?

        An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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          #5
          Re: Boot problems

          Chances are good that by doing the above root & setup you have re-installed GRUB, especially if you DID get some sort of boot menu upon re-booting.
          Now, the problem may be in the boot menu itself, and there it would be in the lines
          root (hdx,y)
          => we need the correct device references:
          hard drive x
          and
          partition
          y
          for both XP & for Kubuntu.

          GRUB counts from zero, so the first hard drive is hd0; the first partition is partition 0.

          The boot menu is the file /boot/grub/menu.lst in Kubuntu.
          You can get it using the live Kubuntu CD. Need to look at it—can you post it here?
          (Then we'll edit is as root (and not forget to File > Save the edited menu.lst when done.)

          Here's the scoop, should you wish to go that route (using the how-to's):

          How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
          http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
          (it also shows how to edit menu.lst from a live CD)
          and, Reply #1:
          --- HOW To: Change the Default Operating System (Also: Changing the timeout, boot menu, and other tips) Reply #1—this is good for tips on editing menu.lst.
          and IF XP is not on hd0 (but is on hd1—a non-first hard drive), then Reply #12:
          --- Install Windows XP *after* Kubuntu, and install XP to a non-first hard drive: map command Reply #12; (i.e., need to edit menu.lst to include the correct boot stanza for XP using the map commands).

          fyi
          An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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            #6
            Re: Boot problems

            Originally posted by Qqmike
            Well, then we need to get the information down right.
            When you have both IDE and SATA disks, the installer may goof up the naming of the drives and where it puts GRUB.


            Which disk is BIOS set to boot from first—the XP disk or the Kubuntu disk?
            Which partition is XP on?
            Which partition is Kubuntu on?

            If you are not sure, then:
            Using the Live CD, again, get the grub>, and type each of these:
            grub> geometry (hd0)
            and
            geometry (hd1)

            See if you can tell where XP is and where Kubuntu is. XP may be on
            Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
            (it is usually on “Partition num: 0”)

            Kubuntu will be on one that looks like this:
            Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

            And, just in case it's relevant,
            what happened when you performed the fix (in my first post above)? Did you get a boot menu after re-booting?
            And what was the result of
            grub> find /boot/grub/stage1?
            It was (hdx,y) = ?

            My bios is set to boot to a harddrive....cannot choose hdd.

            grub> geometry (hd0)
            drive 0x80: C/H/S = 30401/255/63, The number of sectors = 488397168, /dev/hda
            Partition num: 1, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
            Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
            Partition num: 5, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82

            grub> geometry (hd1)
            drive 0x81: C/H/S = 20023/255/63, The number of sectors = 321672960, /dev/sda
            Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
            Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7

            grub> geometry (hd2)
            drive 0x82: C/H/S = 20023/255/63, The number of sectors = 321672960, /dev/sdb
            Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7


            grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
            (hd0,1

            grub> setup (hd0)
            Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
            Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
            Checking if "/boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes
            Running "embed /boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"... 17 sectors are embedded.
            succeeded
            Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+17 p (hd0,1)/boot/grub/stage2
            /boot/grub/menu.lst"... succeeded
            Done.

            I have never got a boot menu! It still boots directly to XP

            Well, I have solved my problem for now! I deleted the Kubuntu partition and made it ntfs.

            I will try to install kubuntu later again.....
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              #7
              Re: Boot problems

              “My bios is set to boot to a hard drive....cannot choose hdd.”

              Your BIOS must be set to boot in some order; usually
              CD
              hard drive one
              hard drive two
              etc

              Looks like your BIOS is set to boot first from the Kubuntu drive. Let's go with that.

              grub> geometry (hd0)
              drive 0x80: C/H/S = 30401/255/63, The number of sectors = 488397168, /dev/hda
              Partition num: 1, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
              Partition num: 4, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
              Partition num: 5, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82

              Confusing. Looks like Kubuntu is on the first partition, but it is called partition 1, not partition 0; this is the IDE drive (so it seems). And “find” came back with (hd0,1), right? That's REAL confusing because that is the second partition of the first hard drive, but there is no second partition on hd0! It's the IDE drive/controller thing that's goofing things up here. hda = hd0 looks like the IDE drive.

              To be safe and sure, do this (it will not hurt, and it will ensure we have covered all bases because this IDE-stuff can be a real headache):

              Live Kubuntu CD
              Konsole
              sudo grub
              grub> root (hd0,0)
              grub> setup (hd0)
              grub> quit
              exit
              and you can re-boot to test it.
              (The way you did it before was root (hd0,1), setup (hd0), so we have covered both possibilities to try to out-fox this IDE mix.)

              Now, that should produce a boot menu! Even if the menu doesn't work. When you see and select Kubuntu or XP, you may get an error, like 15 or 17.

              Then, you need to edit the boot menu as explained in the post above.


              in /boot/grub/menu.lst (from the live CD, as root, assuming you can't yet boot into Kubuntu)
              First Kubuntu:
              Right after *** Begin Automagic kernels list
              you'll see Kubuntu, something like:

              title Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
              root (hd0.0)
              kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=6f00b506-7174-4f0e-8f33-9baaf0293c9a ro quiet splash
              initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
              quiet

              The root statement is the key. If you were able to boot into Kubuntu, then no problem; otherwise, you should try changing the root statement to these until one works:
              root (hd0,0)
              or
              root (hd0,1)


              Then XP: Looks like it is on (hd1,0).
              After the *** End Automagic kernels list,
              It should read as follows:

              title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
              root (hd1,0)
              map (hd1) (hd0)
              map (hd0) (hd1)
              chainloader +1

              (There may be other stuff in your lines, but these are the only ones you really need for XP.)
              (space between (hd1) and (hd0) in the map commands)

              So,
              > just in case, reset the setup (hd0) using root (hd0,0) and root (0,1).
              > edit menu.lst as shown here, perhaps trying different things, until one boots correctly.

              You can fix this using this method – your OSs WILL boot! It's just that we have to try different device names (hdx,y) until we get it right so BIOS and GRUB see the right devices, given the mix of SATA & IDE and maybe how the BIOS/IDE controller are reading your IDE drive. Not a big deal (but much easier when there are only SATA drives or only IDE drives, not a mix).
              You are not the only Linux user who has a mixture of IDEs and SATAs – we have several members doing it.


              An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                #8
                Re: Boot problems

                One more piece of info you can get, and sometimes it shows us more,
                from Live CD
                Konsole
                sudo fdisk -lu
                ("-lu" is l as in list and u as in units)
                You should have a boot flag set on both the Kubuntu and the Windows partitions, indicated by a "*".
                An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                  #9
                  Re: Boot problems

                  Wow! I must say you guys are helpful! I have never met so helpful guys! Many thanks!
                  I have now installed Kubuntu on the same disk as xp(ofcourse on a different partition).
                  And all seems to work well.

                  I have a bootmenu and all!

                  This is my fist thread, but not my last

                  Take care guys!
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                    #10
                    Re: Boot problems

                    XP + Kubuntu on same disk -- that works!

                    I use 2 internal HDs, and they are both SATAs, so I don't have any of the exceptions you see when you mix SATA + IDE.

                    If you really need the 2 drives set up with OSs, dual boot, we can make that happen! As you probably see by now, it's just a matter of getting the correct names for the drives & partitions ("What's in a name?").

                    I'm glad you got it and are happy with your solution -- what counts is that you can now mess around with Kubuntu!
                    Welcome aboard!
                    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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