Drops to grub shell instead of menu

[LuciusMare]

Hello,i installed debian at external hard drive through this tutorial:
debian.org/releases/stable/i386/apds03.html - And since i will travel with that disk,i set everything up to use disk labels.When i try to boot from that drive,it fails.I don't think it even loads the menu,so i guess the correct question should be how to make grub load menu.lst from partiiton given by label.I use grub legacy,and here is my device.map and menu.lst:

device.map:

(fd0)	/dev/fd0
(hd1)	/dev/disk/by-label/diskux-root

----

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/.

## 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 change this entry to 'saved' 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		5

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title		Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root		(hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader	+1
#
# title		Linux
# root		(hd0,1)
# kernel	/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/sdb1 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd1,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(single-user) single
# altoptions=(single-user mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-2-486
root		(hd1,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-486 root=/dev/disk/by-label/diskux-root ro 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.26-2-486

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-2-486 (single-user mode)
root		(hd1,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-486 root=/dev/disk/by-label/diskux-root ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.26-2-486

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

Please,it is important for me.Thank you.

[yancek]

When you installed Debian to this external drive, did you select the option to install the Grub bootloader to the master boot record of this drive? Your menu.lst entries for Debian indicate it is the first partition of the second drive (hd1,0). If you want to be able to boot this drive alone, you need grub on the master boot record of the drive and when you attach it to another computer, you will then need to set the drive to first boot priority in the BIOS of that machine.

If you don't know if you installed Grub to the mbr of the drive, post back and someone will explain how to do that.

[LuciusMare]

I guess i wont even get to the shell if i wouldnt have it in MBR.Yes,i have it,and i want it as you said,i will change boot priority in BIOS.And i dont think that menu.lst does have something to do with this,since it drops to the shell - i think it doesnt get loaded.

[Lostfarmer]

My have missed it but do not see where you tell menu.lst to use a GUI interface. Do not have any idea just what the entire should be but should look something like:
gfxmenu /boot/grub/melamessage

I am also assuming that it will boot with a text interface, just no GUI interface.

[LuciusMare]

No,it does not boot with a text interface,it throws me to the shell (which is text interface,but i want a menu)

[yancek]

I guess i wont even get to the shell if i wouldnt have it in MBR.

Of course you would!. You don't give much detail about what you have but say you have an external so I would assume this external drive you want to use is attached to a Desktop with an internal drive or a laptop with an internal drive. If you had the external attached to whatever you have during the install (must have!) then the stage1 of Grub is likely on the master boot record of the internal drive of your Desktop or laptop! If you want to boot it from different machines, I explained in my last post what you need to do.

Also, in your fist post, you indicate that when you try to boot from the external, it fails? How? What happens? error messages? How are you trying to boot it? from another machine?

[Archbalt]

Hi. I installed Fedora on a flash drive and could run it properly. But then I tried to boot on another pc and had the same grub shell issue.

But I could solve it very easily: I started trying to boot from the others usb ports of the pc and then bingo! It booted properly!

Try to remember in which usb port you used when installing Debian and use this same port for booting, in other pc you may have to find which is the similar port.

Hope this may help.