GRUB Error 17 when installing Ubuntu on an External Drive

[nrbelex]

Hi,

This is my first time attempting to install Linux so I was sorta expecting something like this. I am completely new to this so bear with me.

I'm attempting to install to an external hard drive and got done with all of the installation up until GRUB. All seemed to go well until it had to reboot. Upon rebooting I hit F12, chose to boot from USB (the Ext. HD is USB connected) and got an Error 17 and it just died...

More specifically, it says:

Booting 'Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.12-9-386'
root (hd1,0)
Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0xde

Kernel /vmlinuz - 2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/mapper/Ubuntu-root ro quiet splash

Error 17: Cannot mount selected partition

Press any Key to continue

Then it just dies.

Any help would be appreciated.

~ Brett

[david21001]

Did you ever resolve this? I am having the same problem.

[Jonathan183]

If you want help with this, can you boot from the live CD or another linux OS and post the output of

sudo fdisk -l

[david21001]

your reply was incomplete..didn't post properly must have been a windoz thing

[Jonathan183]

your reply was incomplete..didn't post properly must have been a windoz thing

If you can't get net access with the live cd then paste the output into a text file and save it to a pen drive or something, then post the text file contents when you have net access.

We need to see the partition structure and how your drive is being referenced by Linux before we can provide more help.

[david21001]

my devices appear to be ok

/dev/sdb
/dev/sdb1
/dev/sdb3
/dev/sdb5

something like that i can't remember without having to do this all over...
i have another dell d810 that i am installing a clean ubuntu on the /dev/sda
the internal ide drive

it's almost complete and looks like it will work

i am using a cd from the SAMS ubuntu 7.10 unleashed book written by Andrew and Paul Hudson.

I am pretty saavy with solaris as a software engineer not a sysadmin
so i know my way around a bit

originally the grub directory was missing off /boot and when i reinstalled grub using the cd from the package manager gui the map file showed up and when i tried doing grub install from the grub command line more stuff started showing up

when i do an edit of the menu from the boot prompt (grub menu) the root and other items appear correct too

there is a gob of advice, but there isn't a single procedure that is complete.

i guess i have what's called the "live cd"

kind regards,

[Jonathan183]

OK it looks like you have two partitions (and one extended partition). You did not post the fdisk -l output so i don't know ... guessing that sdb1 is / and sdb5 is the swap partition, is that correct?

Are you using the grub from the external drive to boot boot the system eg did you select sdb for the grub install?

[david21001]

yea i couldn't remember exactly the numbering i think 5 is the swap...1 is the boot partition, yadda, yadda, yadda i am sure that part is probably correct.

[david21001]

yea i went to the advanced tab and entered (hd1) ... I believe that's supposed to translate to the external hard drive (usb) and (hd0) is the ide internal drive.

how did u resolve this?

u seemed to have the same problem.

or some other guy that posted

[Jonathan183]

yea i couldn't remember exactly the numbering i think 5 is the swap...1 is the boot partition, yadda, yadda, yadda i am sure that part is probably correct.

Assuming you are booting from grub on the external drive ... mount the root partition of the external drive using ....

sudo mkdir /manmount
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /manmount

Then list the output of the grub menu file

sudo cat /manmount/boot/grub/menu.lst

while your there also post output of

sudo cat /manmount/etc/fstab