Almost installed, problems in GRUB

**drakebasher** · 07-19-2004

I've been chipping away at this rock best as I can, but I don't know what to do here:

Per instructions, from /root , I start grub. I did 'root (hd0,1)' and got a favorable response. Then I did 'setup (hd0)' and I got this:

Code:

Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... no
Checking if "/grub/`stage1" exists... no

Okay. I think grub is checking the wrong directory, but I don't know if (or how) I should re-direct grub, or if I need to move a directory: /mnt/gentoo/boot/grub/ has files that appear to be where grub should look. This directory includes:

(various filesystems)_stage1_5
grub.conf.sample
menu.lst
splash.xpm.gz
stage1
stage2

Note that I have a /boot partition. I've come too far to screw this up now: any thoughts?

**Dillinger** · 07-19-2004

That's a normal output, don't worry about it. And if you're chrooted into the system, /boot/grub is the correct path, not /mnt/gentoo/boot/grub.

**drakebasher** · 07-19-2004

I think I see what's up, but my mind is bloown:

I've been doing the install on vc1 while reading the install manual on vc2 and using vc3 and vc4 for finding, cat-ing and ls-ing files, trying to follow what's happening. I just discovered that ls on vc1 is different from that on vc3 and vc4. If I understand, that's because I chroot-ed on vc1 only, so I have a different directory structure. Right? Too wild! Thanks for your help.

**sarumont** · 07-19-2004

Originally Posted by drakebasher

If I understand, that's because I chroot-ed on vc1 only, so I have a different directory structure. Right? Too wild! Thanks for your help.

Yes.

**drakebasher** · 07-23-2004

Originally Posted by Dillinger

That's a normal output, don't worry about it. And if you're chrooted into the system, /boot/grub is the correct path, not /mnt/gentoo/boot/grub.

I beg to differ. The response that I called "favorable" was that GRUB told me I had pointed it to an ext2fs. I thought that that meant /boot since I had set-up /boot as ext2 and all other partitions as ext3. I now recognize that ext3 and ext2 are indistinguishable to GRUB. I had erroneously pointed GRUB to /root because I naively believed that what GRUB meant by "root" was "root" and not "boot". I guess I should have taken a clue from hd"first"=hd"one minus one" and that hd"cdrom" doesn't count and sda=hd??

So that's sour grapes. Now (after having followed Gentoo's handbook pretty nearly meticulously) when I boot I do get the pleasure of their splash screen, but I miss the wonder of it all when I'm told that Gentoo can't find the init file. Okay, I wondered what was up when the handbook suggested that users of genkernel needed the initrd line in the grubconf but left it to our imagination for non-genkernel users.

Back to the point: The install is complete except for booting. I have found a file named initrd-2.6.5-gentoo. Note that it lacks the .img extension. It is a binary file. The grub.conf file is complete and, I believe, correct, except for the pointer to initrd. Do I need to do something to process the initrd file which lacks .img? I already tried:

Code:

cp /initrd-2.6.5-gentoo /tmp/boot/initrd-2.6.5-gentoo.img

Note the addition of the .img extension and that the /tmp/boot directory puts it to the correct partition.

In absence of above, if I choose to follow the kernel's instructions:

Code:

Kernel panic&#58; No init found.  Try passing init= option to kernel.

what, exactly would be the phrasing?

Guidance will be greatly appreciated.

**kkubasik** · 07-23-2004

use the echo command, or declare the variable before you run the line

Code:

USE="kde qt" emerge bob

at least... i think. i could be very wrong, but thats my guess at what it wants

**loft306** · 07-24-2004

i think i had to much to drink.....or did i just read what i did (.img?)? so i will sleep on it.....

I geuss the question is did you use genkernel or not?

**drakebasher** · 07-24-2004

I did not use genkernel. In the installation manual, section 9.b. on installing grub, they show different grubs depending on whether genkernel was used or not and if not, they don't show a line for initrd. I guess that means that starting from stage 1 or 2 will include all of the initrd instructions in the kernel? So that's why I'm confused as to why the kernel panic message says that init can't be found.... Any background you can offer will be welcomed.

**kkubasik** · 07-24-2004

do yuo know what the variable is supposed to contaoin? you could use echo to give it a value ,

Code:

echo bob >> /mnt/gentoo/myname

this would sety myname equal to bob. thats the only thing i can really offer

**gnuageux** · 08-26-2004

Can you boot from the livecd, chroot in, and post your grub.conf?

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