After GRUB Install..

Hi

I posted in the newbie area regarding picking a linux distro for a Compaq Evo N200.

I have a 90% complete Gentoo installation - the person who has been helping me now is not contactable for 3 weeks so i dont know if anyone else can assist me?

I got up to configuring the bootloader in the x86 guide (chapter 10)

And I've got a feeling I've done it wrong - everything else was done by my friend who has several Gentoo based systems.

I thought i did the grub.conf correctly, but when i boot (without live CD) it just loads a black screen with white writing which as "GRUB>" and it expects me to type something.

(I've tried boot, kernel, configfile etc) and nothing works.

When booting the livecd again, i cannot chroot back to where I can look at the grub.conf.

I think the issue might be - I used the default kernel path /mnt/sda whereas my drive is /mnt/hda?

(I can try and get a screenshot if it would help?)

Any ideas??

Is Gentoo the only system you have on the computer?
Did you install Grub to the master boot record?
Can you post partition information?

Quote:

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I think the issue might be - I used the default kernel path /mnt/sda whereas my drive is /mnt/hda?

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I'm not sure what you are referring to with the above statement?

Gentoo is the only system on the computer.

I followed the guide to the letter. (So i think its on MBR)

# emerge grub
# nano -w /boot/grub/grub.conf (thought all was fine)
# grep -v rootfs /proc/mounts > /etc/mtab
# grub-install --no-floppy /dev/sda

Then I rebooted and took out livecd and it loaded into the "GRUB>" thing.

Parition Information

/dev/hda1 (Boot) (ID83
/dev/hda2 (SWAP) (ID82)
/dev/hda3 (ID83)

Also, by my statement I meant that i didnt enter the correct paritition when editing the grub.conf

"default 0
timeout 30
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title Gentoo Linux 2.6.34-r1
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.34-gentoo-r1 root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc ramdisk=8192 real_root=/dev/sda3
initrd /boot/initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.34-gentoo-r1"

Thanks

It looks to me like your kernel line in the grub.conf should be "hda1", since you have a separate /boot partition. Are you not able to mount the partition to make this change? I've never used Gentoo and I know it's a little different installing it?

I keep trying to chroot into the enviroment to change the GRUB conf file but it just tells me that it doesnt exist - I've googled and found a few people who seem to have had the same issue - which looks like it can be resolve by re-installing the tarbel file but i dont want to install that if i risk loosing my kernel and make.conf file :)

Hi ShadowedAnarchy

If you are wanting to change grub.conf then you should just be able to boot from a live CD and mount the partition (you don't need to chroot into your Gentoo install to modify files). If you are getting a grub prompt that sounds more like you have grub installed on the MBR but may have it pointing to the wrong partition. If you have got most of the way through the install process then don't do a reinstall just yet ;)

Lets try fixing grub first booting from a live CD and manually reinstall grub to the MBR using

Code:

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grub
root (hd0,0)
setup (hd0)
quit

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Did this fix the problem or change what you get when you try restarting the system without the live CD?

When you reboot you should get the grub menu with an entry
Gentoo Linux 2.6.34-r1
which is displayed for 30 seconds before the system tries to start.
... if you need to change /dev/sda1 to /dev/hda1 I think you will get a kernel panic after the menu when you try to boot the system.

Ed: if you are still having problems then boot from live CD, open a terminal and as root type

Code:

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fdisk -l

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and post output here so we can see partition structure and references when booting from the live CD.
Assuming you get outputs refering to /dev/hda1 etc then you should just be able to mount the root partition using

Code:

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mkdir /media/hda1
mount /dev/hda1 /media/hda1

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edit grub.conf using

Code:

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nano /media/hda1/grub/grub.conf

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Sorry for delayed reply, I left the machine at work over the long weekend.

I have booted with the livecd so that my screen show "livecd". Typing "grub" does not work and it replies with "bash: grub: command not found"

my "fdisk -l" looks like this:

Code:

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Disk /dev/hda: 20.00 GB, 20003880960 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38760 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifer: 0x19d919d8

Device          Boot    Start      End          Blocks      Id      System
/dev/hda1      *            1        66        33232+      83    Linux
/dev/hda2                    67    1107        524664      82    Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda3                1108    38760  18977112      83    Linux

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The other method you mention works and shows the grub.conf which shows the following:

Code:

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default 0
timeout 30
#splashimage= (hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

#title Gentoo Linux 2.6.24-r5
#root (hd0,0)
#kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.24-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/sda
=initrd /boot/initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.24-gentoo-r5

# vim:ft=conf.

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I have now changed:

Code:

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#kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.24-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/sda3

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to

Code:

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#kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.24-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/hda3

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Just about to try a reboot :)

Have you removed # at the start of

Code:

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#title Gentoo Linux 2.6.24-r5
#root (hd0,0)
#kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.24-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/sda
=initrd /boot/initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.24-gentoo-r5

---

otherwise you have no menu entry to display ...

Good point, Jonathan183. Once I booted my box for three weeks manually. Finally I decided enough is enough and discovered the only title was commented out.

BTW, hda devices imply depreciated EIDE driver is in use. New udev will not create hda devices, switch over to libata!