booting from internal hard disk

[linuxpuneet]

hello,
i had installed fedora and windows on my internal Harddisk earlier,then tried to install fedora on external USB hard disk,now my computer failed to boot from internal hard disk,when i unplugged the harddisk,can any one suggest remedy




thanks
puneet vyas

[meton_magis]

I'm going to guess you installed grub to the MBR (master boot record) of your internal hard drive, but the /boot data files (to include your grub.conf) are on your external hard drive. what you can do, is use your windows disk to repair the windows MBR to you'r internal hard drive (I don't know how, google it or wait for someone to post after me) and then reinstall grub to your external hard drives MBR. then in your bios, make sure that you'r boot order puts removable hard drive before internal (you may not be able to do this, depending on bios. if this is the case, there is usualy a "press F12 to enter boot menu" or something like that you can press to manualy force it to boot off the external hard drive.) The only other alternative I see, is to make a 100 MB (about) partition on your internal hard drive for /boot, and then install grub onto your internal hard drive's MBR, where it can chainload to window's partition.

[devils casper]

Boot up from Windows Installation CD, select Repair and execute fixmbr command. It will remove GRUB and Windows OS will boot up fine on reboot.

You have to install GRUB in MBR of External Disk. Its easy to install GRUB but you have to edit /boot/grub/grub.conf and /etc/fstab files.

Post the contents of both file here before executing fixmbr command.

[linuxpuneet]

hello,
this is the contents of grub.conf and /etc/fstab
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=2
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.20-2925.9.fc7xen)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /xen.gz-2.6.20-2925.9.fc7
module /vmlinuz-2.6.20-2925.9.fc7xen ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
module /initrd-2.6.20-2925.9.fc7xen.img
title Fedora-base (2.6.21-1.3194.fc7)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7 ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7.img
title PIYUSH NAGAR
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
title Other
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1



///////contents of /etc/fstab



/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00 / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot12 /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol01 swap swap defaults 0 0





please suggest steps required to boot from my internal hard disk,which is having fedora and windows.






regards
puneet

[devils casper]

Edit splashimage and root lines in grub.conf file. Replace 1 with zero.

Edit Windows OS block too. Add map code in it.

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=2
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.20-2925.9.fc7xen)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /xen.gz-2.6.20-2925.9.fc7
module /vmlinuz-2.6.20-2925.9.fc7xen ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
module /initrd-2.6.20-2925.9.fc7xen.img
title Fedora-base (2.6.21-1.3194.fc7)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7 ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7.img

title PIYUSH NAGAR
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1

Replace Lable with /dev/sda1 in second line of /etc/fstab file :

/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00 / ext3 defaults 1 1
/dev/sda1 /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol01 swap swap defaults 0 0

Save files.

Easiest Method to remove GRUB from Internal disk to fix Windows OS and re-install GRUB in External Disk is, download SuperGRUB CD or USB. Boot up from it

* Select Fix Windows Boot Loader option to fix Windows OS
* Select Install Linux Boot Loader (GRUB) to install it in External Disk.


If don't want to use SuperGRUB CD/USB, execute fixmbr command in Windows Repair mode. Make sure to unplug External Disk while executing fixmbr command.

Plug-in External Disk and boot up from Fedora LiveCD/DVD. Open Terminal and execute this

su -
grub-install /dev/sda

[computerophil]

In this cases I use a win98-boot-floppy:
I boot into dos and write:
fdisk /mbr
press enter and the MBR is repaired-
Then I install the Grub into the Superbootblock of the linuxpartition and use the nt-boot-loader to reach grub.

[devils casper]

In this cases I use a win98-boot-floppy:
I boot into dos and write:
fdisk /mbr
press enter and the MBR is repaired-

Could you please explain why do think Windows 98 Bootable Floppy is better than Windows Installation CD? Most of my machines and lappys don't even have Floppy drive.

Then I install the Grub into the Superbootblock of the linuxpartition and use the nt-boot-loader to reach grub.

nt-boot-loader?

[computerophil]

Could you please explain why do think Windows 98 Bootable Floppy is better than Windows Installation CD? Most of my machines and lappys don't even have Floppy drive.

nt-boot-loader?

I did never say that this is better - I just explained the easiest way (for the case you have a floppy) and it is that easy that I could explain detailed. With the Window Installation CD linuxpuneet probably stil doesn't know how to repair the MBR.

As soon as the mbr is repaired the nt-bootloader (with w2k, XP) will start and you see the entries of the boot.ini on your screen. You boot with LiveCD into Linux reinstall Grub > into Superbootblock of the Linux-Partition.
In the Console you write: dd if=/dev/hdaX of=/tmp/bootsec.lin bs=512 count=1
copy bootsec.lin from Temp-into C:/
change the C:/boot.ini with the entry: c:\bootsec.lin="Grub > Linux"
adapt Menue.lst at Linux-partition in Boot/Grub/..
ready

[devils casper]

I did never say that this is better - I just explained the easiest way (for the case you have a floppy) and it is that easy that I could explain detailed. With the Window Installation CD linuxpuneet probably stil doesn't know how to repair the MBR.

Alright but I think its easy to use Windows Installation CD too. Most of users don't use Windows 98 these days and its not easy to create Windows Bootable Floppy in XP. Actually I don't know that if its even possible to create XP Bootable Floppy.
There are a lot of sites provide Windows 98 Bootable floppies though.

As soon as the mbr is repaired the nt-bootloader (with w2k, XP) will start and you see the entries of the boot.ini on your screen. You boot with LiveCD into Linux reinstall Grub > into Superbootblock of the Linux-Partition.

That will not work because you have already removed GRUB using Windows Installation CD or bootable Floppy. Moreover, If you want to use Windows Boot Loader, GRUB must be installed in boot sector of Linux root partition.

GRUB is one of the best and easiest boot loader imho and I won't recommend anyone to use nt-bootloader or any other Windows based boot loader.

[computerophil]

Alright but I think its easy to use Windows Installation CD too. Most of users don't use Windows 98 these days and its not easy to create Windows Bootable Floppy in XP. Actually I don't know that if its even possible to create XP Bootable Floppy.
There are a lot of sites provide Windows 98 Bootable floppies though.

There are to ways: Download from Bootdisk.Com
or you have in XP a formating tool (it is MS standard) there you have to klick the field for make bootfloppy. ( it will be a millenium bootfloppy)
I prefer the first one.

That will not work because you have already removed GRUB using Windows Installation CD or bootable Floppy. Moreover, If you want to use Windows Boot Loader, GRUB must be installed in boot sector of Linux root partition.

GRUB is one of the best and easiest boot loader imho and I won't recommend anyone to use nt-bootloader or any other Windows based boot loader.

Please read before you commend: I allways said Grub should therefore be installed to the superbootblock of the Linuxpartition that is exactly what you say installed in boot sector of Linux root partition.
It works and this is that great that on the german ubuntu site they write this method is for traditionalists and security-fanatics.

I also think Grub is great but as windows isn't that great it's better not to depend on grub. Open windows with windows tools and Linux with linux tools and you are on the save side (even when there come up windows problems you can repair in windows and don't have the problem you would have to do something on the linuxpartition (menue.lst) and you can't because of the other filesystem which windows is to stupid to read)