pridefc

Grub Error 18: Exceeds Bios ( post #1)

Hello,

Thank you in advance.
I was running Suse 10 and just added Debian 3.1 to multiboot.
I can boot to Suse just fine however, when I try to boot to newly installed Debian, I get:

Grub Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS
root (hd0,2)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /boot/vmlinz-2.6.8-2-386 root =/dev/hda3 ro

Here's fdisk output:
Disk /dev/hda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 102 819283+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda2 103 10546 83891430 83 Linux (**Suse 10**)
/dev/hda3 * 10547 19369 70870747+ 83 Linux (**Debian 3.1**)
/dev/hda4 19370 19457 706860 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 19370 19457 706828+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Here's the menu.lst:
color white/blue black/light-gray
default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd0,1)/boot/message

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title SUSE LINUX 10.0
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 vga=0x314 selinux=0 resume=/dev/hda1 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- SUSE LINUX 10.0
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 vga=normal showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume selinux=0 nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd /boot/initrd

( ** I added this part to existing Suse's menu.lst**)
title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.8-2-386
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 root=/dev/hda3 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-2-386
savedefault
boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.8-2-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 root=/dev/hda3 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-2-386
savedefault
boot

chopin1810

How large is the Debian partition?

drakebasher

Another option is to copy your Debian kernel (and initrd if you use one) to your Suse /boot partition and edit your /boot/grub/grub.conf file accordingly: that is, pointing to the new location of your kernel and initrd (and root (hd0,1)) while leaving the root=/dev/hda3 kernel parameter pointing to the Debian root / directory. You can make a /debian directory in your Suse /boot directory if you want, to keep things orderly, but you need to account for that in your Grub statements. Lemme know how you want to set it up and post your grub.conf if you have questions.

Whenever installation of multiple distros is anticipated, it's a good idea to have a dedicated /boot partition near the beginning of the drive: that partition can then be shared by all distros as needed.

*edit (darn, you already posted your grub.conf!)
Assuming you choose to mkdir /boot/debian in your Suse /dev/hda2 partition and copy your Debian kernel and initrd there, you would then change your Debian grub.conf stanza so:

__________________
/IMHO
//got nothin'
///this use to look better

pridefc

Back in business.

Thank you. You saved my day.

kitanis

as I am a newbie myself.. would this also work with loading another distro with SUSE 10 on another harddrive?

I had a simular problem with trying to load Vector Linux on a Hdb1 partician while having SUSE on the HDA drive.

drakebasher

If it's basically the same problem, yes. Grub works at a very basic level and so has some limits in how it recognizes your hardware components and arrangement. The Linux kernel, on the other hand, when properly configured, knows all and sees all. So this solution addresses just that: it puts the kernel in a place where Grub can recognize and load it, and then the kernel takes over from there.

I first used this solution when I had an ATA/133 expansion card to drive a "large" hard drive in an older machine whose BIOS could not recognize the large drive and where Grub could not productively recognize it. I put the Linux kernel in a /boot partition on a suitably small drive connected directly to the motherboard. The kernel, of course, could recognize the ATA/133 card so all worked well.

__________________
/IMHO
//got nothin'
///this use to look better

dfp10

I have a related problem. On my Iry 80gb master hard disk (hda) I have WinXP in the first 2 gb and Suse 10.1 in the rest of the drive. I have Debian on the IIry 80gb master (hdc). I have been trying to edit the Suse grub to list the debian as an alternative boot but I only get grub errors. The suse grub window offers:
suse10.1
windows
safe suse10.1
|boot ...........

Fdisk shows the following (abbreviated):
1st master suse hd
Boot fs blocks
/dev/hda1 * FAT16 2048256
/dev/hda2 W95 extd 77987542+
/dev/hda5 linux swap 1052226
/dev/hda6 linux 5245191
/dev/hda7 linux 4200966
/dev/hda8 linux 1052226
/dev/hda89 linux 1052226
/dev/hda10 linux 208813+
/dev/hda1 linux 2104483+
/dev/hda12 linux 409626
/dev/hda13 linux 409626
/dev/hda14 linux 1052226
/dev/hda15 linux 57842001

2nd master debian hd
/dev/hdc1 linux 20972826
/dev/hdc2 extended 2321392+
/dev/hdc3 linux 20972857
/dev/hdc4 linux 33881085
/dev/hdc5 linux swap 2321361

What grub commands will give choice of debian while suse is starting to boot?
Thanks for any help
Don Parsons
dfp10@capital.net

sanchiro

I am experiencing the same "Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maxiumum supported by BIOS" message.

My dilemma is my drive, an SATA is too big for the BIOS to recognize. It was installed when my machine booted off an IDE drive which contained the drive translation code, compliments of Maxblast (it's a Maxstor drive). This would fool the old BIOS, and then the SATA would load up after booting off the IDE drive.

Now though, I want to remove the IDE drive and boot up, but can't. My new BIOS chip arrives tomorrow (we tried but could not flash update it), and hopefully this will resolve it, but is there some other way?

gtsjames

Please forgive my ignorance, but how would I move the boot partition? I have a single OS install of Open Solaris 10 and it gives me the error whenever I try to load the Normal OS or the failsafe version.

devils casper

you can use GParted to move partitions. before doing that, visit websitre of your MotherBoard's manufacturer ans check latest version of BIOS. in case, your machine BIOS is older, upgrade it.....



casper

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