PC-BSD ruined it..

[netstrider]

---

I installed PC-BSD while having Ubuntu and WinXP on. Now the BSD bootloader is so messed up by default, I can only boot from disk or into what it calls "DOS" which is WinXP. It has Linux in Option 'F3' and nothing on 'F2'...However when I press F3 nothing happens. So I can't even boot into BSD itself...

So at this moment I'm on the Ubuntu LiveCD trying to re-install GRUB and maybe boot BSD from Linux's bootloader (which is alot prettier anyway). The big problem is I cannot install the damn thing from the LiveCD..

I do sudo grub-install /dev/sda and then I get this:

root@ubuntu:/# grub-install /dev/sda
Could not find device for /boot: Not found or not a block device.

I tried mounting sda by adding it to fstab etc...I don't know what to do anymore and I'd really not like to lose my Ubuntu installation because it was so nicely customized for my use...

[Roxoff]

You need to mount up your system in one place that chroot to it, probably something like this:

mount /dev/hda1 /mnt
mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/boot
mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/home
chroot /mnt

then your own system will be 'live'; next you just run the grub installer - you may want to add entries for the BSD partition to your grub.conf file, but you can boot into linux later and fix that if you like.

[devils casper]

a quick question... which Harddisk do you have? SATA or ATA






Casper

[netstrider]

Well I had already done this:

>> mkdir /mnt/realubuntu
>> /dev/sda3 /mnt/realubuntu ext3 defaults,umask=0 0 0 (Added this into FSTAB)
>> mount -t ext3 /dev/sda3 /mnt/realubuntu
>> chroot /mnt/realubuntu

Now I get this:

root@ubuntu:/# sudo grub-install /dev/sda
sudo: unable to lookup ubuntu via gethostbyname()

Without 'sudo' I get this:

root@ubuntu:/# grub-install /dev/sda
/dev/sda: Not found or not a block device.

To casper: Serial ATA (I always use sda so...)

[devils casper]

post the output of fdisk -l command.





Casper

[netstrider]

Well the LiveCD gives me this:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sdc: 513 MB, 513802240 bytes
16 heads, 32 sectors/track, 1960 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 512 * 512 = 262144 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdc1   *           1        1960      501744    b  W95 FAT32
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

/mnt/realubuntu gives me this:

root@ubuntu:/# fdisk -l
cannot open /proc/partitions
root@ubuntu:/#

[devils casper]

its listing only one partition having FAT32 FileSystem. where is Linux Partitions?
how many harddisks do you have?





Casper

[netstrider]

I have 120GB Seagate SATA x 2

On my primary HDD where XP is installed I have:
XP
Storage backup drive (Partition on its own) - sda5
Ubuntu (20GB) - sda3
Swap

On the second HDD I have:
Music partition - sdb1
PC-BSD - sdb2
Another Swap (Didn't know long ago that only one swap is needed)

EDIT: I think the FAT it sees there is my 512 USB drive...

[devils casper]

its not recognizing your internal harddisks. are you able to mount partitions manually?
did this command work?

mount -t ext3 /dev/sda3 /mnt/realubuntu

fdisk should display all the partitions of all harddisks.





Casper

[netstrider]

Well it shows all my HDD's and partitions etc...in 'My Computer' but I can't access them so I added 'realubuntu' manually and that worked...but I have no writing permissions on it...