Mandrake 10.1 Boot error: "GRUB Geom Error"

[rcunning]

Mandrake 10.1 Boot error: "GRUB Geom Error"

I installed 10.1 to my second disk (sdb). During the install, I bypassed the first bootloader install prompt, since it didn't tell me where it was going to be installed, and I didn't want the MBR on sda to be modified. Later during the install, I used the second bootloader offer (in a graphical list) to install grub on the MBR of sdb.

After repeated boot attempts consistently caused the above error message, I booted from CD1 and entered rescue mode. I mounted all my partitions, did a chroot to /mnt, then cd to /boot/grub and looked at everything there.

The files all looked sane, so I ran install.sh and rebooted, only to get the same grub error message.

I've installed well over a dozen different distros onto sdb (it's my distro test drive), many of which used grub. This is the first time I've ever had a grub failure. I use lilo on sda with an entry to do a chain boot to sdb, which makes it easy to test distros.

Since I tested sdb and know it is good, I'm guessing there's a bug in grub (there is a bug in the Fedora grub, and I think Mandrake uses the same one). If so, it would be VERY useful if a new iso for CD1 could be created and distributed.

But until then, how do I get my new 10.1 install to boot?

Until I get a reply here, I think I'll see if I can use lilo on sdb, or maybe fd0.

-BobC

P.S.: My system:
ABIT BP-6 mobo
dual Celeron 555
256 MB RAM
Symbios SCSI controller
3 SCSI disks (sda, sdb, sdc)
IDE CD burner
generic net adapter (rtl8139)
ATI All-In-Wonder Pro (Rage64)

[jeremy1701]

The default Mandrake installation uses lilo for a bootloader, not Grub. You would have had to specify Grub when you installed the bootloader in order to use it. If you're using Grub, perhaps switching to lilo on sdb would work. If you're not using Grub, check out the /etc/lilo.conf file to make sure all is well there.

Jeremy

[Windwood]

I had MDK 10.1 installed and running fairly well but with some garbage that I didn't know how to deal with. Anyway I decided to install Fedora Core 3 and go through a tutorial I had recently obtained.

My system is a 1.4mhz 568meg Dell Optiplex that had a 10 gig HD. I got the box w/out an OS. I added an 80 gig several months ago.

I don't have windows on but I wanted to keep the MDK when I loaded the Fed Core 3, on the 10 gig drive.

I went through the auto process for partitioning and assumed that everything was OK. Went to boot up and got the Grub geom error. Tried to reinstall, can't. Tried to get to my MDK- can't figure out how. I don't know what possessed me but I made a boot-loader floppy and used it to get the box started at least. Starts to boot and produces a message along the way that goes something like

"kernal panic. Trying........." and the keyboard starts flashing off and on continuously. Only way to stop this is w/a reset.

The addition of the 80 gig hd did not seem to affect anything but from what I'm reading it may have. The processor is on a removable unit on the motherboard. Should I be looking at upgrading this? Is that possible? The box is about 5 years old.

I just don't have enough knowledge to know where to go with this.

The default Mandrake installation uses lilo for a bootloader, not Grub. You would have had to specify Grub when you installed the bootloader in order to use it. If you're using Grub, perhaps switching to lilo on sdb would work

This may be a lead for me with a similar issue.

Should I try to switch to lilo? Should I try to mess w/hda, hdb or whatever? How do I do that? Could the MDK install have caused a problem? Should I just FORMAT C?
I can get into the bios but CDs don't work.
The frustrating is that MDK 10.1 was working, sort of.

Help appreciated