Grub Error 21

[zizzu]

Thanks for your help in advance. As you've guessed, I'm a newbie to Linux installations. I'm not a new user though & am fairly comfortable with unix but not when it comes to Grub Errors..

I have a Toshiba Tecra Windows XP laptop & a external 40GB Seagate Drive. I tried installing Mandriva One 2007 using the live CD onto to my external drive. Mandriva was installing on the external drive (it created the partitions by itself) but when it came to setting up Grub, I keep getting the error 21 at Stage 1.5. I don't have a copy of /etc/fstab but this is what my partitions look like.

Laptop HDD (37GB)
-----------
Device: sda1
DOS drive letter: C
Type: NTFS
Size: 34GB

Device: sda2
DOS drive letter: D
Type: Hidden W95 FAT32 (LBA)
Size: 2.9GB

External Seagate (40GB)
----------------
Device: sdb1
Type: Journalised FS: ext3
Size: 7.8GB
Mounted

Device: sdb5
Type: Linux swap
Size: 3.9GB
Mounted

Device: sdb6
Type: Journalised FS: ext3
Size: 25GB
Mounted

I installed Mandriva on sdb1. Below is what the /boot/grub/menu.lst file looks like.

timeout - 10
color black/cyan yellow/cyan
default 3

title linux
kernal (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/ splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title linux-nonfb
kernal (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title failsafe
kernal (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/ failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title windows
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

title windows1
root (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

When asked where to install GRUB, I selected the internal drive on my laptop where XP is installed. I suppose that's the MBR. Now, the only thing I can do with my laptop is boot it up with Madriva with the live CD. Any suggestions? Is there some edit I need to make to the menu.lst file? May be pointing to the wrong disc? Please let me know if you need additional info. I've searched lots of forums but can't seem to come up with a clear answer on what needs to be done. Thanks again.

[devils casper]

hi zizzu !!

Welcome to the LinuxForums.

you are right. grub.conf file is pointing to wrong disk.
boot up from LiveCD and edit grub.conf

title linux
kernal (hd1,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1 splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd1,0)/boot/initrd.img

there are two more lines, splashimage and root. edit those too.
OR
post the exact contents of /boot/grub/grub.conf and device.map files.





Casper

[zizzu]

devils_casper,

Thanks a mill. Will give it a shot & get right back to you. Cheers..

[zizzu]

Here's what device.map looks like

(hd0) /dev/sda
(hd1) /dev/sdb

Here's what /boot/grub/menu.lst (grub.conf in others..)

title linux
kernal (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1 splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title linux-nonfb
kernal (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title failsafe
kernal (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1 failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title windows
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

title windows1
root (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

I edited the above as you suggested but no luck. Let me give you a step by step of how I got here.

- Did a live install of Mandriva One using a live CD on an external 40GB Seagate USB drive.
- I used the System Configuration boot menu to setup & install grub. I install it on the internal drive of the laptop where XP is installed (sda). Here's where the confusion is.
- After the grub installation, how does editing the menu.lst file make a difference? Do the install.sh executable have to be run again to install the changes on to the mbr?
- Do the grub files have to be copied to sdb1? I guess once the install is done on the mbr (sda), it does not matter?
- I have to repeat the same thing after every failure since the only way to boot the laptop is using the live CD? All the grub files have to created again.

- Lastly, Is there a way to restore the original windows mbr using a recovery CD or something? Can a XP boot file be downloaded to CD? I know now that I should have installed the recovery console on my laptop.

Thanks again..

[zizzu]

Any suggestions, things I could try out? Devils_casper? Thanks..

[devils casper]

hi zizzu !

does your laptop's BIOS support booting up from External Disk? its possible to fix GRUB. but the problem is, its installed in MBR of internal harddisk and its configuration files are in External disk. you will need External disk to boot up Windows too else GRUB will throw errors.
now, solution is, remove GRUB from MBR of internal disk and install GRUB in MBR of External disk. boot up from Windows installation/recovery CD and select 'repair'. execute 'fixmbr'. Windows will boot up normally on reboot.
plug-in External disk and boot up from LiveCD and post the output of 'fdisk -l' command.






Casper

[zizzu]

No, the BIOS doesn't support booting from an external disk.. was wondering about that.

I have the XP installation CD but windows won't boot from it. i.e. I cannot get to the recovery console to repair the MBR. Is the XP recovery CD a different one? Could I download from somewhere & burn to CD?

I will try installing grub on the external drive once I get the MBR fixed. Thanks..

[devils casper]

you can create a bootable CD or use Bootable Floppy ( if you have Floppy drive ) to fix MBR.
as your lappy doesn't have External disk bootup support, no need to fixmbr now. GRUB-install in External disk wont work.
first of all fix Windows. edit grub.conf file.

title windows
root (hd1,0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

save file and reboot. External disk must be plugged in. this is a problem now. you have to keep External Disk plugged-in all the time, even if you want to boot up Windows.

in this situation, where machine doesn't support booting up from external disk, either create /boot partition in Internal Harddisk OR use Windows Boot Loader.

in case, windows doen't boot up after editing grub.conf, edit device.map file too.

(hd1) /dev/sda
(hd0) /dev/sdb

check if Windows boot up now.
post the output of fdisk -l command.





Casper

[zizzu]

Hi Casper,

Doesn't boot up. Tried both - first editing menu.lst & second editing device.map as well.

Here's the output of fdisk -l.

Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
225 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 4478 35969503+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 4479 4864 3100545 1c Hidden W95 FAT32 (LBA)


Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 38154 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 8000 8191984 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 8001 38154 30877696 5 Extended
/dev/sbd5 8001 12000 4095984 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb6 12001 38154 26781680 83 Linux


I am working on making a bootable CD to get windows going. Thanks..

[devils casper]

does GRUB menu pop up at start up?





Casper