GRUB stops at a command line during stage 2 install reboot

Thu Oct 7 06:29:36 UTC 2004

Greetings again Martin!

On Tue, 2004-10-05 at 13:05 +0200, Martin Pitt wrote:
> Hi Bob!

> Configuring at this point isn't really easy. I would recommend to boot
> a rescue system [1]. then you can modify your Ubuntu installation:
> 
> # mkdir /ubuntu
> # mount /dev/hdaX /ubuntu    # X = the partition you installed Ubuntu in
> # chroot /ubuntu

Hmm, I didn't have any luck doing the above with Knoppix. I was able to
create the /ubuntu directory, but nothing else seemed to work. Here's
the results from the root terminal on my second try after I had created
the ubuntu directory:

root at ttyp0[knoppix]# mkdir /ubuntu
mkdir: cannot create directory `/ubuntu': File exists
root at ttyp0[knoppix]# mount /dev/sda2 /ubuntu
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sda2,
       or too many mounted file systems
root at ttyp0[knoppix]# chroot /ubuntu
chroot: cannot run command `/bin/bash': No such file or directory
root at ttyp0[knoppix]#
root at ttyp0[knoppix]#

Best I can tell the sda2 or any other partition is mounted.

> Now you are on your Ubuntu installation.
> 
> # grub-install
> # exit
> # umount /ubuntu
> 
> Then you can try again. But it should work without this fiddling out
> of the box. When you are in your ubuntu installation, can you please
> do
> 
> # fdisk -l
> 
> and show us the results?
> 

Here's the fdisk -l results from the system in its non-booting state.
This is my Seagate 15k rpm SCSI hd, so that's correct. fdisk isn't
showing the other drives in the system because (I think) Knoppix doesn't
support the ICH5 SATA chipset (I booted again using a SuSE 9.1 LiveCD
and fdisk there showed all my hd's and partitions). The system still
won't boot, it stops at a "NTLDR is missing" message now. Perhaps you
can see something in here to explain why. I also included the Grub
menu.lst info below.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
root at ttyp0[knoppix]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 18.3 GB, 18351967232 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2231 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1        1305    10482381    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2   *        1306        2188     7092697+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3            2189        2231      345397+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5            2189        2231      345366   82  Linux swap
root at ttyp0[knoppix]#

------------------------------------------------------------------

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 
0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the
default 
entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.           
default        0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the 
default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout        3

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive 
editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by
the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title        Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root        (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader    +1
#
# title        Linux
# root        (hd0,1)
# kernel    /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default optons below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specifiv kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/sdc2 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd2,1)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(recovery mode) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## nonaltoption boot targets option
## This option contols options to pass to only the
## primary kernel menu item.
## You can have ONLY one nonaltoptions line
# nonaltoptions=quiet splash

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## ## End Default Options ##

title        Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.8.1-3-386
root        (hd2,1)
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8.1-3-386 root=/dev/sdc2 ro quiet splash
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.8.1-3-386
savedefault
boot

title        Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.8.1-3-386 (recovery mode)
root        (hd2,1)
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8.1-3-386 root=/dev/sdc2 ro single
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.8.1-3-386
savedefault
boot

title        Memory test
root        (hd2,1)
kernel        /boot/memtest86+.bin

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the
Debian
# ones.
title        Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux
OS
# on /dev/sdc1
title        Windows NT/2000/XP
root        (hd2,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader    +1

-----------------------------------------------------------

Odd that fdisk sees the boot drive as sda and the Grub menu list sees
the drive as sdc. If I try the mount command you gave me in your
instructions with sdc (mount /dev/sdc2 /ubuntu) I get an error message
"mount: /dev/sdc2 is not a valid block device."

Hope you can make something of this. I sure you're very busy right now
with the pending release. If this has to wait a bit, that's OK with me.
I'm appreciative of the help.

Regards,

Bob