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Thread: [SOLVED] Grub Error 17 on boot

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex

    [SOLVED] Grub Error 17 on boot

    My disk is this:

    /dev/sda1 - Vista
    /dev/sda2 - Swap
    /dev/sda3 - Ubuntu 8.10 in unknown condition, formerly Fedora 10

    Basically, I installed 8.10 to the Fedora partition. The installer crashed around 94% with a GRUB error, and now I get GRUB error 17 on boot and cannot access any OS. I don't know if Ubuntu is intact, but I can access the files in /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda3 using the LiveCD. My attempts to repair GRUB (grub-install, sudo grub, super grub disk, etc.) have all failed with errors.

    What should I do? I want to restore GRUB so I can access Ubuntu and Vista.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex

    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    Anyone?

    The main problem seems to be that, despite me having /boot/grub/stage1 on /dev/sda3 and being able to visit it in file browsers and everything, GRUB cannot find it when I use:

    find /boot/grub/stage1

    It returns:

    Error 15: file not found

    Also,

    root (anything I can think of)
    setup (hd0)

    returns that it isn't a block device.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    might want to look at the fix that was posted:
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=379012
    "Oh. This is getting hit on the head lessons in here."

    -- Monty Python Argument Sketch

  4. #4
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    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    Having the Ubuntu installer fail at 94% is unfortunately a known bug, but the good news is that it can usually be circumvented by clicking the "advanced" button near the end of the installation process, and specify to have Grub installed to /dev/sda if sda is the drive you are installing Ubuntu to (most likely). How about giving that a shot and let me know how it goes.

  5. #5
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    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    Quote Originally Posted by pennacook View Post
    might want to look at the fix that was posted:
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=379012
    That problem was because they have two harddrives. I have one. I have used their method and I don't have an hd1, so that isn't the problem.

    Quote Originally Posted by caljohnsmith
    Having the Ubuntu installer fail at 94% is unfortunately a known bug, but the good news is that it can usually be circumvented by clicking the "advanced" button near the end of the installation process, and specify to have Grub installed to /dev/sda if sda is the drive you are installing Ubuntu to (most likely). How about giving that a shot and let me know how it goes.
    I've just tried that and it gave the same error message. Since it looks like it is just using grub-install, I imagine it's getting the same errors as when I try that from the command line.

  6. #6
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    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    OK, another method that has worked for people to get around that 94% install error is to format the Ubuntu partition to use ext2 rather than ext3 as the file system. If that works, it is really simple to upgrade the file system to ext3 after Ubuntu is installed by doing:
    Code:
    sudo tune2fs -j /dev/sdXY
    Replace sdXY with your Ubuntu partition of course. After that, I believe the only thing you will need to do is edit your /etc/fstab so that the Ubuntu partition is mounted with "ext3" instead of "ext2". If you need help with that let me know. Otherwise let me know how it goes.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    Quote Originally Posted by caljohnsmith View Post
    OK, another method that has worked for people to get around that 94% install error is to format the Ubuntu partition to use ext2 rather than ext3 as the file system. If that works, it is really simple to upgrade the file system to ext3 after Ubuntu is installed by doing:
    Code:
    sudo tune2fs -j /dev/sdXY
    Replace sdXY with your Ubuntu partition of course. After that, I believe the only thing you will need to do is edit your /etc/fstab so that the Ubuntu partition is mounted with "ext3" instead of "ext2". If you need help with that let me know. Otherwise let me know how it goes.
    Same error, unfortunately.

  8. #8
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    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    OK, how about instead installing Ubuntu without Grub, and then I can help you install Grub afterwards if you want. If you click the "advanced" button again during the install, you can choose to omit Grub there. If that works, post the output of:
    Code:
    sudo fdisk -lu
    After you finish the installation, and please identify your partitions.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex

    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    Is it enough to give you the output from the LiveCD? I'd like to install GRUB from the LiveCD too.

    Code:
    ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -lu
    
    Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
    255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders, total 312581808 sectors
    Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0xbb3d7c05
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sda1   *        2048   234754047   117376000    7  HPFS/NTFS
    /dev/sda2       234757845   235159469      200812+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
    /dev/sda3       235159470   312576704    38708617+  8e  Linux LVM
    /dev/sda1 - Windows Vista
    /dev/sda2 - Swap
    /dev/sda3 - Ubuntu 8.10

  10. #10
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    Re: Grub Error 17 on boot

    OK, from your Live CD, try the following, and please copy/paste your terminal session so I can see the output of all the commands:
    Code:
    sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
    sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt --recheck /dev/sda
    sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
    sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
    sudo chroot /mnt
    apt-get install grub
    update-grub
    cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
    exit
    If you get an error from any of the commands, stop immediately and don't do the rest of them. Let me know how it goes.

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