Ubuntu Won't Boot

**drs305** · January 2nd, 2011

I don't know what the specific issue is but doing a search of the last message you get before the system stops booting revealed some possible clues. Here are a just a couple of results (verifying DMI pool data):
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000474.htm

http://www.techsupportforum.com/hard...data-bios.html

**Captainnow** · January 2nd, 2011

Originally Posted by James78

Hmm, it looks like it might be trying to boot from the CD. Is the CD still in the drive?

If that's not the case, I would have no idea, because if it's a grub issue, usually the whole screen goes black and displays some type of text (or blinking cursor). That screenshot might help whoever else identify the problem though.

There is no CD in either drive. If I have a CD in the computer detects it just fine and loads the CD. If I put my Windows XP Pro CD in it will load the setup and complete successfully. I remove the CD. It will reboot to where you see it. Stop there for a quick moment. It will show the two Boot from CD lines just like it does in the screenshot and then start loading windows.

If I put the Ubuntu CD in it will load the CD, and I can run through the setup. It will also complete successfully. I remove the CD and reboot. It then reboots and stops right where you see it in the screenshot.

So in short. All CDs load successfully. Both windows and linux will both say they install successfully. Only Windows will boot when installed. Linux doesn't load.

I'm so confused on this. I do appreciate the help from these forums. I hope a solution can be found. Thanks.

**Captainnow** · January 2nd, 2011

Originally Posted by drs305

I don't know what the specific issue is but doing a search of the last message you get before the system stops booting revealed some possible clues. Here are a just a couple of results (verifying DMI pool data):
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000474.htm

http://www.techsupportforum.com/hard...data-bios.html

The computer will always display "verifying DMI pool data" then list the two boot from CD lines when it loads windows.
It also when Ubuntu Server did work on this machine it would also list that.
I've doubled checked all settings in the BIOS and so far I haven't been able to find anything that is incorrect. I have even loaded default bios settings. No change.

**oldfred** · January 2nd, 2011

Is this an older BIOS that only supports IDE drives? You may then only be able to boot primary master drive.

Older computers let you choose floppy or hard drive and hard drive had to be jumpered to be primary master. They then added CDs and other devices and most newer computers that support SATA drives also let you choose which hard drive is the boot drive in BIOS rather than with jumpers (or cable select) on hard drive.

If you can only boot primary master and can boot windows then you do not have grub installed to the primary master. If you have newer BIOS you should be able to change drive boot order to drive with grub installed.

If you have server install, it is not liveCD. Download liveCD and run this:

Boot Info Script courtesy of forum member meierfra
Page with instructions and download:
http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/
Paste results.txt, then highlight entire file and click on # in edit panel(code tags) to make it easier to read.
Or You can generate the tags first by pressing the # icon in the post's menu and then paste the contents between the generated [ code] paste here [ /code] tags.

**Captainnow** · January 2nd, 2011

Originally Posted by oldfred

Is this an older BIOS that only supports IDE drives? You may then only be able to boot primary master drive.

Older computers let you choose floppy or hard drive and hard drive had to be jumpered to be primary master. They then added CDs and other devices and most newer computers that support SATA drives also let you choose which hard drive is the boot drive in BIOS rather than with jumpers (or cable select) on hard drive.

If you can only boot primary master and can boot windows then you do not have grub installed to the primary master. If you have newer BIOS you should be able to change drive boot order to drive with grub installed.

If you have server install, it is not liveCD. Download liveCD and run this:

Boot Info Script courtesy of forum member meierfra
Page with instructions and download:
http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/
Paste results.txt, then highlight entire file and click on # in edit panel(code tags) to make it easier to read.
Or You can generate the tags first by pressing the # icon in the post's menu and then paste the contents between the generated [ code] paste here [ /code] tags.

I will double check and make sure the correct drive is listed for the first hard drive to boot. I'm pretty sure it is, but I will double check that.

Just to make sure this is clear. Windows isn't currently installed. I just have Ubuntu Server 10.04 installed right now. When I have installed windows it as as a sole windows machine and it does work as a sole windows machine.

I know at the end of the server install it installs Grub.

**oldfred** · January 2nd, 2011

Grub likes to install to sda, but if you are booting from another drive then the system will halt after not being able to boot from the CD. Did you choose which drive to install grub to and then in BIOS make that the default boot drive?

**Captainnow** · January 3rd, 2011

Originally Posted by oldfred

Grub likes to install to sda, but if you are booting from another drive then the system will halt after not being able to boot from the CD. Did you choose which drive to install grub to and then in BIOS make that the default boot drive?

Thanks to this information this allowed me to solve the problem. Here is what happened.

I have 3 hard drives installed.
One 500 GB comes up as /dev/sda
The 250 GB comes up as /dev/sdb
Other 500 GB comes up as /dev/sdc

Now I'm not sure why the 250 GB is on /dev/sdb when it is plugged in to the number 1 sata port on the motherboard.

I'm installing the OS to the 250 GB (/dev/sdb) and the at the end of the installation it installs grub but it doesn't ask or say which drive it is installing grub too.
So I just unhooked the 500 GBs drives. Installed the OS without those drives being detected.
The Ubuntu server now boots. It would appear that Grub was going on /dev/sda and since I put the OS on /dev/sdb it wasn't able to find it to load the operating system.

Is there anyway to change what drive is assigned /dev/sda, /dev/sdb/, and /dev/sdc?

**oldfred** · January 3rd, 2011

On my system I have the drives in connectors 1,3, & 5 and they are in that order. Note that even then the boot drive in grub is always hd0 as my USB flash drive is still hd0 when it is seen as sdf. Note sure why it skips sde & sdd?

But I have seen others with drives not in port order. And those with mixed IDE & SATA will sometimes very by boot. May have to do with when drive wakes/powers up and BIOS first finds it.