Installed Kubuntu, then Ubuntu, now Grub 15

[bigric]

So here's what I've done to get myself a grub error 15 at boot:

1. I had XP installed on the system.
2. I installed Kubuntu 8.04, using the installer to resize the XP partition. I had no problems with the boot manager that it installed.
3. I decided I'd prefer Ubuntu, so I used its installer to reformat the partition that Kubuntu was on and installed. I believe my first problem was leaving the "install bootloader" box checked at this point.

After the Ubuntu install I rebooted to a grub 15 error. After reading lots of these threads I think I've got some of the relevant information ready by booting to the Ubuntu install CD:

sda1 is my Dell utility partition (48 MB)
sda2 is my XP partition (60 GB)
sda3 is the Dell media partition (3.4 GB)
sda4 shows Extended (12 GB, not sure where this came from)
sda5 shows Linux (12 GB, what I set up for Linux)
sda6 is swap (600 MB)

/boot/grub/menu.lst doesn't exist

This is on my laptop so there's only one SATA hard drive installed.

What do I need to do to get a boot menu set up so that I can select XP or Ubuntu? Are there now two boot managers installed?

I'm pretty green with linux so please spell out what I need to do. Thanks!

[Pumalite]

Boot your Live CD and post from the Terminal:
sudo fdisk -l

[iaculallad]

What about giving this command on your terminal:

Code:

cat /boot/grub/device.map

Does it show you something?

[bigric]

Disk /dev/sda: 78.5 GB, 78518522880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9546 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Disk identifier: 0x41ab2316

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 6 48163+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 * 7 7504 60227685 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 9116 9545 3453975 db CP/M / CTOS / ...
/dev/sda4 7505 9115 12940357+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 7505 9041 12345921 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 9042 9115 594373+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris



cat /boot/grub/device.map gives: no such file or directory

[confused57]

Try reinstalling grub, using the Ubuntu live cd:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=224351

[bigric]

Try reinstalling grub, using the Ubuntu live cd:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=224351

Thanks. Just tried that and got an error 15 when I did find /boot/grub/stage1. I also tried the workaround of mounting my Ubuntu partition as /mnt/root but that was also a nogo.

Interestingly, after mounting /dev/sda5 as /mnt/root I get nothing when I ls /mnt/root. Is it possible that something went very wrong with my install and I just need to reinstall?

[confused57]

Thanks. Just tried that and got an error 15 when I did find /boot/grub/stage1. I also tried the workaround of mounting my Ubuntu partition as /mnt/root but that was also a nogo.

Interestingly, after mounting /dev/sda5 as /mnt/root I get nothing when I ls /mnt/root. Is it possible that something went very wrong with my install and I just need to reinstall?

It would probably be quicker & easier just to reinstall Ubuntu, installing grub to (hd0), which is the default location(mbr).

[bigric]

OK, the second install attempt gave an IO error at 60%. I ran a check on the install CD, and naturally, it failed. I'm redownloading and burning right now, so hopefully I'll have better results this evening. Thanks for everybody's help. Now I have something to do during the commercials on Lost tonight.

[Topsiho]

I react to:

sda1 is my Dell utility partition (48 MB)
sda2 is my XP partition (60 GB)
sda3 is the Dell media partition (3.4 GB)
sda4 shows Extended (12 GB, not sure where this came from)
sda5 shows Linux (12 GB, what I set up for Linux)
sda6 is swap (600 MB)

You have sda5 and sda6, which are logical partitions, which have to reside within an extended partition, which is sda4. So that is where sda4 comes from , it is a repository for partitions sda5, 6, etc.

Next: As sda5 and 6 together are 12,6 GB, sda4 must be 12,6 GB or larger.

Then: You do not need to install Kubuntu and Ubuntu separately, as you would with Ubuntu and, let us say, Fedora or Suse or Mandriva, for which you would have to prepare separate (logical) partitions.

You need only to first install one (Let's say Kubuntu), and after that you install ubuntu-desktop from Synaptic, or in a console (sudo apt-get ubuntu-desktop). It only takes some time for a lot has to be downloaded and after that veryfied, installed and configured.

If you can't get Grub reinstalled from the above advice, please install Kubuntu again, and after that Ubuntu as I described.

It's nice to know that (most or all) Gnome programs work in Kubuntu and same for KDE-programs in Ubuntu. Gnome and KDE are both great, and have their own advantages and disadvantages. I prefer KDE however for the KDE-translations (Dutch) are much better

Topsiho