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Morphus
March 5th, 2009, 12:22 PM
[SOLVED]This issue has been resolved.
The problem was despite device.map showing the devices were mapped to (hd0), (hd1) and (hd2) they were infact mapped to (hd0), (hd2) and (hd3) which became apparent when running the geometry command at the grub CLI. This explains the unable to read disk error as there was no disk mapped to (hd1) though i still have no idea why the device.map and actual mappings were inconsistent.

Hi,

I am having difficulty configuring windows to work correctly with grub and am currently getting Error 25: Disk Read error.
I have 3 HDD's all with NTFS partitions on them, one is bootable with XP on it and another has at the start also has ubuntu and swap partitions on it.

I have only today installed ubuntu and with it grub, and as a result placed the ubuntu drive into the first sata port, with xp in the second port and the 3rd disk in the 3rd port. I deliberately set it up like this as I did not want place grub near the XP disk, for risk of it causing problems when i later install vista.

My problem is that while ubuntu boots nicely, XP will not boot at all, citing Error 25: Disk Read error. At this point it halts, and pressing any key takes me back to grub. I know however there is nothing wrong with the XP disk, as when I remove sata0, XP (sata1) boots fine.

My configuration is as follows:

Ubuntu 8.10

menu.lst:


## ## End Default Options ##

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for Windows XP on /dev/sdb1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309 ro single

(continues with other linux versions)

/sbin/fdisk -l :


Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd231b932

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2112 16964608+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 2113 30400 227223360 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 2612 30400 223215111 6 FAT16
/dev/sda6 2114 2611 4000153+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x41ab2316

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 30393 244131741 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 750.1 GB, 750156374016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91201 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xbf088f46

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 2612 91201 711599175 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdc5 2612 91201 711599143+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

device.map:


(hd0) /dev/sda
(hd1) /dev/sdb
(hd2) /dev/sdc

Edit:

boot.ini:


[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


If anyone knows what I need to do to fix the bootloader that would be great, its not mission critical as I can boot windows w/o the linux drive then hotplug it to get it in windows, though it would be really nice to get it working properly.

zwdev
March 5th, 2009, 12:42 PM
try this and tell us how it goes;

title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader (hd1,0)+1

Brandon.Viking
March 5th, 2009, 12:47 PM
posted initially without reading your fdisk dump hope the previous post with the chainloader command helps.

Morphus
March 5th, 2009, 12:51 PM
Didn't help. Still unable to read the disk.

This is what the boot.ini looks like:


[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Morphus
March 5th, 2009, 01:23 PM
I initially modified my menu.lst before attempting to boot windows XP from it as I wanted it as the first boot device, I have since then tested the original file, which I made a backup of. This failed in the same way. For reference here is menu.lst as created by the 8.10 Ubuntu installer:



## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=UUID=30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=UUID=30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic

title Ubuntu 8.10, memtest86+
uuid 30816baf-83e1-4420-be07-aecb80b6d309
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### 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/sdb1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sdc2.
title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-21-generic (on /dev/sdc2)
root (hd2,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-21-generic root=UUID=a17ea2cb-ab71-408a-9503-0035bc50e958 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-21-generic
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sdc2.
title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-21-generic (recovery mode) (on /dev/sdc2)
root (hd2,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-21-generic root=UUID=a17ea2cb-ab71-408a-9503-0035bc50e958 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-21-generic
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sdc2.
title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic (on /dev/sdc2)
root (hd2,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=a17ea2cb-ab71-408a-9503-0035bc50e958 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sdc2.
title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic (recovery mode) (on /dev/sdc2)
root (hd2,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=a17ea2cb-ab71-408a-9503-0035bc50e958 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sdc2.
title Ubuntu 8.04.1, memtest86+ (on /dev/sdc2)
root (hd2,1)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
savedefault
boot

Note, the partition referenced on the third boot device has since been removed, this was an old version of ubuntu 6 or 7 i no longer wanted.

Morphus
March 6th, 2009, 03:30 AM
I have since tried manually editing the menu.lst to other values of drives, partitions. Combinations tried are (hd1,1) (hd1,10) which are both partitions which don't exist. I also tried (hd3,0) which is a SATA port which exists though is disbled with no connected device, this also gave the same error. I tried hd(4,0) which would be a 5th SATA port, which my machine does not have, this gave a different error.

It would seem that I am getting the same error as you would get if you specified a hdd or partition which does not exist, or does not have a boot sector. Hopefully this might help people in locating the problem I'm facing.

Thanks again

Morphus
March 6th, 2009, 06:57 AM
Bumping,

If anyone knows a more appropriate place to post this let me know.

Morphus
March 6th, 2009, 09:44 AM
Updated main post, bump.

Morphus
March 8th, 2009, 02:31 PM
Bump again.