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fcn
November 8th, 2009, 02:39 PM
Yesterday I tried to install Karmic from another partition using this instructions (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromLinux). After installation finished and reboot, it suddenly started memtest. I didn't understand why, and I didn't know much about new GRUB. I was really scared :) I have to thank to drs305 from #grub channel on irc://freenode.net for their help.

Now, If you stuck there too, remember the first rule: Be cool, we'll fix it.

* Press ESC to exit memtest.
* After BIOS screen, keep SHIFT key pressed. GRUB menu should be there. If you can see the appropriate entry to boot, try it. It may work.
* In my situation, there were only two entries and both were memtest. So there was not any appropriate choice. So I pressed c for a GRUB2 command line. There should come the GRUB shell.


sh:grub> _Perhaps I should talk about my partitions right now.


/dev/sda1 : Primary, VFAT.
/dev/sda3 : Primary, ext3. My installation disk area (~760MB)
/dev/sda2 : Extended
|__ /dev/sda5 : swap.
|__ /dev/sda6 : ext4. My main installation area (20GB)If you don't remember your partitions, this may help you have an idea about them:


sh:grub> lsMy problem was that: linux-image-2.4.31-14-generic package did not installed properly. Because of this, there was not a vmlinuz kernel in /boot directory, and because of there was not a kernel file, grub-install couldn't add anything to list. Now what can I do? I tried to boot into my new disk using casper kernel, to reinstall linux-image-2.4.31-14-generic to solve problem.


sh:grub> set root=(hd0,3) REMEMBER: /dev/sda3 was hd0,2 in GRUB but this changed in GRUB2. Now it is hd0,3 for sda3.
sh:grub> linux /casper/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda6 rw
sh:grub> initrd /casper/initrd.lz
sh:grub> bootNow it should boot into your newly installed system using LiveCD's kernel. From now on, there is no much things to do left. First open a terminal and then:


fcn@ubuntu-laptop:~$ sudo apt-get clean
fcn@ubuntu-laptop:~$ sudo apt-get update
fcn@ubuntu-laptop:~$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-image-2.4.31-14-genericAfter installing new kernel, you must reconfigure your GRUB2. So:


fcn@ubuntu-laptop:~$ grub-install /dev/sda
fcn@ubuntu-laptop:~$ sudo update-grub
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
done
fcn@ubuntu-laptop:~$ sudo shutdown -r nowHave a good day with your new Karmic :)

andrewkk
November 10th, 2009, 10:42 PM
Any idea why this happens? Is there a bug report for it on Launchpad?

Xnyper
December 5th, 2009, 06:05 PM
Thanks, worked like a charm!

Also, I believe that

$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-image-2.4.31-14-generic
should be

$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic

aextance
December 7th, 2009, 07:00 PM
Oh yes! Thanks so much FCN! I've been struggling with this all day, and my work has suffered accordingly. I was trying to do a clean install of Karmic, but I have no CD burner. The odd thing was, after the first attempt GRUB2 kept all of my legacy kernels, but not Koala.

I think if I'd have tried this method at that point I would have quite a straightforward import of my data, but now I've basically wiped everything and will have to reimport from backups. At least its working now though!

While it's nicer to have a startup straight from GRUB2 rather than going through GRUB, and I'm excited to have actually got a clean Karmic install, frustratingly, it doesn't appear to have solved the minor problem that I undertook all this rigmarole to sort out (which you can find out about at the link below).

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8422246

presence1960
December 7th, 2009, 08:20 PM
Did you notice instruction # 9?

9. Reboot and keep those fingers crossed.

Right there that tells me there is likely to be some sort of problem with using that method. But if you aren't able to boot a CD/USB you may have no other choice.

sgiandubh
December 14th, 2009, 10:48 AM
Thank you, fcn! Your solution worked for me.