Ubuntu 10.04 Won't boot from hdd

[Nickislegit]

Hi, I have tried installing ubuntu over 5 times on my laptop and none have successfully booted from the hdd, when I use "Try ubuntu" I can access the Internet and pretty much do everything except save stuff. This morning I did a clean install of ubuntu and it still won't boot.. I did a little searching around and found a boot_info script and ran it here are my results


Boot Info Script 0.55 dated February 15th, 2010

============================= Boot Info Summary: ==============================

=> Grub 2 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda and looks on the same drive in
partition #1 for /boot/grub.

sda1: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
Boot files/dirs: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab /boot/grub/core.img

sda2: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: Extended Partition
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:

sda5: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: swap
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:

=========================== Drive/Partition Info: =============================

Drive: sda ___________________ __________________________________________________ ___

Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Partition Boot Start End Size Id System

/dev/sda1 * 2,048 471,779,327 471,777,280 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 471,781,374 488,396,799 16,615,426 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 471,781,376 488,396,799 16,615,424 82 Linux swap / Solaris


blkid -c /dev/null: __________________________________________________ __________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1 ext4
/dev/sda2: PTTYPE="dos"
/dev/sda5 0e701831-d8f8-4791-8d27-9dcab4d6a5c0 swap
/dev/sda: PTTYPE="dos"

============================ "mount | grep ^/dev output: ===========================

Device Mount_Point Type Options

aufs / aufs (rw)
/dev/sr0 /cdrom iso9660 (ro,noatime)
/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)


=========================== sda1/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================

#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by /usr/sbin/grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ ${prev_saved_entry} ]; then
set saved_entry=${prev_saved_entry}
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then
saved_entry=${chosen}
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=640x480
insmod gfxterm
insmod vbe
if terminal_output gfxterm ; then true ; else
# For backward compatibility with versions of terminal.mod that don't
# understand terminal_output
terminal gfxterm
fi
fi
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=en
insmod gettext
if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-21-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=UUID=dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-21-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1
echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.32-21-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=UUID=dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1 ro single
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
if [ ${timeout} != -1 ]; then
if keystatus; then
if keystatus --shift; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=0
fi
else
if sleep --interruptible 3 ; then
set timeout=0
fi
fi
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

=============================== sda1/etc/fstab: ===============================

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier
# for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name
# devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=dbdeb8c7-a629-434c-995f-32f0030126c1 / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=0e701831-d8f8-4791-8d27-9dcab4d6a5c0 none swap sw 0 0

=================== sda1: Location of files loaded by Grub: ===================


195.5GB: boot/grub/core.img
110.0GB: boot/grub/grub.cfg
195.5GB: boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
195.5GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
195.5GB: initrd.img
195.5GB: vmlinuz

[darkod]

Is this an older laptop?
Are there any particular errors/symptoms when it can't boot?

[Nickislegit]

Is this an older laptop?
Are there any particular errors/symptoms when it can't boot?

It's only about a year and 1/2 old.. and when I don't have the cd it says that the boot took to long to respond and when I have the cd in it just has that blinking underscore that goes on forever

[darkod]

If you have the cd in, it will try to boot from it if cd-rom is before hdd in boot devices. It can't boot from the cd too? If it can't, it might not be ubuntu or hdd related at all.

[Nickislegit]

If you have the cd in, it will try to boot from it if cd-rom is before hdd in boot devices. It can't boot from the cd too? If it can't, it might not be ubuntu or hdd related at all.

No because I select the boot order manually to go from the hdd, when it trys to boot from the cd it wants me to install it so..

[darkod]

The script results look OK. Nothing I can notice.

I asked about the laptop age because I noticed this:

195.5GB: boot/grub/core.img

The location of one of the grub files is at 195GB. Some older BIOSes are limited not to be able to see boot files beyond 137GB. But I am not sure how old. A laptop 18months old shouldn't have this issue I think.

If you are willing, you could try this: start the installer again, go into manual partitioning, delete all existing partitions and then create

first at the start of the disk a 200MB ext4 /boot partition
then the / partition
then the swap partition

That way you are certain the boot files are at the start of the disk. But I don't know if this is the problem.

[Nickislegit]

meh, well here are the specs, and it looks like it was made in 2008 and I just replaced the hdd with a 250 gb one..

here are the specs

Price $649 Processor 2.0GHz AMD Turion X2 RM-70 Memory 3GB at 800MHz Hard drive 200GB, 5,400rpm Graphics Nvidia GeForce 8200M G Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium Dimensions (WDH) 14.2 x 10.1 x 1.2 inches Screen size (diagonal) 15.4 inches System weight / Weight with AC adapter 5.8 / 6.6 pounds Category Mainstream

[oldfred]

My desktop has an nvidia and both the install and first boot after install put the monitor to sleep. Since my install was from a USB key I could see it was still working, just not the monitor.

I had to do this:
boot from the cd, press F6 and then select the nomodeset option.
then
On first boot after install, press e on getting the GRUB bootloader.
Using arrow keys navigate to and delete quiet and splash and type the word nomodeset in their place
Press Ctrl and X to boot (low graphics mode)

After I installed nvidia driver (default from pop up) then it has worked without issue.
gksudo nvidia-settings

If you only have ubuntu you may have to hold down the shift key from the BIOS boot until you get a menu.