cannot boot from usb external hard disk

[hocico0777]

Good morning community,
I installed ubuntu 10.04 in an external usb hard disk (after destroying my internal one),the installation was successful but when i boot i get the message: no such file system

My bootinfoscript results are:


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 #3 for /boot/grub.

sda1: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows XP
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files/dirs:

sda2: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: vfat
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files/dirs:

sda3: __________________________________________________ _______________________

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

sda4: __________________________________________________ _______________________

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 63 472,815,939 472,815,877 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 472,817,664 474,769,407 1,951,744 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda3 * 474,769,408 483,448,831 8,679,424 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 483,448,832 488,396,799 4,947,968 82 Linux swap / Solaris


blkid -c /dev/null: __________________________________________________ __________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 E09CF1169CF0E7C4 ntfs FreeAgent Drive
/dev/sda2 5346-B9A4 vfat
/dev/sda3 d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec ext4
/dev/sda4 8176ccb7-059a-44a9-850d-d4a349611737 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)
/dev/sda1 /media/FreeAgent Drive fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,blksize=4096,default_ permissions)


=========================== sda3/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 ${boot_once} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=640x480
insmod gfxterm
insmod vbe
if terminal_output gfxterm ; then true ; else
# For backward compatibility with versions of terminal.mod that don't
# understand terminal_output
terminal gfxterm
fi
fi
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=el
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, με Linux 2.6.32-21-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=UUID=d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, με Linux 2.6.32-21-generic (λειτουργία ανάκτησης)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec
echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.32-21-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=UUID=d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec 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='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec
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 ###

=============================== sda3/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/sda3 during installation
UUID=d070e86e-9dcd-40e7-88ac-dfc1d742adec / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /windows was on /dev/sda2 during installation
UUID=5346-B9A4 /windows vfat utf8,umask=007,gid=46 0 1
# swap was on /dev/sda4 during installation
UUID=8176ccb7-059a-44a9-850d-d4a349611737 none swap sw 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0

=================== sda3: Location of files loaded by Grub: ===================


245.5GB: boot/grub/core.img
247.2GB: boot/grub/grub.cfg
246.0GB: boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
247.2GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
246.0GB: initrd.img
247.2GB: vmlinuz

I tried some solutions that i read in the forum without success.
I would appreciate some help.

[efflandt]

The boot info script does not appear to show any external drive, try running it with the USB drive connected. Or did you disconnect your internal drive and sda is your (only) USB drive?

One thing that still puzzles me is why my new desktop PC cannot not boot 64-bit Lucid from the far end of a 500 GB USB drive (grub rescue unknown filesystem) when it can boot the same fine from the far end of a 1 TB internal drive (or 160 GB USB drive). The 500 GB USB drive boots fine on 2 different laptops from 2006.

I might understand that for my old Athlon64 from 2004 which does not even like the new partition alignment (had to use partman/alignment=cylinder parameter during install). With that it boots the 160 GB USB drive, or the far end of its 200 GB internal drive, but likewise cannot boot the 500 GB drive (same grub rescue unknown filesystem error) even though partitions on that are aligned on cylinders.

So I don't know how far out Linux has to be on a USB drive that it works with 2 laptops from 2006, but fails with desktops from 2004 and 2010. The file system in all cases is ext3 which is mature and certainly supported.

Maybe I'll try installing at the "bottom" of a similar 500 GB USB drive today and see if that works on all 4 computers (like the 160 GB USB). That will give me a chance to test 10.10 beta.

[hocico0777]

i only have the usb external drive.

[efflandt]

OK. Everything looks normal to me.

But it is still a mystery to me why 2 of my desktops will not boot 10.04 farther out on a 500 GB USB drive when they have no problem booting the far end of 160 GB USB drive. And I just installed 64-bit 10.10 beta on 1st partition of a 500 GB USB drive (aligned to cyl boundary for the old PC) and both problem desktops from 2004 and 2010 boot that fine (posting this from it).

Good luck.

[hocico0777]

Any suggestions?
i can t use my pc for a week now.:(

[hocico0777]

i also tried the following commands

set prefix=(hd0,3)/boot
set root=(hd0,3)
ls (hd0,3)/boot
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda3 ro
initrd /initrd.img that i found in another post but from the 3rd command and so on i get the unknown file system error or unknown command.

[efflandt]

Just trying to keep this alive for you in case anyone else has suggestions other than putting Linux lower on the drive. But not sure what affect that would have if that is bootable Windows and you remove Linux partitions, move the ntfs partition up with gparted (which can take hours) and put Linux partition(s) under it.

I just have not found what cutoff point grub2 sometimes has trouble with "some" computers (including my new one) with grub in the mbr finding /boot/grub beyond an unknown point on a USB drive when other computers boot that fine, and even the problem computers can boot with /boot/grub lower on the drive.

But if it is an older computer, especially with Asus motherboard, you might also need partment/alignment=cylinder boot parameter during installation or when doing anything with partitions and/or tell gparted to align to cylinders instead of the new default MB boundaries.

[bulbus]

hey efflandt,
Any luck with installing ubuntu on far end of the usb hard drive??
Just crashed my main hard disk, so was installing 9.1 on a working usb hard drive(700GB), which has lots of other files. Freed up 50GB @ the far end for Ubuntu. I get the above error of unknown filesystem at the grub rescue prompt.

I'm going to try the gparted method if there is no choice yet.