Reinstalling grub using grub-install (without LiveCD)

[sl789]

Recently, I needed to reinstall GRUB2 from LiveCD.

I had 2 instances of ubuntu (in addition to WinXP in /dev/sda2 ) - 10.04 in /dev/sda6 and then development 10.10 in /dev/sda7 which I installed few days ago after WinXP and 10.04, just to check it out. I wanted to delete 10.10 and since GRUB2 was part of it, I needed to reinstall it after deletion.

Following recommendations (many thanks to Rubi1200 for explanations and link to BootInfoScript) I've deleted partition with 10.10, then booted with LiveCD and installed GRUB2 so it becomes again part of 10.04 (as it was before installing 10.10). I had no problems at all doing it.

The question I would like to ask : would it be possible to achieve the same without booting from LiveCD by doing the follows ?

1. Boot to 10.04 Ubuntu /dev/sda6
2. Delete partition /dev/sda7 with 10.10 (and GRUB2 which was part of it)
3. Issue sudo grub-install /dev/sda

This would save booting from LiveCD

Any disadvantages/pitfalls vs LiveCD approach ?

[ronparent]

If I understand what you said the answer would be yes! I think what you meant was that you would use the grub installed to 10.10 to boot to 10.04 in its own partition. From the 10.04 session you would be able to delete the 10.10 partition including its grub and use the grub-install command to reinstall grub so that it would boot to the 10.04 install.

I have actually been able to do a similar thing.

[sl789]

Hi Ronparent !

>I think what you meant was that you would use the grub installed to 10.10 to boot to >10.04 in its own partition.

That's correct (after installation of 10.10 I had a triple boot system - WinXP, 10.04 and 10.10). The only reason I didn't like LiveCD is that it took a long time to boot from it.

So I thought, for the future, if I decide to install some Ubuntu development version along side the main one, I would be able to uninstall it easily. (My problm also was that when installing 10.10, I choose to check option "nstall bootloader", otherwise it would be enough just to boot to 10.04, delete partition with 10.10 and then run update-grub)

[ka3sem]

Hi s1786,

how do you did the installation without CD. I have a same problem to resolve.

have only ubuntu 8.10 in my computer, and trying to desinstall some tools and make more free space to do the update to ubuntu 9, I have deleted some system-files (python), and my OS become defected , no internet connexion, no graphic interface, ...

my ubuntu CD is defected too and shows ubiquited error. I can only boot from it, but can not install the install packet which is in the desktop.

I have downloaded the .iso version 10.04 but the grub failed :confused:

I have followed this link
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...tion/FromLinux

but in step3, I founed /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ instead of /etc/grub.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst or /etc/grub.d/40_custom and I have added the following files in my 20_memtest86+

menuentry "installer" {
insmod ext2
set root=(hd0,1)
linux /casper/vmlinuz boot=casper root=/dev/ram1 ramdisk_size=1048576 rw
initrd /casper/initrd.lz
}


Thanks for help

[drs305]

the grub failed :confused:

I have followed this link
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...tion/FromLinux
Thanks for help

The link is incomplete - it doesn't contain a valid address:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...tion/FromLinux

Without seeing the link's contents, I can say that 20_memtest86+ is not the file you want to try to add any menuentry. It is most likely meant to go into the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file (if you are using Grub2).

As a minimum, post the correct link and tell us what version of Grub you are using:

grub-install -v

[ka3sem]

sorry, it is the following

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromLinux

[ka3sem]

I don t know which grub-version I am using, but as I can t find the grub.cfg file, I estimate I use grup 2. How can I verify it:confused:

[drs305]

We still don't know which version of Grub you are using, but if you are using Lucid or Maverick it is Grub 2. Karmic could be either Grub legacy (0.97) or Grub 2 (1.96 or later).

You can open a root text editor. If you are using Grub2, this command should open the first tab to /etc/grub.d/40_custom. It will have about 6 lines of text, with nothing else. You would add the contents from your previous post at the end of what currently exists:

gksu gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom /boot/grub/menu.lst

Contents of 40_custom:


#!/bin/sh
exec tail -n +3 $0
# 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.


If the file opens and is completely blank, you don't have a 40_custom file and might be using Grub legacy. If that is the case, edit the menu.lst file which will open in the second tab in Gedit.

[ka3sem]

whith grub-install -v, I obtain

grub-install (GNU GRUB 0.97)

is that means my version is 0.97 :confused:

[drs305]

whith grub-install -v, I obtain

grub-install (GNU GRUB 0.97)

is that means my version is 0.97 :confused:

Yes, so you would edit the second tab - the menu.lst file.

[ka3sem]

thanks drs305,

the 2 opened files are empty !!!

as I said above, now I am booting from my defected cd and connected to the internet through it, so I think that I am trying to access to temporary displayed data and not to the data resided in my defected computer.

Without the cd I can not go beyond the BIOS

[drs305]

the 2 opened files are empty !!!


I missed that you were booting from the LiveCD. The reason the files are empty is it is trying to find them on the CD and not your partition.

You will need to mount the partition your 8.10 installation is on, and then open those files:



sudo mount /dev/sdXY /mnt # XY are your drive and partition, example: sda5
gksudo gedit /mnt/boot/grub/menu.lst

[ka3sem]

thanks drs305,

the 2 opened files are empty !!!

as I said above, now I am booting from my defected cd and connected to the internet through it, so I think that I am trying to access to temporary displayed data and not to the data resided in my defected computer.

Without the cd I can not go beyond the BIOS

[ka3sem]

I have sda, sda1, sda2, sda3, which one should I use

[ka3sem]

the one which I have created with gparted is /dev/sda2, but the opened menu.ls is empty. Should I edit it

[ka3sem]

after gksudo gedit /mnt/boot/grub/menu.lst, I can not save the file, the recieved message is:

Could not find the file /mnt/boot/grub/menu.lst

[drs305]

the one which I have created with gparted is /dev/sda2, but the opened menu.ls is empty. Should I edit it

I reread all your posts. You said that you deleted or corrupted some of you system files. The procedure you are trying to follow says that it will work from a working system. I assume you don't have a working system - but you CAN at least get to the Grub menu?

Please download and run the boot info script from this site. It will tell us your partitions, boot files, etc:
http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/

It will generate a file called RESULTS.txt. Open that file, then copy the contents here.

[ka3sem]

I m pleased to receive quickly answers and guide :-)

here is the result:



Boot Info Script 0.55 dated February 15th, 2010

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

=> Grub 0.97 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda and looks on the same drive
in partition #2 for /boot/grub/stage2 and /boot/grub/menu.lst.

sda1: __________________________________________________ _______________________

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

sda2: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ext3
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files/dirs:

sda3: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ext3
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files/dirs:

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

Drive: sda ___________________ __________________________________________________ ___

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders, total 312581808 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7e227e22

Partition Boot Start End Size Id System

/dev/sda1 63 979,964 979,902 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 979,965 124,166,384 123,186,420 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 124,166,385 312,576,704 188,410,320 83 Linux


blkid -c /dev/null: __________________________________________________ __________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 9824c022-89b4-4caf-940a-5a5f3d2e29d0 swap
/dev/sda2 6ea89aac-06b8-4586-8c91-44245035ff9f ext3 /
/dev/sda3 e00cb457-274f-4d92-aa80-8bf475ea0d0b ext3 /home

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

Device Mount_Point Type Options

rootfs / rootfs (rw)
/dev/scd0 /cdrom iso9660 (ro,noatime)
/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)
/dev/sda2 /media/disk ext3 (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal)
/dev/sda3 /media/_home ext3 (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal)
/dev/sda2 /mnt ext3 (rw)
/dev/sda3 /mnt ext3 (rw)
/dev/sda2 /mnt ext3 (rw)

[oldfred]

ka3sem

AS drs305 suggests start a new thread of your own. I may have a way, but it may be too advanced, so we need others to look at your thread for better solutions.

[ka3sem]

my own started thread is here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=9962259#post9962259

@drs305
can you move please the rest of the rest of the responses or should I resume it?

[drs305]

my own started thread is here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=9962259#post9962259

@drs305
can you move please the rest of the rest of the responses or should I resume it?

I'll move the ones that are important to the thread.