Grub boot problem after upgrade

[Kansasguy]

The short of it: Can't boot a Linux (Ubuntu 12.04 box) after upgrade, probably not trying to boot to the right drive.

The Long of it: (Any and all help welcome)


My friend came up to see me and brought his failing ******* box, a Dell dimension 4400 with XP on 20gb HD Wouldn't boot.

Another friend added an 80gb hd, figuring the 20gb HD might be going bad, and mounted them "cable select"


Tried several times to load Ubuntu 12.04 from a disk (been a long time since I have mounted a Linux distro, because once on my computers, they work so well. Finally successful in loading it (BUT CAN'T REMEMBER WHETHER I PUT IT ON THE 20 OR THE 80 GB HD)

Worked great. Sent him home with it and he loved it, just uses it to surf the web and email (via hotmail). Got him to download LXDE desktop because it was easier for him. Everything great so far.

Then, after an upgrade it would no longer boot, so we had him surfing the web using the live CD.

boot-error

****************************
Then, after checking the web, found that boot problems after an update are very common, and followed the following steps:

************************************************** *********
"If you just have the Ubuntu Live CD try these steps:

Boot from Live CD
Open a terminal from the Live CD, and run the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair
boot-repair

Follow the Recommended Repair option. Press "Advanced" to check what it will do.
The stressful bit. Now reboot and you will be able to use Grub."
************************************************** **********

At the end of that, it said

something about cutting and pasting http://paste.ubuntu.com/10189/boot.repair@gmail.com

and something like (from his poor notes)

and make sure the bios boots on the sbd disk.

Now when we start the computer, it goes to the normal boot screen, something like:

Ubuntu 12.04 3.2.0-23 generic-pae
Ubuntu...............Recovery mode

and all the directions at the bottom

but now when he clicks on the kernel, it doesn't boot and gives the message:

************************
fisk -l yields:


ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 20.0 GB, 20020396032 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2434 cylinders, total 39102336 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000dd072

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 37005311 18501632 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 37007358 39100415 1046529 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 37007360 39100415 1046528 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 80.0 GB, 80000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9726 cylinders, total 156250000 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x9dc96e9e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 63 64259 32098+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sdb2 * 64260 156232124 78083932+ 83 Linux
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
******************************

Dell site with how the bios works:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4400/syssetup.htm

Thanks for any help!

[wilee-nilee]

Post the bootinfo summary that was intended for that pastebin link. Or run just that again from the boot-repair and post that HTTP address.

[Kansasguy]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. The:

" sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair
boot-repair"

got us to a GUI. Do I go thru all that again, or can I just do "boot-repair" in a terminal? The computer is now 450 miles away from me, and my friend is not computer savvy. Thanks for your patience, I've been away from terminal commands for a few years.

[wilee-nilee]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. The:

" sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair
boot-repair"

got us to a GUI. Do I go thru all that again, or can I just do "boot-repair" in a terminal? The computer is now 450 miles away from me, and my friend is not computer savvy. Thanks for your patience, I've been away from terminal commands for a few years.

Here is the website, those commands just load the app, you would just open and click the bootinfo summary, it then gives the HTTP where the script is, it take a look at the screen shots on the site.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

[Kansasguy]

Thanks again. He left for a trip to California for 3 weeks, and stores virtually nothing on his computer. While I am constantly (and enjoy) learning new things about Linux, might it not be better and easier for me to just send him a new disk (thinking Mint this time because I've used it and it's quite user friendly) and start all over again? (he is getting a message that his "disk is unhealthy" with the live CD in)