[SOLVED] Bootloader problem after re-install

[GandalfNK]

Hi there,

I have just re-installed Ubuntu on my computer, and now I'm having a bit of trouble getting it to boot the way I want.

Before the re-install, I used LILO to dual-boot Windows 2000 and Dapper. When I installed Hardy and had it install Grub I assumed it would just overwrite the old LILO configuration, but it didn't: the old LILO still loads when I boot normally. Now, obviously the kernel that the old LILO wants to load no longer exists, so the boot process just stops at some point.

I'm able to avoid the problem by booting into the menu of the Ubuntu installation CD and having it "Boot from first hard-disk", which then takes me to the expected Grub menu that contains my new Ubuntu install as well as Windows (which I upgraded to XP along the way).

I'm not much of an expert in using either Grub or LILO, so can anyone here please tell me how to fix this mess? Circumventing the faulty LILO by booting from the installation CD every time is not really a long-term solution, I'm afraid.

Cheers.

[confused57]

You may be able to use the Ubuntu live cd to install grub to the mbr:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=224351

[GandalfNK]

Thanks, partial success, so far: I get to the correct grub boot menu now, and Ubuntu boots without problems. Unfortunately, Windows won't boot at all. I don't even get an error message after choosing to boot Windows, I just get a screen saying "Starting up..." and a rapidly blinking cursor.
Any clues?

[confused57]

Thanks, partial success, so far: I get to the correct grub boot menu now, and Ubuntu boots without problems. Unfortunately, Windows won't boot at all. I don't even get an error message after choosing to boot Windows, I just get a screen saying "Starting up..." and a rapidly blinking cursor.
Any clues?
You could post the output of:

sudo fdisk -l
-l is a small "L"
and

gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

It may be necessary to use Lilo?:
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p4.html

[GandalfNK]

Okay, here's my partition table:

sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd3d0d3d0

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1530 12289693+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 1531 4864 26780355 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 1531 4864 26780323+ b W95 FAT32

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7ea832cc

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 26344 211608148+ 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 1 653 5245159+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb6 3265 17216 112069408+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 17217 17347 1052226 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb8 17348 17833 3903763+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb9 654 3264 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sdb10 17834 19049 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb11 19050 21481 19535008+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb12 21482 26344 39062016 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

And this is my menu.lst (minus about 120 lines of commentary and default options at the beginning):

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=f08c61ac-5e32-4a45-9acf-fbbd21c1b112 ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=f08c61ac-5e32-4a45-9acf-fbbd21c1b112 ro single
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic

title Ubuntu 8.04.1, memtest86+
root (hd0,4)
kernel /memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

It seems a bit strange that even though Windows is on my first hard disk and Linux on the second, it says (hd1,0) for XP and (hd0,4) for Ubuntu in my menu.lst, but that was the only way I could get Ubuntu to boot at all...
Any ideas what is going on?

[SkonesMickLoud]

Does setting the XP 'root' line to (hd0,0) allow it to boot?

[GandalfNK]

No, that causes an "Error 12: Invalid device requested".

[confused57]

You might try map lines in your Windows entry:

title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd1,0)
savedefault
makeactive
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1

[GandalfNK]

Woohoo! :D Works like a charm.
Thank you!

[confused57]

Woohoo! :D Works like a charm.
Thank you!
Glad to help & that it worked...