Problem with grub...

[BoomAM]

Hi.
Any idea on how to get rid of this error:

Booting 'Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-26-686'

root (hd0,2)
  Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-26-686 root=/dev/sda3 ro quiet splash

Error 17: Cannot mount selected partition

Press any key to continue...

Its started coming up after i managed to restore my partition table.
An ubuntu live CD will read the partition that grub is trying to read correctly.
Backstory:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=240853
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=240853

Thanks in advance all.

 

[BoomAM]

Well partition type 0x82 is swap so that's probably your problem. Maybe try setting root=/dev/sda3 to root=/dev/sda2 or try experimenting with other possible root partitions?

How do i fix that?

 

[BoomAM]

I now get this error:

Booting 'Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-26-686'

root (hd0,2)
  Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-26-686 root=/dev/sda3 ro quiet splash
  [Linux-bzImage, setup=0x1c00, size=0x170956]
initred /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-26-686
  [Linux-initrd @ 0x1f949000, 0x6a673d bytes]
savedefault
boot
Uncompressing Linux... Ok, booting the kernel.
mount: Mounting /dev/sda3 on /root failed: No such device
mount: Mounting /root/dev on /dev/.static/dev failed: No such file or directory
mount: Mounting /sys on /root/sys failed: No such file or directory
mount: Mounting /proc on /root/proc failed: No such file or directory
Target filesystem doesn't have /sbin/init

BusyBox v1.01 (Debian 1:1.01-4ubuntu3) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

/bin/sh: can't access tty; job control turned off
#

 

[BoomAM]

Have you actually changed anything? The only new thing I see there is an attempt to load a ramdisk?

Not noticed the complete difference in errors then?

The first thing i posted was the complete error message. As is the second one ive posted.
They are completely different.
The first couldnt find the linux image files, the second does, but errors on something else.

##edit##
Apart from the partition type, i couldnt be bothered typing agian, so i just copy/pasted it without changing the new partition type.

 

[BoomAM]

I noticed the different error messages (hence my mentioning the booting of a ramdisk), I just didnt see any change of the settings I suggested experimenting with :<

Anyway, the grub issue is solved, how do i fixed this new error im getting?

Or at the least:
How to fix this error:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1405676#post1405676
So i can backup my stuff from the LiveCD, and completely nuke the HDD and start afresh.

 

[BoomAM]

Ive worked out that i need to change the permissions for the 'boomam home' folder on my old Ubuntu partition.
What command is it to change the permissions for a folder and its contents?

This command:
'chmod a+x .evolution'
changed the permissions for the evolution app folder only, not its contents.
What command is it to change an entire folder & its contents?

 

[BoomAM]

Hi,

noticed the edit that you've decided to nuke and start again.

Nope?
Im trying to backup my old home folder across my network to my Windows PC, and then nuke the laptop completely, reinstall Ubuntu, and put my home folder back where it was.
Hopefully taking my emails with it. (I have a lot of v.importent emails on there).

I think you will have to su in knoppix, and then chown -R root /mnt/sda3/home/boomam before you perform the copy. chown changes ownership rather than changing the permissions of a file and the -R flag tells it to run recursively.

I dont have knoppix to hand. Will a normal Ubuntu LiveCD do?

Then when you copy the contents of your homedir back chown -R it to your new user account.

With any luck this should get round any permissions problems with the files on the original disk without nuking the ACLs too much.

So:
i do a chown -r on my home folder
copy the folder to where i want (hopefully without error)
reinstall ubuntu.
copy the data into the new home folder.
do another chown -r on the data to make it all work with the new install?

 

[BoomAM]

Ive navigated with terminal to the folder that contains the 'boomam' folder, and did the following command:
chown -R boomam
I then get the error:
'missing operand after 'boomam'

 

[BoomAM]

After some playing around, ive managed to get my old install to boot.
Had to do loads of config file editing.

Anyway.
My old install boots fine, but it wont use the swap partition for whatever reason.

Ive got the 'Home' folder transfering over my network to a network drive on my main PC.

What im looking at doing now is three things:
1) Imaging the Linux partition using some sort of Linux program to my iPod as backup.
2) Finding a way to intergrate my old '.evolution' folder into a new linux installs '.evolution' folder and still have my emails/folders/rules/adresses working with the new install. Again, as a backup option.
3) Move my Ubuntu installation at sda2 to the beginning partition of the drive if possible.

If i can do the first, or at the very least the second, i can put Vista back on the laptop at sda1. This time i'll make the NTFS partition for Vista & the storage partition through Ubuntu itself to avoid problems.


Any ideas for the above?

 

[BoomAM]

You can use dd from a live CD to clone the partition and then zip it as a file. Something like

"dd if=/dev/sda3 | gzip > image.gz" to clone and compress your partition
and
"gzip -dc image.gz | dd of=/dev/hdx" to expand and restore it, where hdx will be the output (source) partition.

Thanks.
I'll give that a bash.
Is there a specific way to use that command to get it to write to a specific partition for the backup file?

In theory you should just be able to drop it back into place in the home directory of your new linux installation providing you sort out the file permissions beforehand. I found more detailed instructions at:
http://ubuntu.wordpress.com/2005/12/03/how-to-backup-evolution/
Essentially its a case of backing up 3 config directories in your homedir.

Ive seen that, and ive followed it to backup my Evolution folders.

Don't quite get what you mean here. Do you mean reinstall ubuntu at sda1? or section of X GB's of space for Vista using Ubuntu's partition manager? Bear in mind that installing Vista after installing Ubuntu will have Windows overwrite your MBR

Ive wiped the HDD, created 4 partitions, a 20Gb Ubuntu one, 2Gb swap, 30Gb storage & a 40Gb one for Vista.
Ubuntu is installed, with the 686 kernel & a shed load of updates. I havnt gotten around to restoring my data/evolution yet.
Vistas installing now, and i can use either my SuperGrub CD to restore Grub, or just use a LiveCD to do it.

I'll report back when im finished.

 

[BoomAM]

Slightly different problem now.
Ubuntu will boot. Vista works fine. Partitions are sorted correctly.
Problem: Grub doesnt show up to let me choose between them, even though i reinstalled Grub with the 'SuperGrub' boot disk?

Ideas?