Problem with grub...

BoomAM · 21 Aug 2006 at 20:52

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

Code:

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.

M0KUJ1N · 21 Aug 2006 at 20:58

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?

Chaos · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:03

Not to hot with grub but if you know the correct partition linux is on you could try and use gag to boot into it.

http://gag.sourceforge.net/

BoomAM · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:14

M0KUJ1N said:
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?

M0KUJ1N · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:20

Use your live CD to amend /boot/grub/menu.lst as required

p.s. seem to be having a slight feeling of deja vu here btw

BoomAM · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:32

I now get this error:

Code:

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
#

M0KUJ1N · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:38

BoomAM said:

I now get this error:

Code:

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]

Have you actually changed anything? The only new thing I see there is an attempt to load a ramdisk? Of course to save chopping and changing your menu.lst file you can use the GRUB menu to play around with various settings for your root drive.

BoomAM · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:41

M0KUJ1N said:
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.

M0KUJ1N · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:43

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 :<

BoomAM · 21 Aug 2006 at 21:44

M0KUJ1N said:
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 · 21 Aug 2006 at 22:28

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?

M0KUJ1N · 21 Aug 2006 at 22:28

Hi,

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

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.

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.

BoomAM · 21 Aug 2006 at 22:53

M0KUJ1N said:
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 · 21 Aug 2006 at 22:59

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'

M0KUJ1N · 21 Aug 2006 at 23:00

BoomAM said:
Nope?
I dont have knoppix to hand. Will a normal Ubuntu LiveCD do?

Yep, in fact any UNIX-based live CD/floppy should do the job

BoomAM said:
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?

Exactly, although remember to do it with -R (the capital R is important

) and that you need to specify a directory to change the permissions of, preferably as high up the hierarchy as possible so as to effect as many of your files as required

Good luck!

Una · 22 Aug 2006 at 00:58

The syntax is chown user:group /directoryname/

Add -R if you want it to recursively set the permissions.
There's a good chance your going to need to use sudo as well.

BoomAM · 22 Aug 2006 at 09:13

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?

M0KUJ1N · 22 Aug 2006 at 19:03

BoomAM said:
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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

[/quote]
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

BoomAM · 22 Aug 2006 at 19:34

M0KUJ1N said:
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 · 22 Aug 2006 at 20:53

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?