HD install won't boot: GRUB error 17

[Rihaala]

Hi again,

I am just making an update, so everyone knows, how far I am! I have actually gotten the Puppy to work, if I install it on a computer, where it controls the sole harddisk. However I would also like to have one on a dual system - dual harddisk computer!

I have checked the /boot/vmlinuz/ and it is present in my /dev/hdc1/.

My drive configuration is as follows:

IDE 1 Master
/dev/hda1/ Windows XP boot partition (FAT 32)
/dev/hda2/ Windows extended backup partition
/dev/hda5/ Windows XP storage partition (FAT 32)
IDE 1 Slave
/dev/hdb/ Liteon DVD rom drive
IDE 2 Master
/dev/hdc1/ Linux boot drive (ext3)
/dev/hdc2/ Linux swap drive
IDE 2 Slave
/dev/hdd/ HP R/RW cd-rom drive

I have tried to change the grub drive designation from hd1,0 to hd2,0 for the hdc drive, but this only led to an error 21

[EdFromHouston]

Set up your BIOS to boot first from CD if it isn't already, Insert the live cd, go to start, system, GRUB bootloader config, and reinstall GRUB. I had this happen once, I have XP, 2.14, and GRUB on my MBR. Reinstalled and all was well.

Also if that doesn't work then use the live CD to find /boot/grub/grub.config and /boot/grub/menu.lst and post it here so we can help find the problem in your configuration. Most likely a wrong partition name.

[Rihaala]

Hi again,

Thank U very much for the good advice. However a new problem arose due to my new intallation of the Grub. Now it stops in the boot reading; error 15 file not found.

I am using the simple installation, with the linux standard frame buffer console, and I have installed it on a harddrive, which I have formatted in one ext3 section hdc1, and one linux swap hdc2. I am sorry if my information is useless, but I am completely without any idea of, what to do!

Please advice!

[rcrsn51]

As Ed suggested, please post your GRUB menu.lst file so we can have a look at it. Also verify what kind of Puppy installation you performed - a traditional full Linux install or the frugal version where you just copied the core Puppy files to your hard drive.

[Rihaala]

I have used the 'Puppy Universal installer' to install Puppy, and so I imagine, that I have a complete installation.

In regards to Grub, I have attached the menu.lst, as U have asked me to! I hope that U have the information taht U need.

Please bear over with me, as I am less than a novice in this!

I am forever grateful for your help

[Rihaala]

Apparently something went wrong, when I tried to attach the menu.lst. I will try once more!

Ah! The extension .lst is not allowed! I shall do a cut and paste then!

# GRUB configuration file '/boot/grub/menu.lst'.
# generated by 'grubconfig'. Thu Mar 15 10:49:07 2007
#
# The backup copy of the MBR for drive '/dev/hdc1' is
# here '/boot/grub/mbr.hdc.21125'. You can restore it like this.
# dd if=/boot/grub/mbr.hdc.21125 of=/dev/hdc1 bs=512 count=1
#
# Start GRUB global section
#timeout 30
color light-gray/blue black/light-gray
# End GRUB global section
# Other bootable partition config begins
title Windows (on /dev/hda1)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
# Other bootable partition config ends
# Other bootable partition config begins
title Windows (on /dev/hda5)
map (hd0,0) (hd0,4)
map (hd0,4) (hd0,0)
rootnoverify (hd0,4)
makeactive
chainloader +1
# Other bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins
title Linux (on /dev/hdc1)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hdc1 ro vga=normal
# Linux bootable partition config ends
title Install GRUB to floppy disk (on /dev/fd0)
pause Insert a formatted floppy disk and press enter.
root (hd1,0)
setup (fd0)
pause Press enter to continue.
title Install GRUB to Linux partition (on /dev/hdc1)
root (hd1,0)
setup (hd1,0)
pause Press enter to continue.
title - For help press 'c', then type: 'help'
root (hd0)
title - For usage examples, type: 'cat /boot/grub/usage.txt'
root (hd0)

[rcrsn51]

Here are two things to try:

1. Boot up your machine to the GRUB menu. Press 'c' to go to the GRUB command line. Type the command 'find /boot/vmlinuz'. This will tell you what drive contains your Puppy installation.

2. Boot Puppy from the CD. On the desktop there is an icon shaped like a pen drive. This is the drive mounting tool. Click it and mount the drive hdc. Check that it contains the Puppy installation.

[Sage]

One of those error messages can be associated with insufficient (or bad) RAM. P2.14 might struggle with only 128Mb on some HW, especially if you've got a proprietary box with shared memory. In the latter case, either add a stick of RAM, which is unbelievable cheap this week, or drop the shared amount to absolute minimum in BIOS, even if only for checking. But, before you do any of that, do a search for your specific error number - it's sure to have come up previously. Could also try v1.0.8rc1 for checking - it's rock solid.

[GuestToo]

root (hd1,0) is hdb1 not hdc1

hd0,0 = hda1
hd1,0 = hdb1
hd2,0 = hdc1
hd3,0 = hdd1

[EdFromHouston]

I edited to fix my mistake as pointed out below

As Guest Too has said above root (hd1,0) is hdb1 not hdc1.

I have one hard drive which is hda. If I were to have two hard drives they would be hda, and hdb. A basic computer can have up to four haed drives: if installed they would be hda, hdb, hdc, and hdd as seen by Linux which in this case is Puppy.

Grub sees the first hard drive, which is all most computers have as hd0(or primary master hard drive), the second is seen as hd1 (or second hard drive), then hd2 and hd3.

Hard drives can have different partitions as seen below as in my example where I have one hard drive broken down like this:

hda1 (HHD1 Partition 1 fat32) which is where HP keeps the XP Restore Files
hda2 (HHD1 Partition 2 ntfs) which contains XP
hda3 (HHD1 Partition 3 ext2) which contains Stubby (my Puppy2.14)
hda4 (HHD1 Partition 4 swap) which contains the linux swap file.

You can view your partitions using start, system, gparted partition manager. This might be good to post here as well.


Here is my menu.lst file posted as a learning guide.

Code: Select all

#
# The backup copy of the MBR for drive '/dev/hda' is
# here '/boot/grub/mbr.hda.18922'.  You can restore it like this.
# dd if=/boot/grub/mbr.hda.18922 of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
#
# Start GRUB global section
timeout 15
color light-gray/blue black/light-gray
# End GRUB global section
#
# Other bootable partition config begins
  title Windows (on /dev/hda2)
  map (hd0,0) (hd0,1)
  map (hd0,1) (hd0,0)
  rootnoverify (hd0,1)
  makeactive
  chainloader +1
# Other bootable partition config ends
#
# Linux bootable partition config begins
  title Stubby 1.0 (on /dev/hda3)
  root (hd0,2)
  kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda3 ro vga=normal acpi=on
# Linux bootable partition config ends
#
title -     For help press 'c', then type: 'help'
root (hd0)
#
title -     For usage examples, type: 'cat /boot/grub/usage.txt'
root (hd0)

[rcrsn51]

GuestToo and EdfromHouston: I beg to differ. GRUB names your drives as it detects them. Suppose you have a primary channel master drive, no primary slave drive and a secondary channel master drive. GRUB would name them hd0 and hd1. (I just confirmed this on one of my machines.) And GRUB never detects optical drives at all.

Rihaaia's error 15 indicates that GRUB found the drive and partition correctly but could not locate the file /boot/vmlinuz. Hence, my suggestions.

Bill

[GuestToo]

if you have a typical machine (many people don't):

hd0 = hda = ide1 master
hd1 = hdb = ide1 slave
hd2 = hdc = ide2 master
hd3 = hdd = ide2 slave

this should be true whether a drive is connected to the ide cable or not

having scsi drive controllers might change this, but usually scsi drive numbers are larger than ide drive numbers ... also swapping drives in the bios might change this order

[edit: fixed typo - i typed ide3 slave, i meant ide2 slave]

[EdFromHouston]

I edited the post above. I think it's right now.

I'm sorry if I stuck my foot in my mouth

I thought the way I said was the way it worked. I guess maybe it would be a good idea to listen more and keep my mouth shut as my ole pappy used to say.

[EdFromHouston]

Also did you reinstall grub from the menu of Puppys' live cd?

[Sage]

Rihaala reported an Error 17, not 15.
This drive ID is a good deal less definitive than some would have you believe. Just occasionally, I find a Master on the Primary IDE line being assigned hdc. This can occur, for example, if I overwrite some other OS (which had been assigned hda) rather than clear it out first (but not always this cause). Usually, after several days - but entirely randomly and without human intervention - the system decides to re-assign the drive as hda. But, then, sometimes not. Could be HW dependent, never bothered to investigate; most minority distros fail to live up to their hype and get deleted before it becomes an issue.

[John Doe]

c:\grldr (*good version attached gzip'ed)
c:\image.gz
c:\vmlinuz
c:\boot\grub\menu.lst

---------
c:\boot.ini
---------

*ADD THIS LINE AT THE END OF boot.ini:
C:\grldr="Grub Linux"

---------
c:\boot\grub\menu.lst
---------

default 0
timeout 15

title Puppy HD
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=idehd
initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz
boot

[RogerRoger]

After updating to Pupppy 2.14 I got Error 15 file not found when using Grub to boot Windows XP. I wandered round many sites discussing this, and tried quite a few suggestions. The one that works for me is

title Microsoft Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

As far as I can understand it the rootnoverify points to the first partitian on the first disc , but tells grub not to check it. The chainloader tells Grub to use this partitian for booting using the boot found there, and not the grub boot. Note that there is no (hd0,0) after the chainloader.

I found this on https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gr ... +bug/10661
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