HD GRUB error 17 - can't boot...

[markP]

Hi - I am trying to install puppy 1.0.4 to my hard disk, but all I get after rebooting is grub error 17 or 18. I followed the hd install tutorials to the letter, but keep getting the grub error message.
I've tried reformatting the hd, installing dos to its own partition then installing puppy but there's the grub problem. Any ideas?

[raffy]

Do you mean the tutorial below?

Grub may be used in many ways, in an ext2 partition install or in WinXP (or 98 ) install.

Please be specific about what you were trying to do.

[danleff]

Error 17 : Cannot mount selected partition


Solution

This error is returned if the partition requested exists, but the filesystem type cannot be recognized by GRUB.

Be sure to check your root(x,y) settings in your grub.conf.

DOS? If you really mean that you installed DOS, Puppy can't work with this partition.

Did you try a type 1 or 2 installation? If a type 2, tell Puppy to make it an ext2 partition.

[rarsa]

In this case it is not a grub error, GRUB is showing you what the error is. (That's not the same thing). For what I see, GRUB is working OK.

Are you doing a Type 1 or a Type 2 HDD installation? (That's the first question when you start the HDD installation wizard)

As Danleff says, Puppy cannot install to a partition formated as Fat16. It has to be a Fat32 or a ext2.

If you want to use the full disk for puppy I would recommend doing a type 2 HDD installation.

If you need DOS and Puppy coexisting on the same computer, You will have to create a Fat16 partition for DOS and an ext2 for Puppy.

If you need instructions on how to do that please let me know.

[markP]

Are you doing a Type 1 or a Type 2 HDD installation? (That's the first question when you start the HDD installation wizard)

I'm trying a type 2 install. I'm following the tutorial on the wikki and this forum, exactly as instructed but there's the grub problem.

DOS? If you really mean that you installed DOS, Puppy can't work with this partition.

I installed DOS because the howto suggests that (don't you need 'something' on the hard disc before installing puppy?)

Please be specific about what you were trying to do.

I'm following this tutorial:
http://www.murga.org/%7Epuppy/viewtopic.php?t=1598

[Bruce B]

Hi - I am trying to install puppy 1.0.4 to my hard disk, but all I get after rebooting is grub error 17 or 18. I followed the hd install tutorials to the letter, but keep getting the grub error message.
I've tried reformatting the hd, installing dos to its own partition then installing puppy but there's the grub problem. Any ideas?

Lots of ideas, I hope. Based on the tutorial you followed, I have a rough idea of your partition structure or at least what it should be.

grub error 17 or 18 - does this mean you get either message?

17 would mean cannot mount selected partition. Does this mean you are getting a boot menu, you select the partition and then get the error? If so, does it happen on both menu items? Did you edit the menu?Can you post the menu.lst?

18 would mean you are trying to boot a cylinder beyond BIOS limits. It seems sort of odd that you would get this message at all. As I remember, sometimes the bootable limit was cylinder 1024, but that tutorial asked for a small DOS partition, well under cylinder 1024. It just seems strange to me.

If you really want this trouble-shooted remotely by me, I'd have to ask a few things of you.

Boot from CD-ROM

Try and mount the partition you think puppy is on. If you succeed, post the vital parts of /boot/grub/menu.lst

Post the output of probepart

If you boot cd disc with option 3 do not allow it to mount or make a pup001 file. Then probepart can show you what you have, if it is shows a Linux partition(s), check the filesystem for errors.

example:

# fsck -f /dev/hda2

Also, if you want to start over you can to it very fast.

The tutorial you followed works, but is asks uneccesary things, like installing DOS and making a DOS partition.

Basically all you need to do to start over is run cfisk from Puppy rxvt or exit X and run it from the command line.

• delete the partitions
  
  make a linux partition of the size you want (type 83)
  
  make a linux swap partition of the size you want (type 82)
  
  (they can both be primary partitions)
  
  don't create filesystems
  
  reboot and boot again with the CD, Puppy can take it from there. You already know what to do to make an option 2 install.

This entire process will take from 15 to 20 minutes.

Don't edit the grub menu either.

This might be the fastest way to go and you can forget all the fsck, probepart and menu.lst I asked for.

----------

PS - if it works let us know and myself or someone will tell you how to swapfile file system and configure it for use with Puppy Option 2 as this option does not automatically use a swap file and needs to be told to do so.

[markP]

grub error 17 or 18 - does this mean you get either message?

I've just wiped my hard disc again using DBN, installed puppy exactly following the tutorial, but now on rebooting (after POST) I get grub error 16!

What's weird is that I installed puppy a few weks ago following the tutorial, and also installed it on a friends computer, without any problems.

Does this mean you are getting a boot menu, you select the partition and then get the error?

No, there's no boot menu. After installing puppy, I reboot, the computer POST's then I get the grub error message. It then also occured, when I tried to boot into a live version of Astrumi linux.

If you really want this trouble-shooted remotely by me, I'd have to ask a few things of you.

Boot from CD-ROM

After my GRUB error, I've tried to boot into puppy (with the CD in) as a live session - but it refuses to load. I get a whole load of error text on the screen, then - password:
I type "EXIT" then I get Login:
Nothing for it except to reboot and have a think.

The tutorial you followed works, but is asks uneccesary things, like installing DOS and making a DOS partition.

OK, I'll give your instructions a try, then report back. Thanks.

(What's freaking me is why Puppy or my computer is misbehaving, especially since I had a couple of totally problem free installs).

[markP]

Basically all you need to do to start over is run cfisk from Puppy rxvt or exit X and run it from the command line.

At the puppy splash screen, do I hit "3" for the hd option or just "Enter"?

[rarsa]

Hit 3 and later in the boot process when asked where to put the pup001 file just press enter so it does not create the file anywhere.

[Bruce B]

Basically all you need to do to start over is run cfisk from Puppy rxvt or exit X and run it from the command line.

At the puppy splash screen, do I hit "3" for the hd option or just "Enter"?

It doesn't matter, because my suggestions were to make the partitions but don't make the filesystems.Puppy will not mount a partition with no filesystem. Puppy will not make a pup001 file on a partition with no filesystem. Just boot normally and it has the same effect as '"hit "3" for the hd option or just "Enter"?"

Puppy loads into ram and doesn't mount anything on the harddrive, so the partitions are FREE for Puppy to make the install.

Puppy makes the filesystem on the partition you choose, then writes the files.

PS update:

• Realistic expectations: I expect everything will go well as far is intalling the option 2 install, I've had limited success with Puppy's grub on mbr script. If the grub installs correctly you are in business. If not you have more work to do.
  
  I think someone wrote that he booted Suse Live 9.2 and installed grub with it under user su
  
  I'm still looking for a fast way to install GRUB to the MBR in the event of failure. But I have more R&D to do. Best of luck to you.

[Ian]

Have you read this:

http://www.goosee.com/puppy/wikka/GrubPuppyBoot

The basics are, get the stage 1&2 files put them on a floppy, this must be done correctly, boot Grub from the floppy, set Grub's 'root device' to the partition with the boot directory, run the 'setup' command and edit menu.ls.

This allows you to boot from the hard drive as Grub writes to the MBR and reads menu.ls to see what and where to boot.

[Bruce B]

Ian, I've not tried this, although I ought to.

All someone has to do is mention floppy and I back away. I've had so many problems with floppy disks. It can be a good disk when I leave the house and I carry it somewhere and it's bad at the destination. It can be good on Tuesday and bad the next day.

I've lost faith in today's floppy disks. It is not my computer or the controller or the drive. It is the floppy disks.

Admittedly, every now and then you can get a good disk that stays good, so all is not lost.

One time when I was installing Puppy in the days when it made you make a floppy disk I fed it five disks before the sixth one passed. To make matters more frustrating, I already had a good boot Puppy disk from an earlier install.

In any event, all griping aside, I'll look into the page and get back with results. But it will take a couple days. Thanks for writing the page and the link.

[Ian]

Floppies were what drove me to create a Grub boot CD as I used to go through floppy drives like wildfire and the same with floppies.

I tried the top brand names but still had failures, not as many but enough, now I use floppies sparingly as they are dearer than CDs.

I did create a lot of floppy versions of Linux and used Lilo on some but they are limited although Menuet is a good example of what you can do on a floppy.

Grub is easy to set up and that is my main bootloader now.

If you get hold of the Grub info file it contains all the information about Grub, that was what I worked off.

[peppyy]

Maybe I am missing something but I usually set my drive up with puppy using pdisk and cfdisk to reiserFS and a small swap. Run the installer, install grub to the MBR, reboot to the hd and edit menu.lst, remove the comment on the timeout and set it to 3.

This has worked for me many times with no problems.

On ocassion I will partition the drive so I have some storage seperate from the OS to save some backup files.

[Bruce B]

Maybe I am missing something but I usually set my drive up with puppy using pdisk and cfdisk to reiserFS and a small swap. Run the installer, install grub to the MBR, reboot to the hd and edit menu.lst, remove the comment on the timeout and set it to 3.

Maybe I'm missing something. I don't know pdisk. Cfdisk makes the partition type and size. Setting it to type 83 allows for ext2, ex3, reiserfs. Making the file system is a different process.

One reason I don't make a file system is because Puppy arbitrarily makes it an ext2 file system.

----------------

I remember an earlier post of yours where you mentioned running puppy on reiserfs. As I remember it you were running an Option 1 install.

I think that's the difference. With an option 1 install you have to make the filesystem yourself and you have a wide range of filesystems you can use.

With option 2 you have a choice of ext2 or ext2.