Can't access grub2 menu, select OS

[varunrajan]

I recently installed Mint 9 on my laptop using an usb stick. And I don't know how but I somehow managed to get grub installed onto the usb, while the OS onto the hard-disk. So now I can't boot into my machine without using the usb drive.

I tried the standard way of reinstalling grub2. Also completely uninstalled grub2 and reinstalled it. These procedures worked without any errors but didn't solve the problem either.

Is there any way that I can resolve this issue without reinstalling the OS? I had put in far too much time into configuring Mint and would very much like to not do a reinstall.

Thanks

[wayne128]

I recently installed Mint 9 on my laptop using an usb stick. And I don't know how but I somehow managed to get grub installed onto the usb, while the OS onto the hard-disk. So now I can't boot into my machine without using the usb drive.

I tried the standard way of reinstalling grub2. Also completely uninstalled grub2 and reinstalled it. These procedures worked without any errors but didn't solve the problem either.

Is there any way that I can resolve this issue without reinstalling the OS? I had put in far too much time into configuring Mint and would very much like to not do a reinstall.

Thanks

Can you boot up the computer, open the terminal, then do the following command, and post the output:

1. sudo fdisk -l
2. sudo parted -l print

3. do you know which partition on which drive is the Mint installation?

[varunrajan]

Output of "sudo fdisk -l"

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x5f1d1c2b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 2611 20972826 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 2612 6530 31472640 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 6530 10271 30049280 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 10271 60802 405889025 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 10763 35782 200967168 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 35783 60802 200966144 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 10271 10763 3954688 82 Linux swap / Solaris



Output of "sudo parted -l print"

Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 32.3kB 21.5GB 21.5GB primary ntfs
2 21.5GB 53.7GB 32.2GB primary ntfs
3 53.7GB 84.5GB 30.8GB primary ext4
4 84.5GB 500GB 416GB extended
7 84.5GB 88.5GB 4050MB logical linux-swap(v1)
5 88.5GB 294GB 206GB logical ntfs
6 294GB 500GB 206GB logical ntfs

Mint is installed on sda3, with swap in sda7. sda1 has XP and sda2 has win7. The others are data drives.

[wayne128]

fdisk -l did not show usb drive or usb stick, can you include everything on fdisk -l and parted -l print to show all drives? It must appear in fdisk -l.

now as you said, you must have usb drive in order to boot computer, that means usb drive has the MBR installed with grub2.

What is your setting on Bios boot order?
( CDROM/USB/harddisk etc in the proper order which determine how Bios would pass control to)

[varunrajan]

I missed out the usb portion as I had unmounted it after booting. Here's the usb section:

Disk /dev/sdb: 1031 MB, 1031798784 bytes
16 heads, 32 sectors/track, 3936 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 512 * 512 = 262144 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000838bd

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 3936 1007600 b W95 FAT32

The boot order has hard disk first and usb second. When the usb is not plugged in, it simply shows a black error screen saying something to the tune of no disk found.

[wayne128]

ok, now you boot computer with usb , then it should work and get /dev/sda3 mounted since Mint was installed on /dev/sda3,

on terminal, type mount , the first line should read /dev/sda3 xxxx, just to confirm.

now assuming your Mint is really running on /dev/sda3, you should install grub2 onto the MBR which is /dev/sda

now on terminal, su to root and become root ( with # prompt), then

grub-install /dev/sda

[varunrajan]

I have already confirmed that Mint is on sda3 using another live usb.
I have also tried grub-install /dev/sda. It gives no errors and shows a message that its successful, but this does not rectify the problem.

[wayne128]

I have already confirmed that Mint is on sda3 using another live usb.
I have also tried grub-install /dev/sda. It gives no errors and shows a message that its successful, but this does not rectify the problem.

I am not sure you are running installed OS
or running with usb stick

please confirm.

if you are running on usb stick or CD or DVD, which has bootable Mint iso, then you need to get into the terminal, become root, then command to reinstall grub2 are

1. mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
2. grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda

if no error, fine, unplug usb drive, reboot and check
if error mention to use --force, then the command to use is

2a. grub-install --force --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda

[varunrajan]

I am sure that the its running from the hard disk because the usb I am using has Ubuntu 10.04 and not Mint .
grub-install is not giving any error. I have tried it both using liveusb and from Mint, but neither gave the desired results.

[wayne128]

I am sure that the its running from the hard disk because the usb I am using has Ubuntu 10.04 and not Mint .
grub-install is not giving any error. I have tried it both using liveusb and from Mint, but neither gave the desired results.

If you are running off /dev/sda3, the mount command will show on first line

then, on terminal, with root, do a update-grub, this will let grub2 update itself
the terminal should see something like :

Code: Select all

root@-PC:/home/wayne# update-grub
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found background image: /usr/share/images/desktop-base/desktop-grub.png
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-2-amd64
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-2-amd64
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-5-amd64
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-5-amd64
Found Windows 7 (loader) on /dev/sda1
Found Ubuntu 10.10 (10.10) on /dev/sda7
Found Linux for enlightened beings (2.0 ) on /dev/sda8
done
root@-PC:/home/wayne# 

[varunrajan]

mount command does show /dev/sda3 as first line.

output of update-grub:

Code: Select all

Generating grub.cfg ...
Found Debian background: linuxmint.png
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-32-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-32-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Found Microsoft Windows XP Professional on /dev/sda1
Found Windows 7 (loader) on /dev/sda2
done

[wayne128]

mount command does show /dev/sda3 as first line.

output of update-grub:

Code: Select all

Generating grub.cfg ...
Found Debian background: linuxmint.png
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-32-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-32-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Found Microsoft Windows XP Professional on /dev/sda1
Found Windows 7 (loader) on /dev/sda2
done

Ok, then, unplug usb, reboot, see what happen.

[varunrajan]

Just a "Disk Error" message. Doesn't show the grub or boot.

[wayne128]

Just a "Disk Error" message. Doesn't show the grub or boot.

Well, if you went thru those instructions, and from reading also you had already done purging grub, reinstall grub, etc, yet you still have problem...

This leads me to think you might hit the bug listed on grub2-documentation
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2

Code: Select all

Selected Problems and Bugs

External Drive Installs and ''grub-pc'' Updates

Launchpad Bug 496435 Installs of Ubuntu on external drives can cause problems as grub-install uses device names (e.g. sda, sdb) rather than UUIDs in certain circumstances. If connected to another machine when an update of grub-pc is made, the upgrade may be written to the incorrect device and make the computer unbootable.

A workaround is posted on the bug link above.

External Drive Installs and MBR Selection

Launchpad Bug 414996

When installing Ubuntu to a USB drive, the potential exists for GRUB 2 to write to the hard drive's MBR or split the installation between the hard drive and the USB drive (rather than completely on the USB device). This can render the main drive unbootable.

Workaround: During the final stages of the install there is an "Advanced" button which allows the user to select the install location. See the bug report for more details. 

You might want to consider following:
1. Reinstall, but without USB drive attached, use DVD/CD to install, this way no external usb drive to confuse.
2. Try Mint 10, 11 that has higher version of grub2 ( 1.99) but it is hard to know if those bugs would surface to your hardware.
3. I think this one should be alright.
Use another CD to boot computer /dev/sda3, without USB drive attached, then when computer is booted up and running /dev/sda3, do grub install to /dev/sda, this should let internal hard disk to have grub2 installed.
Those that can do this are supergrub ( grub2 version), RIPLinux and many more recovery tools.
I always use RIPLinux, the procedure is, get iso from their website, burn bootable CD, use it to boot computer, on its menu, choose the line that boot partition of 32- of 64- bit with /dev/xxxx, tab it, move cursor back on xxxx and change it to sda3 and <enter> to boot computer,
once you are running on /dev/sda3, remember external USB drive is not attached, now you use the same command to install grub2 onto /dev/sda, hopefully it works.