LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

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este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

spandey wrote:@Luv,
Good to hear you made it work. It didn't work for @e.e.p. Can you please list down the steps so that e.e.p and others can benefit from it?
@spandey: yes, thanks for asking that each of the steps be detailed, or is it that using "Hugh T's" coding is exactly, more or less, what is needed? But it looks like what "LuvMySubi" added that makes the final difference; it appears that the problem all along with the LMDE installer is that it isn't or doesn't provide a way to either make or mark the Boot partition, so GRUB doesn't know where to put itself . . . .
LuvMySubi wrote:Although the first time I tried to install GRUB I got an error about a missing BIOS boot partition so I used used gparted to created a small partition and marked it with the bios_grub flag after that grub installed and the computer booted into Mint."
@Luv: When you say, "small partition" what does "small" mean? Is this like the 1 MB that is used for Yaboot in other Linux installations? And then does the placement of it have any importance? Like it should be before the OSX partition just after the rEFIt boot partition or after it just in front of the Linux partition? Thanks for any details . . . .

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
LuvMySubi

Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by LuvMySubi »

@este

Yes I used HughTs code exactly with the exception of having to use gparted to create another partition and flagging it as bios_grub. My partition is 4 MB and it comes after my linux install (thats were I had free space) so I am guessing that the position does not matter. I looked at the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS_Boot_partition, and it says the partition can be as small as 30KiB although it suggests making it larger.

So the steps are:

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Create a partition with gparted and flag it as bois_grub
sudo gptsync
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda3
Then restart, the refit icon for the OS should change to tux and GRUB should load the OS. Finally after loading I updated GRUB

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sudo update-grub
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

@LMS: thanks very much for the followup, interesting how the solution turns out to be relatively simple, for installing MintPPC if installing into "free space" the installer will install the Yaboot partition automatically, but it can be done manually and in one install I had to do that manually . . . but that wasn't mentioned in any of the tutorials linked through this thread . . . and it wasn't remembered . . . . : - 0 Anyway, been too busy to play with it again, maybe this weekend, and maybe I'll be over the first hump and I can move on to my next thread generating hump . . . late adaptor type . . . .
Certainly I'll post back with the news of success or the continuing saga of non-installation pain . . . fresh, as it happens.

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

HughT wrote:Have you tried the following from a live CD

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sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt

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sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda
note - there's a gap between =/mnt and /dev, and no partition number after sda

re-boot into Mint then

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sudo update-grub
regards
@LMS/spandey:

One tiny detail, since the devil is in the details, in HughT's post he makes special note of the "no partition number after sda" but LuvMySubi seems to have included the "sda3" in the command quotient . . . would that make any difference in outcomes, or is the change due to the fact that LMS, and probably I, will have to make a partition for "bios_boot" . . . ??? It's still mostly Greek to me in terms of what is being done in the commands, but I'm assuming that we're naming sda3 as the root, but GRUB will then recognize where to put itself with the add'l partition? Although in some ways it looks like HughT is booting GRUB in sda3??? Any added comments would be welcome, I'll be hoping for a one shot pass on this, hopefully, final attempt to get GRUB in its place and boot LMDE.

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
HughT

Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by HughT »

Hi este.el.paz
the commands I used installed grub files on the same partition as the operating system, not on a separate, dedicated partition (ie installed the files found in 'file systems > boot'). Because I was using a live CD, I had to mount that partition with the first command. The second command does two things - it installs grub to that mounted partition and tells the 'master boot record' for the hard drive where to find that new grub. The master boot record is not in any partition - it's the very first part of the drive see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record.

Here's how to use a dedicated partition for boot, but first I must tell you that I've never done this myself, don't know rEFIt, I use Mint 11 not LMDE, and never done any grub operations with a MacBookPro. I'm assumimg that you can't get into Mint, and will have to use live CD.

I understand that you already have a partition sda1 which you want to use for Grub, but you're not sure what size this should be. Looking at my Grub file properties in the Nautilus File Manager it's 13GB, but only 27.3MB are used - so it's very small.

So now would be a good time to use GParted to re-size it, and label it Grub2.
Then mount that partition

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sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

Now write the grub files there - using the label name for the partition (ie Grub2) not sda1

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sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/Grub2 /dev/sda
The first part (/media/Grub2) defines the grub partition.
The second (/dev/sda) references the drive that has the Master Boot Record
So now you have all the appropriate templates for Grub, but no information about the menu entries - important things such as your two operating systems. So now copy the existing grub.cfg file in the Mint partition to the Grub2 partition. It might be worth looking in that grub.cfg file just to check that it refers to both the operating systems and kernels.

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sudo cp /boot/grub/grub.cfg /media/Grub2/boot/grub/grub.cfg


This, fingers crossed, should do the trick, and on re-start you should have a grub screen wth a choice of Mac or LMDE.

Let us know ho you get on!
LuvMySubi

Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by LuvMySubi »

@este

You are correct the evil is in the details, and I made a mistake. The command is

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sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda
Running the command with /dev/sda3 will result in a error about installing grub on a partition less drive if I remember correctly.
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

@et al:

Thanks to both of you for the follow-up details, hopefully that will get this phase done; haven't had any spare time to play with yet, so I'll probably get to it tomorrow . . . with fingers crossed, etc. : - 0

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

@spandey/HughT/LuvMySubi:

Well . . . just on the point of giving up . . . I'm proud to announce that I'm typing this from LMDE, although how that exactly happened is one of Life's great mystery's . . . . I tried to follow the advice to make another partition for "bios_grub" and then use Terminal to install grub to it . . . first trying LMS's version since it was simpler and Terminal was kicking back error windows on that, so I went over to HughT's ideas and Terminal would say "is device mounted?" when Gparted was showing that it was . . . tried each way a number of times . . . . Then decided to just erase the install and use the installer to try it again . . . with the partition still labeled as "bios_grub" (even tried to set that as /boot but installer fried on that so went back to just setting "/" on sda3) and set GRUB to install on "sda" . . . went thru the install rebooted into rEFIt, synced the MBR, and then shut down the computer, restarted and picked "boot from rEFIt" . . . and low and behold we got to a Grub prompt and into a LMDE log in window . . . . So, thanks to all for the insights, it's hard to know if and when any of this would have worked, whether or not the manual partition for the Grub iinstaller flagged as "bios_grub" is what made the difference??? Still the Grub bootloader option just showed "sda" and "sda1" as the choices and I picked the default "sda" and here we are. I'm glad it worked thru the installer because it didn't seem that the Terminal commands were making it into the installed version and frustration was mounting . . . speaking of "mounting" and devices "not being seen" . . . . Have yet to test whether OSX is still fine, it should be OK, but there is a sense of accomplishment, and I'm glad I'm in the rolling distro as I wanted to be with LMDE . . . . Now on to starting the learning curve, I guess I have to reset the touchpad to get it to work in the MBPro, etc . . . . Then I'll figure out how to mark the post as "[solved]" once I get in and out of LMDE a couple of times . . . . : - )))

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
HughT

Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by HughT »

Fantastic!
so I went over to HughT's ideas and Terminal would say "is device mounted?" when Gparted was showing that it was . .
Did you use the designation sda3 or the name bios_grub in the mount command? I think that's why it didn't mount.
Hope that OSX boot is successful, and that you can mark this as 'SOLVED'.
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

HughT wrote:Fantastic!
so I went over to HughT's ideas and Terminal would say "is device mounted?" when Gparted was showing that it was . .
Did you use the designation sda3 or the name bios_grub in the mount command? I think that's why it didn't mount.
Hope that OSX boot is successful, and that you can mark this as 'SOLVED'.
HughT: Yes it is fantastic . . . I didn't have to add myself to sudoers and I'm currently "sudo apt upgrading" . . . that's all I know how to do, but it's working. In terms of your question . . . I don't really know : - )) I followed your code at that time which was using "sda3" ??? and then using the "grub2" ??? but like I said, Gparted showed the partition was 'mounted' but terminal said it was not . . . doesn't matter now . . . something was preventing an easy solution, and then it went thru. As far as this stuff goes it's just like my mom who still looks at email as shrouded in mystery . . . I just keep clicking on stuff until the computer figures out what I want and then it does it . . . mostly because it takes pity on me . . . .

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
este.el.paz
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LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by este.el.paz »

Folks:

Booted in and out a couple of times, and OSX is fine, so I'm attempting to mark this question as resolved. The answer to my question, "how to set boot partition" seems to be "manually"--manually create a partition in Gparted and flag it as "bios_grub" . . . and then run the installer, I first tried 2 MB but it used over 1 MB to format the partition so on one of my later tries I went with 10 MB . . . so that means manually partitioning the "/", the "linux_swap", and then the "bios_grub" . . . along with using the rEFIt application . . . which I think also had to be done manually??? can't remember now . . . . But LMDE is now booting from MBPro and seems to be OK . . . using the XFCE 64bit installer. Thanks to all for your inputs.

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
spandey

Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by spandey »

@e.e.p, can you please mark the thread SOLVED by putting [SOLVED] in Subject.
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by este.el.paz »

spandey wrote:@e.e.p, can you please mark the thread SOLVED by putting [SOLVED] in Subject.
@spandey: I guess I'll once again need your help to do that, I spent about half an hour trying to find a way to edit the Subject line . . . so the best I could do was changing it in the last post in the "post a reply" subject box, which only seems to change that one . . . otherwise, clicking on the subject line just takes me to the beginning of the posts . . . maybe it's a mac thing?? After that gets taken care of I'm off to get the wireless working in LMDE, that's the first new issue of the new system.

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
spandey

Re: LMDE install not booting--how to set boot partition?

Post by spandey »

Go to the first post of your thread and press 'EDIT' button there. Subject line will appear in white box and can be changed.
furgere

Re: LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by furgere »

This way is very simple and it works (at least for me).
After installing rEFIt and creating the partition with BootCamp, boot from LMDE liveDVD start installer and create/modify partitions with Gparted. After that exit installer (without installing LMDE!) and reboot, in the rEFIt menu run partition inspector and syncronize. Reboot from liveDVD and run installer, now you will have sda3 as a choice to install bootloader.
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by este.el.paz »

@furgere:

Thanks for posting that info, that indeed looks very simple . . . the step of using rEFIt to sync the partitions before doing the install is new and if it reduced the need to manually create the boot partition, or at least let "sda3" be selected for GRUB . . . that is helpful information . . . after the fact for me, but hopefully helpful for folks wanting to install LMDE on the MBPro . . . .

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
cj123

Re: LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by cj123 »

furgere wrote:This way is very simple and it works (at least for me).
After installing rEFIt and creating the partition with BootCamp, boot from LMDE liveDVD start installer and create/modify partitions with Gparted. After that exit installer (without installing LMDE!) and reboot, in the rEFIt menu run partition inspector and syncronize. Reboot from liveDVD and run installer, now you will have sda3 as a choice to install bootloader.
Thanks, Furgere, I was having this problem (install did not give me the choice of sda3) and synchronizing with rEFIT prior to the install did the trick. Macbook 3'1 up and running with LMDE! Looks a lot easier than the other proposed fixes.
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by este.el.paz »

cj123 wrote:
Thanks, Furgere, I was having this problem (install did not give me the choice of sda3) and synchronizing with rEFIT prior to the install did the trick. Macbook 3'1 up and running with LMDE! Looks a lot easier than the other proposed fixes.
@cj123:

The other option would be to use the LM main edition, I'm finding that the MATE 64 bit varietal to be more stable after updating than . . . sorry to say, the LMDE version, LMDE seemed to stuff itself with almost every update . . . rendering the "rolling update" feature advantage a non-benefit . . . .

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
cj123

Re: LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by cj123 »

@eep,you're right about the rolling release! It sounded like a good idea but I just ran update manager and thought, what is all this stuff?
este.el.paz
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Re: LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

Post by este.el.paz »

cj123 wrote:@eep,you're right about the rolling release! It sounded like a good idea but I just ran update manager and thought, what is all this stuff?
@cj123:

Well, all that stuff is not the problem, that's part of Debian . . . it could even get more complicated if you do the update packs . . . I never got that far. The problem is the prediction of outcomes on the various updates . . . one of which led to the title of this thread . . . several times. I went to the main edition and have not found that problem . . . yet . . . after several updates . . . . Considering that the main edition also has Debian components it's interesting that it doesn't seem to lunch itself the way the LMDE did for me; and I tried to make it work, since I have straight Debian Wheezy system running on an iBook without much in the way of problems . . . .

e.e.p.
MacPro '12 multiboot various linux OSs with some aging OSX's . . . .
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