Re: Grub won't boot to linux partion

From: Jean-David Beyer (jdbeyer_at_exit109.com)
Date: 04/25/04 

Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 05:13:09 -0400

Jesse Benton wrote:
> Lenard,
> Here is my /etc/fstab file. Fdisk kept saying bad command.

You normally say /sbin/fdisk (and do it as root). The first thing it
says when coming up is to type "m" for help. If you do that, it gives
you a list of valid commands. Command "p" will "print" your partition table.

If none of that happens, you have to solve that problem first.

> I tried
> using 1,1 and 1,4 but they still didn't work.

fdisk will not like those as commands. If you put those into
/boot/grub/grub.conf, who knows? My grub.conf looks like this (on this
machine):

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda3
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=15
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES (2.4.21-9.0.3.ELsmp)
         root (hd0,0)
         kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.21-9.0.3.ELsmp ro root=LABEL=/
         initrd /initrd-2.4.21-9.0.3.ELsmp.img
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES (2.4.21-9.0.3.EL)
         root (hd0,0)
         kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.21-9.0.3.EL ro root=LABEL=/
         initrd /initrd-2.4.21-9.0.3.EL.img
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES (2.4.21-9.0.1.ELsmp)
         root (hd0,0)
         kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.21-9.0.1.ELsmp ro root=LABEL=/
         initrd /initrd-2.4.21-9.0.1.ELsmp.img

You may wish to compare this with yours. But you will have to know where
your boot (or root) partition is. Just guessing can take a long time.

> This system only has one
> hard drive anyway. I know GRUB needs to start on partion 4 and the 0
> means the first hard drive.
> Thanks in advance for your help
>
> Jesse
>
>
> LABEL=/ / ext3 defaults 1 1
> none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
> none /proc proc defaults 0 0
> none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
> /dev/hdc3 swap swap defaults 0 0
> /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner,kudzu 0 0
> /dev/scd0 /mnt/cdromscsi iso9660 noauto,user,ro 0 0
> /dev/hdc1 /mnt/dos vfat defaults
> 0 0
>
Mine works with no problem. Here is /etc/fstab:
LABEL=/ / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot /boot ext2 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/dataA /dataA ext2 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/data0 /data0 ext2 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/data1 /data1 ext2 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/data2 /data2 ext2 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/data3 /data3 ext2 defaults 1 2
none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
LABEL=/home /home ext3 defaults,usrquota 1 2
LABEL=/opt /opt ext3 defaults 1 2
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
LABEL=/tmp /tmp ext3 defaults,usrquota 1 2
LABEL=/usr /usr ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/usr/local /usr/local ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/usr/src /usr/src ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=/var /var ext3 defaults,usrquota 1 2
/dev/sdd2 swap swap defaults,pri=15 0 0
/dev/sdc2 swap swap defaults,pri=15 0 0
/dev/sdb2 swap swap defaults,pri=15 0 0
/dev/sda2 swap swap defaults,pri=15 0 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,owner,kudzu,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner,kudzu 0 0

and here is fdisk output (for drive /dev/hda only. There are four other
hard drives on a SCSI controller.

Disk /dev/hda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
 

    Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 49 393561 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 50 1354 10482412+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 1355 1615 2096482+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda4 1616 9964 67063342+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 1616 2659 8385898+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 2660 3703 8385898+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 3704 4225 4192933+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda8 4226 4747 4192933+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda9 4748 5073 2618563+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda10 5074 5196 987966 83 Linux

Note that /dev/hda1 is the /boot partition. Since you do not have a
separate boot partition, you will probably have fdisk set hda? to bootable. 

-- 
   .~.  Jean-David Beyer           Registered Linux User 85642.
   /V\                             Registered Machine   241939.
  /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey     http://counter.li.org
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