I have just installed a fresh copy of 10.04 alongside windows 7. The only problem is that grub boots to a cli, it will not bring up the normal menu. I had to boot the os manually in the cli. After I got the os up and running I tried updating grub and repairing it. That did not work so I tried downgrading to grub 1. It installed without any problems but it still boots to a cli. I am able to get the menu up by using these commands root (hd1,2) configfile = /boot/grub/menu.lst This will get me to the menu, but I would like to get it so it will just come up by default. Any ideas?
fresh copy of what? have you read the stuff at the start of menu.lst ?? there is a timeout setting to show the display, but I'm guessing you are still pissing about with n00buntu which hides the menu behind pretties by default.. RTFM eh? Code: # menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8) # grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8), # grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub # and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/. ## default num # Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and # the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used. # # You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry # is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'. # WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your # array will desync and will not let you boot your system. default 0 ## timeout sec # Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry # (normally the first entry defined). timeout 5 # Pretty colours color cyan/blue white/blue ## password ['--md5'] passwd # If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing # control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the # command 'lock' # e.g. password topsecret # password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/ # password topsecret # # examples # # title Windows 95/98/NT/2000 # root (hd0,0) # makeactive # chainloader +1 # # title Linux # root (hd0,1) # kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro # # # Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST ### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST ## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified ## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below ## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs ## ## Start Default Options ## ## default kernel options ## default kernel options for automagic boot options ## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z ## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted. ## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro ## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro ## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro # kopt=root=UUID=f5a508cb-51db-45ab-8cce-77c55e8cc079 ro ## default grub root device ## e.g. groot=(hd0,0) # groot=(hd0,0) ## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options ## e.g. alternative=true ## alternative=false # alternative=true ## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options ## e.g. lockalternative=true ## lockalternative=false # lockalternative=false ## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the ## alternatives ## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5 # defoptions=quiet ## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options ## e.g. lockold=false ## lockold=true # lockold=false ## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option # xenhopt= ## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option # xenkopt=console=tty0 ## altoption boot targets option ## multiple altoptions lines are allowed ## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options ## altoptions=(single-user) single # altoptions=(single-user mode) single ## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst ## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the ## alternative kernel options ## e.g. howmany=all ## howmany=7 # howmany=all ## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option ## e.g. memtest86=true ## memtest86=false # memtest86=true ## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system ## can be true or false # updatedefaultentry=false ## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options ## can be true or false # savedefault=false ## ## End Default Options ## title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-2-amd64 root (hd0,0) kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-amd64 root=UUID=f5a508cb-51db-45ab-8cce-77c55e8cc079 ro quiet iommu=memaper=2 initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.26-2-amd64 title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-2-amd64 (single-user mode) root (hd0,0) kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-amd64 root=UUID=f5a508cb-51db-45ab-8cce-77c55e8cc079 ro single iommu=memaper=2 initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.26-2-amd64
I know how to change the time out settings, this is not the problem. The computer boots to a grub prompt and I have to manually boot the operating system. example http://members.iinet.net.au/~herman546/p15/fig2grub.gif This is very inconvenient because I have to type the commands I listed in the first post in order to get to the menu with the os list.
defo n00buntu... it's broken as usual. pure guesswork from the very helpful "10.04" .. linux is 500 or so distros and a few hundred thousand homebrew (like this) builds, are we supposed to be bloody psychic or something?? you better go ask on the distro forums for an answer to why it hasn't decided which kernel to boot as default.. It should have done, but being that broken junk which is ALWAYS screwed up for at least 3 months after release I'm not in the least surprised.. My guess is grub is on a different partition from where you are expecting it to be so it doesn't know where anything is and the config that points to grub is lost.. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto
Obviously I am using ubuntu. It is the only distro that to my knowledge using the 10.04 numbering scheme. Now instead of complaining about the fact that I am using ubuntu you could try to do something useful. You could try to offer a solution, if you are not going to do that then don't respond to my thread. All I want to know, Is there a simple solution to get grub to point at the correct config file? and yes I have looked at the link you posted.
<rant> Ubuntu and Grub2. Pushing half-baked crap that isn't even documented on to users that don't have the experience to have any clue on how to fix it. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to go from having a single menu.lst to multiple files across multiple locations, some outside of /boot that require running a program on the OS to push the changes back? The boot partition should be standalone ffs. </rant> That feels better. My advice? Honestly, ditch Ubuntu. If you must keep Ubuntu, check the bootable flag on your /boot partition with fdisk and that you are indeed booting that drive in your BIOS. The solution could also involve re-running grub-install. But you really won't look back by venturing out and getting some experience with other distros, and Linux itself. Ubuntu has made a lot of decisions lately to panda to the lowest possible denomination, dumbing everything down to the degree that if you are a power user, it is actually *harder* to configure than a distro like Arch that many people *consider* hard.
Thanks Schmick I agree with you on grub 2. I do not care for it and find it more difficult to use so I installed the older version of grub. I know that a lot of you don't care for Ubuntu, and that is fine. I also use many other distros. I have centos on my file server, I have debian 5 on my torrentflux server and I ran fedora on my laptop for a while. Unfortunately Fedora gave me alot more problems than Ubuntu did so it is going to be my primary os on my laptop. I believe I found out what my problem was. I previously had fedora on this computer but I was not liking it very much so I installed ubuntu instead. When I installed grub must have been installed to a different partition than the one fedora installed it to. So when I was booting I was booting into an install of grub that wasn't pointing at anything. So I changed the hard drive boot priority and now it works fine.
see.. and you say " I wasn't being helpful" .. from the complete lack of information provided I guessed right what the problem was.. wrong partition probably.... IF you had thought about what you were doing, then had the bright spark to google the problem (now we know it's probably moved partitions) http://www.uluga.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=737645 .. but with NO info coming from you except a cryptic grub error with nothing else about partition/drive setup form some unnamed thing.. don't like being told to RTFM?.. suggest sticking with windoze and being spoon fed them.. because linux world that is the normal response.. I gave you the link to the manual.. the FULL manual.. you chose not to read it.. not my problem. like I said.. RTFM .. the ubuntu forums are FULL of this problem.. I would have loved to see the response on some real wide band linux forums to your "I installed 10.04" .. same response as you got from me.. WTF?? we don't all use that thing, and many of us don't even look at it so we have no idea what numbering system they use, or care even.... Guess what numbnuts.. IF you had READ the link instead of "looking at it" you would have seen your answer there in black and white.. what's it called?.. oh yeah "How to configure grub" .. any clues in the title?? you installed grub on your hardware.. down to you to find out where grub should be pointing not me.. Just wonder if you took the ext4 nonsense as well as grub2.. that's broken too. In linux world people expect others to have at least read the documentation and looked for themselves first, and then to post samples of config files with details of what they have installed where, and previous configurations, what they have already tried and if that had any effect. In some cases they may then be pointed at the ways to file a bug report against the error.. I have in the past... k3b for a matter of fact, version current back then would not burn an image under 99MB's.. was duplicated and verified by others, was filed as a bug, was worked on, and was solved.. But it wasn't solved from "I installed 3.4.06 and it doesn't work" whining.. it was solved with precise configs, precise details and samples of images which would not work and ones just over 99MB's which did, precise hardware details, and precise logging of how and when it failed during the process. I'm going to ignore you in future.. happy?.. no more answers to ubuntu n00bs.. simples Mick.. arch still doesn't like my hardware.. x will never start, errors with the same old "unable to open 0.0" junk that says it doesn't find the agp bus. I worked that out from making a broken setup with 2 specified agp locations and using the wrong one threw the same error.. trouble is.. the setup is right so it should work.. arch is broken again... as usual from the hobbyists. We should resurrect Kororaa.. I liked that.
Come on Paula, go easy on the guy. Not that I would have started a thread, but that would have thrown me for a few minutes too. Never had a major problem with Arch here, beyond the occasional broken package and stupid mistake by myself. Being on the bleeding edge has seen a few issues with incorrect kernel modules being loaded for wireless etc, but only a 5 second job to blacklist the wrong one, most stuff is done out of /etc/rc.conf so nice and easy. Don't even need to touch xorg.conf any more, though the nvidia config generates one still. The wiki might have something to help you. Could even be some xorg bug that everyone else just quietly patches around but Arch is trying to push back upstream. Wouldn't be the first time that I've found such differences, think I've run into that in bluetooth packages.
this isn't the first n00btastic thread that has been started by a simple fail to look on the n00buntu forums or google "grub menu error" somehow there is a blind assumption this is the ubuntu forum.. news for people.. if it was the ubuntu forum then why does it say "linux" and not "ubuntu" ?? you know I don't mind a sensible and obviously have already looked for answers, like Hazel makes.. something strange and a little off the beaten track, but seriously.. 10.04 first problem on day 1 was this grub error. It was reported as a bug within 80 minutes of the full release being available. ext4 doesn't work with grub unless specifically configures.. plays this game instead, now as for not knowing which partition what was installed to.. that's just n00bishness.. should always manually partition linux and bsd drives for precisely this reason.. so you know where stuff is going to. I'm still betting grub has gone to the linux partition and not the mbr.. but I'm having nothing more to do with this.. I gave a link containing ALL the answers anybody could ever want, but they can't respond intelligently with grub and /boot and /root locations.. let alone what would have happened if I had asked for a menu.list or grub.conf file listing.. or even the location of vmlinuz .. end of story.. I have dropped somebody in the "ignore till learns to RTFM first and ask stupid questions second" box.. At least then they might have enough idea to be able to guess what would be needed to have a shot at what the problem is.. we all know n00buntu hides grub menu behind a pretty unless it's told to display it.. read first couple of posts again and see if you can guess where the problem might be.. my first thought was "wrong partition" .. but nobody came back with anything of use to me. Will chat about arch on irc sometime.. this is the second release I have tried on that hardware.. guess it just doesn't like it... everything else installs fine. Been all through the arch wiki and forums.. nobody else has the problem .. it's not really a strange machine as debian and everything else works straight off.. I know it's something weird arch related because a copy of rc.conf from working debian doesn't work.. they should be identical. I'm not keen on bleeding edge anyway.. never have been.. too many bugs and stupid broken things breaking everything else in cascade for my liking.. just like n00buntu latest releases actually.. too far upstream. We know it takes the docs 3 months at least to catch up with version changes... going to keep my homebrew lfs build on it for now.. that's why it's annoying me.. I can build lfs on it and it works.. why not arch?
You keep making the assumption that I did not try to fix the problem and I just immediately posted the problem here. I did do research on this and tried a few different things first such as, uninstalling and reinstalling grub. Reverting to the old version and then doing a repair from a live cd. It was after doing this that I thought someone here might have something I could try. I did manually partition on this computer and the last two computers I installed it on. I have noticed that the Ubuntu installer does not do a good job of telling you where grub is going to be installed. Again I researched and read about this before I posted. I also read through and tried a few of the suggestions in the grub manual before responding again. None of the information in the manual was any help to me except the part about using the grub prompt to manfully boot the system, but I had already figured that out. I usually stay away from the Ubuntu forums because I have found that in the past people here at afterdawn were better with things like this and would usually give me a better answer. But if I am going to get "RTFM" for an answer in every post. Even after ready the manual and attempting to fix the problem on my own, and be insulted and be called "n00b" for the OS that I am using then I will just go to another forum. I found that the Linux Forums have been better place to find an answer anyway. Mods - this thread can be closed I no longer need help with this
