After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

Triver · 2011-08-15 23:32:15

Hi so I recently successfully installed the archlinux image on my netbook. after finishing the config files and rebooting, he started grub normally, I could choose from all the menu entries I set. I had 3 other partitions before I installed arch, these were windows 7 starter, system (dont know what that is, he showed me that under windows but it is unrecognized under linux) and a windows 7 recovery partition (from samsung).

so I first checked if he would boot the windows partition but I forgot also to configure the windows partition entry in the grub config so he loaded the recovery partition. after a reboot he showed me just a black screen with a flashing cursor at the bottom of the display that moves from the left side to the right constantly. there is no error or anything, he even shows the text "loading grub" at the beginning but then I get that screen.

I still can boot my arch live image, here's the output of fdisk -l
/dev/sda1 * 1 1959 15728640 27 Unknown
/dev/sda2 1959 1972 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 1972 20841 151565496 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 20841 30401 76798472+ 83 Linux

also I tried to manually mount the partitions from the live image but I'm still kind of a noob with linux, should this be the right command?
mount /dev/sda4
because that doesnt work, he says he "cant find /dev/sda4 in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab".

I hope you can help me, thx

fsckd · 2011-08-15 23:40:22

You need to specify a mount point, like so, mount /dev/sda4 /path/to/mount/point
man mount has all the details.

Triver · 2011-08-16 00:29:58

ah right, I totally forgot that. I can mount the partitions now in the live image however the grub problem is still not solved.

any ideas?

bernarcher · 2011-08-16 06:39:54

Please show your /etc/fstab.

Triver · 2011-08-16 09:20:03

I guess you mean the fstab from the harddrive? here it is (I only write the lines that dont have a # at the beginning):
devpts /dev/pts devpts defaults 0 0
shm /dev/shm tmpfs nodev, nosuid 0 0

/dev/sda4 / ext4 defaults 0 1

I was thinking about reinstalling linux on that partition and overwriting grub in the mbr, could there be problems when I do that?

Triver · 2011-08-17 09:03:18

It worked again after the install, probably a re-install of grub would have worked.

However after booting the recovery partition I got the same screen again! It seems like booting from it is messing up something (the mbr?) but how can I prevent this? I still would like to be able to boot the recovery without any issues afterwards..

And how can I manually install grub from the live image? I dont want to go through the whole installation again, only overwrite the existing grub and with it the mbr.

Inxsible · 2011-08-17 13:34:39

Have you done this, after you updated your system?

Triver · 2011-08-17 13:55:40

well...no I just let pacman do the update (where some things with renaming kernel files were mentioned). but considering the fact that I didnt update the system the first time the problem occured and the fact that booting from the windows recovery partition triggers the problem I dont think that the problem lies within linux or updating.

besides that I dont even come to the grub menu, he only displays "grub loading stage1.5" and then the screen with the cursor comes. He doesnt react on anything I try except the reboot shortcut.

and can you help me with my previous question? "And how can I manually install grub from the live image? I dont want to go through the whole installation again, only overwrite the existing grub and with it the mbr."

fsckd · 2011-08-17 14:01:48

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Grub <- read this?

Triver · 2011-08-17 14:20:07

I took a look into it and noted this:

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive #if you use Windows7 this line should be commented out
chainloader +1

could it be that the line "makeactive" is responsible for the problem? what does makeactive do and why shouldnt you use it with windows 7?
As for the install:
I managed to reinstall it, I can now boot linux again and view the grub menu. still I want to solve the problem with the windows recovery partition

fsckd · 2011-08-17 14:24:44

Grub should ignore the Windows recovery partition. Remove all mentions of it from menu.lst.

Triver · 2011-08-17 14:52:48

that doesnt really solve the problem since I want to be able to use it. but I guess I have to live with that.

could it be that grub has problems with it? or do you think the same problems will occur when I use grub2? (Im planning to install it either way)

fsckd · 2011-08-17 14:58:24

Windows Recovery partition is internal to Windows and not meant to be accessed by any bootloader. Or are you referring to something else? (My MS terminology might be a little rusty, sorry if I'm only confusing things.)

If you mean booting Windows, that shouldn't be a problem.

Triver · 2011-08-17 15:18:53

Windows boots fine, what I mean is a partition that was delivered with the netbook itself in order to recover Windows if there are ever problems.

That partition/recovery system however is not made by Microsoft but by Samsung so I'm not sure if that makes any difference.

The only thing I know is that something like this also worked before but with a differen manufacturer (Acer). It was a netbook too and it also had a recovery partition that was made by Acer (or at least logos of it were everywhere) and it booted just fine, like WIndows or Linux.

Well actually the problem is here not with booting but with grub working properly after the reboot from the boot of the partition but I think you know what I mean.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-08-15 23:32:15

After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#2 2011-08-15 23:40:22

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#3 2011-08-16 00:29:58

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#4 2011-08-16 06:39:54

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#5 2011-08-16 09:20:03

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#6 2011-08-17 09:03:18

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#7 2011-08-17 13:34:39

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#8 2011-08-17 13:55:40

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#9 2011-08-17 14:01:48

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#10 2011-08-17 14:20:07

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#11 2011-08-17 14:24:44

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#12 2011-08-17 14:52:48

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#13 2011-08-17 14:58:24

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

#14 2011-08-17 15:18:53

Re: After install and first boot, Grub shows only flashing cursor

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