Arch Linux

Breakage

Member

From: London

Registered: 2008-02-12

Posts: 198

Website

Grub Error 15

So I installed and got the Error 15, I'm trying to set up a dual boot XP and Arch the infos on it are here : http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=43825

I've booted into a live cd and got the menu.list:

# (0) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux
root   (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdb3 ro
initrd /kernel26.img

# (1) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux Fallback
root   (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdb3 ro
initrd /kernel26-fallback.img

# (1) Windows
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

To me it looks fine, but what have I done wrong? One thing i've noticed is that I have installed the grub bootloader on to /dev/sdb1 and im sure it should be under /etc/grub/. /etc/ is on sdb3.

Here was my options:

Please select the boot device where the Grub bootloader will be installed.

/dev/sda
/dev/sdb
/dev/sda1
/dev/sdb1
/deb/sdb2
/dev/sdb3
/dev/sdb4

Help please!

Here's my fdisk -l:

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9726 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x9dc96e9e

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        9725    78116031    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 10.2 GB, 10248118272 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1245 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x53375ee3

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1           5       40162   83  Linux
/dev/sdb2               6          38      265072+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb3              39         676     5124735   83  Linux
/dev/sdb4             677        1245     4570492+  83  Linux

farkus888

Member

Registered: 2007-10-31

Posts: 31

Re: Grub Error 15

I personally always install grub on the MBR of the HD my motherboard is set to boot to. this is the "sda" or "sdb" entry instead of say "sda1" which is the first partition of the first disc.

It seems you have 2 HDs if thats true you should note that if one is ide and one is sata grub tends to get the orders different than udev. what this means is that hd0,0 in grub might be referred to as sdb inside Arch. if you think that is it try hitting e (for edit) at the grub menu (then e again with the first line selected) to temporarily change the entry for one boot (boot with these modified options using b) and try arch as hd0,0 instead of hd1,0. if that works correct your /boot/grub/menu.lst once you are inside Arch

Breakage

Member

From: London

Registered: 2008-02-12

Posts: 198

Website

Re: Grub Error 15

Hi, farkus888 yes I have 2 HDD's but both are IDE, so I should install the bootloader to sdb? Or to master HDD sda which is a NTFS drive for win? I'm not sure which one is set to boot as in my bios it only has options to select boot from hard disk or cd 1st. I'm going to reinstall arch and try installing the bootloader to sdb instead of sdb1.

Thanks for the input, i'll post back the results

farkus888

Member

Registered: 2007-10-31

Posts: 31

Re: Grub Error 15

I would install it on the mbr of sda, as long as you are chainloading you will be fine that way. if you need to get the NTFS MBR back later you can run fdisk /mbr from a 98 boot disc or the recovery console of a 2k or xp disc. I would personally physically change the discs on the cable so that the Arch HD is sda and install grub to the mbr of sda, windows will never know the difference because it won't have any understanding of what is on the other disc and physically moving the windows disc back to primary on the IDE cable is easier to get booting into windows again without grub at all that booting to a recovery disc and rebuilding your mbr. (because I usually can't find my disc)

Breakage

Member

From: London

Registered: 2008-02-12

Posts: 198

Website

Re: Grub Error 15

I tried installing the bootloader to sdb, I got error 15 but by pressing 12 at bios startup and booting from the secondary hdd I could get into grub which leads me to believe that the grub from xubuntu is still installed on sda, by installing Arch again and installing the mbr to sba would it overwrite the old xubuntu grub? I thought *buntu grub was installed to sdb. But after booting to secondary hdd and loading grub and trying to get into arch I got this error and a error for windows to:

Arch Linux:
Booting 'Arch Linux'
root (hd 1,0)
Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdb3 ro
Error 17 : Cannot mount selected partiton

and for windows:

Booting Windows:
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive chainloader +1
Error 13: Invalid or Unsupported executible format

I guess that its because grub was not on the master hdd that i'm getting those errors.

I'll try what you suggested farkus888 and install it to mbr on sda, I have the XP disk to fix the NTFS MBR if it messes up so that shouldn't be a problem.

If that doesn't work i'll swap the disks, before I install right?

Last edited by Breakage (2008-02-12 20:05:21)

Breakage

Member

From: London

Registered: 2008-02-12

Posts: 198

Website

Re: Grub Error 15

farkus888, thanks for the help well i've installed the bootloader to sda and grub loads fine and i've just booted into windows to check it and that's ok, havn't loaded arch yet just about to guess that will be ok. I suppose the error was all down to me being hesitant on messing with the windows hdd as windows seems to commit hari-kari when its messed with. Lesson learned

Now to boot into arch and set up Openbox.

Thanks again!