[SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

El_craigo · 2009-07-22 12:46:41

Hi every one. I have an "odd" issue with my duel boot system. I recently installed Vista into /dev/sda and Arch linux into /dev/sdb. Vista was installed first and then Linux. Both installed with no errors. GRUB into MBR. Here's the problem
If I try to boot Linux, I get the following error (see below) and it hangs. So I try to boot into Vista and it works. Now here's the kicker, if I reboot (after I have already booted into Vista) I can now boot into Linux!?!?! I can now reboot and login to either Vista or Linux, as many times as I like and it works. But if I shut the pc down, I won't be able to boot into Linux again, until I boot into Vista first and then reboot (not shutdown) again.
Here's the error I get if I try to boot into Linux after a shutdown (power off)

Root device '/dev/mapper/VG00-lvol02' doesn't exist, attempting to create it
ERROR: Failed to parse block device ids for '/dev/mapper/VG00-lvol02'
ERROR: Unable to detect or create root device '/dev/mapper/VG00-lvol02'
You are being dropped to a recovery shell
Type 'reboot' to reboot
Type 'exit' to try and continue booting
If the device /dev/mapper/VG00-lvol2 gets created while you are here
try adding 'root delay=10' or higher to the kernel command line
ramfs$

Hope you can help.
thanks

Last edited by El_craigo (2009-08-20 12:34:36)

Cdh · 2009-07-22 14:14:52

Did you configure any special things to boot from /dev/mapper/FOO or is this part of the issue?

madeye · 2009-07-22 17:45:38

Are you using lvm or did you perhaps use lvm on a previously install?
I think you need to remove the lvm volumes before you can make a fresh install.

El_craigo · 2009-07-22 23:37:05

Hi Cdh,madeye
I was using both disks for Vista, but decided to use one for Vista (first disk) and one for Arch Linux(second disk). The Arch Linux disk has /boot in its own partition, with the rest of the disk set up as LVM. It doesnt make sence that I can only boot into Linux, if I first boot into Vista, reboot the system, and then boot into Linux.????

madeye · 2009-07-24 06:56:56

This does sound rather mysterious. Have you tried to add the root delay parameter to the kernel line in grub?
For example

root delay=10

Could it be that the disk needs to settle? When you boot vista first, the second disk gets some time to spin-up and settle. I would guess the root delay could help if this is the case.

I have never seen this behaviour myself, so I am not sure where exactly the solution lies.

El_craigo · 2009-07-24 11:00:21

thanks for the suggestion madeye. I wont get a chance to try it until tomorrow, but I'll give it a go and let you know if it fixes it.
cheers

El_craigo · 2009-08-20 10:40:25

OK.... Sorry its taken me this long to get back to you, but I've been busy and havent had much of a chance to visit this problem again. Basically its fixed!!! It turned out not to be an Arch Linux thing, but a NVidia sata controller thing. After getting no where with Arch Linux I though I would try a few other distro's ( Centos, Suse ) and got the same problem. After a hard reboot ( power off ), linux wouldnt detect my SATA drives. If I booted into Windows first and then "soft rebooted" into a Live CD ( or my original Arch Linux install ), Linux could see my drives. Has something to do with the way NVida does "soft" and "hard" reboots. I didnt look to much into the why, I was just interested in getting a solution.
The solution is... in your grub menu, just put "ata_generic.all_generic_ide=1 pci=nomsi" at the end of the kernel line and it will find the disks after a "hard" reboot. Thanks for you help

Arch Linux

#1 2009-07-22 12:46:41

[SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

#2 2009-07-22 14:14:52

Re: [SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

#3 2009-07-22 17:45:38

Re: [SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

#4 2009-07-22 23:37:05

Re: [SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

#5 2009-07-24 06:56:56

Re: [SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

#6 2009-07-24 11:00:21

Re: [SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

#7 2009-08-20 10:40:25

Re: [SOLVED] Weird Arch Linux - Vista dual boot issue

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