Arch Linux

samsom

Member

Registered: 2009-07-17

Posts: 88

Missing boot menu ( SOLVED)

Hi,
I have just installed Arch on my existing Windows laptop. I have been rebooting several time and I have always been presented with a boot menu with Win XP the third option after Arch and Arch Fallback.   Its only been the first time that I have booted into Windows and now on restarting, it automatically loads  windows without offering me a boot menu.
I am a linux newbie and am not sure how I can access my Arch partition to check the Grub configuration file.

My Set up is as follows

sda1 Win XP
sda2 /boot
sda3 /
sda5 /home
sda6 swap.

I had installed the bootloader in sda2 and it worked fine until I ran Win XP for the first time.

Any ideas, please.

Thanks
Samsom

Last edited by samsom (2009-09-07 14:49:42)

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Samsom

Netsu

Member

From: Poland

Registered: 2009-04-04

Posts: 182

Re: Missing boot menu ( SOLVED)

You could boot some minimal linux distro from a CD or a usb stick, I recommend Slitaz, unless your Arch partition is on Ext4 as Slitaz does not support this fs. This way you could peek into your GRUB configuration.

Last edited by Netsu (2009-09-06 17:39:47)

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torisuke

Member

Registered: 2008-10-24

Posts: 5

Re: Missing boot menu ( SOLVED)

It seems like you didn't install grub to the Master Boot Record.

The simplest way I know of to fix it is reboot with the arch install cd and restart the installer. Set up all your mount points, but do NOT create a new file system on them. Then reload the the install bootloader command and choose to install grub to just "sda" not "sda2". After that your previous grub config should work fine.

samsom

Member

Registered: 2009-07-17

Posts: 88

Re: Missing boot menu ( SOLVED)

Hi,
Thanks for the replies.
I have rebooted from the install CD and have remounted the partitions without creating new file systems. However, on trying to reinstall the bootloader to sda, it says that I need to configure the system first. Ontrying to configure the system, it says I need to install the packages first. It seems like I will have to start the whole thing from scratch.
Is there any other way apart from reinstalling the whole OS?
Cheers
Samsom

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Samsom

sHyLoCk

Member

From: /dev/null

Registered: 2009-06-19

Posts: 1,197

Re: Missing boot menu ( SOLVED)

Put your Arch CD in and try:
grub-install /dev/sda

Hi,
I have rebooted from the install CD and have remounted the partitions without creating new file systems. However, on trying to reinstall the bootloader to sda, it says that I need to configure the system first. Ontrying to configure the system, it says I need to install the packages first. It seems like I will have to start the whole thing from scratch.

No don't do /arch/setup again! i hope you didn't mount your file system and formatted again!

Last edited by sHyLoCk (2009-09-07 14:30:02)

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~ Regards,
sHy
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samsom

Member

Registered: 2009-07-17

Posts: 88

Re: Missing boot menu ( SOLVED)

Thanks for all your help, guys.
Initially, I had not figured that I had wrongly installed the bootloader in the partition instead of the drive. Just had a read of the GRUB wiki where there are explicit instructions for restoring GRUB. Works fine now.
Took slightly longer than sHyLoCk's single command, but got there in the end.
Thanks again everyone.
Samsom

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Samsom