GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

timm · 2011-10-28 12:54:57

I'm finding the wiki instructions for installation of GRUB2 confusing, and cannot get it installed on my GPT system. I have the partitions set up, skip the installation of a bootloader in install, make sure grub is wiped out of the 440 area (this is a previously used drive), etc; but when I reboot I get a screen with GRUB Loading on it, and nothing more. I'm sure I'm missing something, but have no idea what that might be.

Last edited by timm (2011-10-28 19:07:37)

RichAustin · 2011-10-28 13:44:23

I seem to remember having an issue with Grub myself not long ago. I think it was to do with the Linux image files for the kernel hadn't been built. I ended up running mkinitcpio to create the image files i.e. initramfs-linux.img / initramfs-linux-fallback.img and vmlinuz-linux. The files reside in the /boot folder, they are referred to in the Grub entry - if they don't exist in /boot then Grub has no way of knowing how to boot the system.

I can't recall the exact syntax and I'm not at the same machine anyway at the moment. There is a wiki on mkinitcpio at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mkinitcpio

I rebooted using the Arch installation disk and then mounted the /boot partition. I then ran mkinitcpio so that it created the necessary files in the /boot partition.

Last edited by RichAustin (2011-10-28 13:51:57)

the.ridikulus.rat · 2011-10-28 14:08:24

timm wrote:

I'm finding the wiki instructions for installation of GRUB2 confusing, and cannot get it installed on my GPT system. I have the partitions set up, skip the installation of a bootloader in install, make sure grub is wiped out of the 440 area (this is a previously used drive), etc; but when I reboot I get a screen with GRUB Loading on it, and nothing more. I'm sure I'm missing something, but have no idea what that might be.

Can you try --debug flag in grub_bios-install

grub_bios-install --boot-directory=/boot --no-floppy --recheck --debug /dev/sda

timm · 2011-10-28 19:16:49

Checked the image files and they were present; debug showed no errors. Went back through step by step and found a stupid error.

I had tried doing a UEFI setup since the motherboard should support that. That requires a 200MiB partition of type ef02. GPT-bios requires a 2MiB partition of the same type. I kept the 200MiB partition from my first try so I could try again later, but added the 2MiB partition. I messed up by not changing the type of the new 2MiB partition or the old 200MiB (which I had just repurposed as the /boot partition). Fixed all in cgdisk and now it boots.

I'm now tempted to retry the UEFI install........

the.ridikulus.rat · 2011-10-28 20:52:57

1 mistake - uefi requires 200 MiB fat32 part of type ef00 (not ef02), grub2 bios-gpt requires 2 MiB no-FS part of type ef02 . The type codes are NOT SAME.

the.ridikulus.rat · 2011-10-28 20:55:10

Also 200 MiB size is not strict. Any size above 100 MiB is fine.

timm · 2011-10-29 01:03:09

I knew that....really. Typo on my part, but it was all jumbled up in my mind at one point.

Last edited by timm (2011-10-29 01:07:33)

Arch Linux

#1 2011-10-28 12:54:57

GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

#2 2011-10-28 13:44:23

Re: GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

#3 2011-10-28 14:08:24

Re: GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

#4 2011-10-28 19:16:49

Re: GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

#5 2011-10-28 20:52:57

Re: GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

#6 2011-10-28 20:55:10

Re: GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

#7 2011-10-29 01:03:09

Re: GRUB2 installation failure - GRUB Loading [solved]

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