Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

Lord Xadar · 2009-09-29 23:36:53

My partition table:
/dev/sda
/dev/sda1 ext2 (primary boot + rescue tools) (grub1 on MBR, with a menu to chainload /dev/sda5 and /dev/sda7 boot loaders, this is not touched by the OSes)
/dev/sda2 extended
/dev/sda5 ext4 (Arch) (partition MBR contains grub1, config is in /dev/sda5)
/dev/sda6 swap (for Arch)
/dev/sda7 ext4 (Ubuntu) (partition MBR contains grub1, auto updated by Ubuntu)
/dev/sda8 swap (for Ubuntu)
/dev/sda3 ntfs (Windows XP)

/dev/sdb (MBR -> no bootloader)
/dev/sdb1 ext4 (Personal data)

This works very well.

Now, this is what I've done today:

sudo yaourt -R grub
sudo yaourt -S grub2-gfxmenu grub2-gfxmenu-overlay
sudo grub-install /dev/sda7

Installation finished. No error reported.
This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub/device.map.
Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect,
fix it and re-run the script `grub-install'.

(hd0) /dev/sda
(hd1) /dev/sdb

...and at reboot I still got grub1 in /dev/sda7, however removing grub with pacman renamed menu.lst to menu.lst.pacsave... renamed back with ubuntu, and can boot back to arch...
The problem is: why doesn't the new grub get installed?
I've tried issuing grub-install from the root account (instead of sudoing it), I've also tried issuing grub-install '(hd0,7)', grub-setup '(hd0,7)' and so on... but still to no avail...
Does anyone know what am I doing wrong?

Lord Xadar · 2009-09-30 12:05:49

Tried this today:
sudo grub-setup --boot-image=boot.img --core-image=core.img --directory=/boot/grub --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map --root-device='(hd0,7)' '(hd0,7)' -v

grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: getting the size of /boot/grub/boot.img
grub-setup: info: reading /boot/grub/boot.img
grub-setup: info: getting the size of /boot/grub/boot.img
grub-setup: info: getting the size of /boot/grub/core.img
grub-setup: info: reading /boot/grub/core.img
grub-setup: info: getting the size of /boot/grub/core.img
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: setting the root device to `hd0,7'
grub-setup: info: dos partition is 6, bsd partition is -1
grub-setup: info: will leave the core image on the filesystem
grub-setup: info: attempting to read the core image `/boot/grub/core.img' from GRUB
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the first sector is <85454944,0,512>
grub-setup: info: saving <85454945,0,512> with the segment 0x820
grub-setup: info: saving <85454946,0,512> with the segment 0x840
grub-setup: info: saving <85454947,0,512> with the segment 0x860
grub-setup: info: saving <85454948,0,512> with the segment 0x880
grub-setup: info: saving <85454949,0,512> with the segment 0x8a0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454950,0,512> with the segment 0x8c0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454951,0,512> with the segment 0x8e0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454952,0,512> with the segment 0x900
grub-setup: info: saving <85454953,0,512> with the segment 0x920
grub-setup: info: saving <85454954,0,512> with the segment 0x940
grub-setup: info: saving <85454955,0,512> with the segment 0x960
grub-setup: info: saving <85454956,0,512> with the segment 0x980
grub-setup: info: saving <85454957,0,512> with the segment 0x9a0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454958,0,512> with the segment 0x9c0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454959,0,512> with the segment 0x9e0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454960,0,512> with the segment 0xa00
grub-setup: info: saving <85454961,0,512> with the segment 0xa20
grub-setup: info: saving <85454962,0,512> with the segment 0xa40
grub-setup: info: saving <85454963,0,512> with the segment 0xa60
grub-setup: info: saving <85454964,0,512> with the segment 0xa80
grub-setup: info: saving <85454965,0,512> with the segment 0xaa0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454966,0,512> with the segment 0xac0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454967,0,512> with the segment 0xae0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454968,0,512> with the segment 0xb00
grub-setup: info: saving <85454969,0,512> with the segment 0xb20
grub-setup: info: saving <85454970,0,512> with the segment 0xb40
grub-setup: info: saving <85454971,0,512> with the segment 0xb60
grub-setup: info: saving <85454972,0,512> with the segment 0xb80
grub-setup: info: saving <85454973,0,512> with the segment 0xba0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454974,0,512> with the segment 0xbc0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454975,0,512> with the segment 0xbe0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454976,0,512> with the segment 0xc00
grub-setup: info: saving <85454977,0,512> with the segment 0xc20
grub-setup: info: saving <85454978,0,512> with the segment 0xc40
grub-setup: info: saving <85454979,0,512> with the segment 0xc60
grub-setup: info: saving <85454980,0,512> with the segment 0xc80
grub-setup: info: saving <85454981,0,512> with the segment 0xca0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454982,0,512> with the segment 0xcc0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454983,0,512> with the segment 0xce0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454984,0,512> with the segment 0xd00
grub-setup: info: saving <85454985,0,512> with the segment 0xd20
grub-setup: info: saving <85454986,0,512> with the segment 0xd40
grub-setup: info: saving <85454987,0,512> with the segment 0xd60
grub-setup: info: saving <85454988,0,512> with the segment 0xd80
grub-setup: info: saving <85454989,0,512> with the segment 0xda0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454990,0,512> with the segment 0xdc0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454991,0,512> with the segment 0xde0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454992,0,512> with the segment 0xe00
grub-setup: info: saving <85454993,0,512> with the segment 0xe20
grub-setup: info: saving <85454994,0,512> with the segment 0xe40
grub-setup: info: saving <85454995,0,512> with the segment 0xe60
grub-setup: info: saving <85454996,0,512> with the segment 0xe80
grub-setup: info: saving <85454997,0,512> with the segment 0xea0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454998,0,512> with the segment 0xec0
grub-setup: info: saving <85454999,0,169> with the segment 0xee0
grub-setup: info: opening the core image `/boot/grub/core.img'
grub-setup: info: writing 0x400 bytes
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd0 is 312581808
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448
grub-setup: info: the size of hd1 is 625142448

EDIT: doesn't work...

Last edited by Lord Xadar (2009-09-30 12:06:15)

scio · 2009-09-30 13:16:43

MBR is per device, not per partition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record
Thus, grub-install must be run on a device not a partition.

grub-install /dev/sda

Is your goal just to triple boot? You only need to change the grub entries in /boot (/dev/sda1) to point to the correct places.

Lord Xadar · 2009-10-01 00:23:49

I used the wrong words,
as per wikipedia:
A volume boot record is the first sector of a data storage device that has not been partitioned, or the first sector of an individual partition on a data storage device that has been partitioned. It may contain code to load and invoke an operating system (or other standalone program) installed on that device or within that partition.

My current configuration is:
1 Grub on master boot record (sda)
2 Grubs on volume boot records (sda5 and sda7)
Why have I done this?
Well, the "main grub" has few choices:
chainload grub on sda5 VBR
chainload grub on sda7 VBR
memtest (stored on sda1)
clonezilla (stored on sda1)
whatever I do with sda5 and sda7 (on which I install various distributions), doesn't even touch sda1 and the MBR...
If Ubuntu or Arch updates want to mess with the respective menu.lst (or even their VBR), that is not a problem, the main grub is left as it is and I can fix everything from the other distro.

The problem is:
why grub2-gfxmenu's grub-install and grub setup don't return any error?
classic grub2's grub-install at least tell me something about using "blocklists" (not reccomended) if I instal grub on a vbr instead of the mbr (so, yes, you can and i already do install grub on a partition "MBR" or, as it is called "VBR").

No problems with grub1... after messing up with dd to move/backup/experiment with the boot records, I just issued:

sudo grub
and from the grub console:

root (hd0,4)
setup (hd0,4)
quit

to install grub back on /dev/sda5
(6 instead of 4 for /dev/sda7, root (hd0,0) / setup (hd0) for the main one).

Is all of this a mess? Maybe... but it works, and for me is easy to mantain... I know that I can load everything with just one grub, but I like Ubuntu and Arch managing their own grubs...
If I can't use grub2-gfxmenu in the same way, maybe I'll have to experiment with installing it on /dev/sda and load other grub.cfg from the other partitions like "sub menus" (like the one of the Arch installation cd).

scio · 2009-10-01 12:37:09

Ah, ok now I understand what you are trying to do. I've had problems installing grub2 to anything but a GPT device. Hopefully someone else has some advice.

Lord Xadar · 2009-10-01 21:20:18

I know it seems stupid, but my idea is to have, in the end something like this:

Main grub with an "every kind of linux" theme, with choice between Arch, Ubuntu, memtest and clonezilla (the latter 2 are stored in sda1).
Arch's grub with the simplyblack arch theme (choice between arch, arch fallback)
Ubuntu's... se above...

Today hell came upon my arch... I setted the clonezilla thingy on sda1 (f***ing 100mb ext2 partition), it works like a charm but seems I or it unmounted in a bad way... fsck failed at startup and... well, 2 hours spent checking everything in every possible way (if I only checked sda1 FIRST!!!)

Arch Linux

#1 2009-09-29 23:36:53

Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

#2 2009-09-30 12:05:49

Re: Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

#3 2009-09-30 13:16:43

Re: Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

#4 2009-10-01 00:23:49

Re: Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

#5 2009-10-01 12:37:09

Re: Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

#6 2009-10-01 21:20:18

Re: Can't install grub2-gfxmenu

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