[SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

scio · 2009-06-25 01:28:14

Last night I decide to try out GRUB2.

Of course when I tried to install I got this message:

Embedding area is not present at all!

After some quick searching it looks like that error message has been replaced with these:

if (! strcmp (dest_partmap, "pc_partition_map"))
   grub_util_warn ("This msdos-style partition label has no post-MBR gap; embedding won't be possible!");
else
   grub_util_warn ("This GPT partition label has no BIOS Boot Partition; embedding won't be possible!");

in /trunk/grub2/util/i386/pc/grub-setup.c

However, I still don't know how to fix this. My /boot is /dev/sda1 and is ext2 if that helps. Boot loaders are one thing I never learned much about.

Anyone have ideas?

Last edited by scio (2009-11-12 20:04:51)

mxr · 2009-07-08 18:41:57

The newer releases of GRUB2 need a special partition to store the core.img (this is the kernel image of grub + necessary modules for reading your filesystem). Former releases used the so called 62 block gap between the mbr (block 1) an the first partition block 63. Since newer system might use the newer and better gpt labeling instead of the old mbr labeling (aka msdos disk label) Grub stores its data in this special partition.

Usually this partition should be the first one an it should be flaged with the bios_grub flag. (parted 1 set bios_grub on)
unfortunately arch linux doesn't ship parted with bios_grub flag support. (But support can be found if you built parted from git ... as far as i know there is no such PKGBUILD in AUR, so you are alone)

scio · 2009-07-15 22:57:59

Wow, I totally missed this reply before. Thanks, I had a feeling that might be the problem and was hoping to avoid a reformat.

MindTooth · 2009-11-12 18:39:47

So if I use VMware, I need to use parted to alter the disk?

Birger

scio · 2009-11-12 20:05:49

Not sure what you mean, if you formatted the disk and did not leave any space at the start (or in a flagged partition) then yes you do.

MindTooth · 2009-11-12 20:22:33

I use the automatic install option. So I didn't decide any.

Birger

B15HOP · 2010-11-19 01:45:21

RE:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Talk:GRUB2

and

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GR … stallation

or even this:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB2#Other

Since none of that works for me... I don't think this is really solved.

skodabenz · 2010-11-19 16:44:34

What partition table do you use MBR (or msdos disklabel) or GPT? If MBR you need the 63-sectors gap after 1st 512 MBR region, if GPT you need a 1 MB BIOS Boot Partition (bios_grub flag in GNU Parted).

litemotiv · 2010-11-22 17:18:26

B15HOP, this thread was marked solved by the topicstarter more than a year ago. If the proposed solutions don't work for you, start a new thread and link to this one instead.

Please don't necrobump, see: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … Bumping.27

Closing.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-06-25 01:28:14

[SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#2 2009-07-08 18:41:57

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#3 2009-07-15 22:57:59

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#4 2009-11-12 18:39:47

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#5 2009-11-12 20:05:49

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#6 2009-11-12 20:22:33

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#7 2010-11-19 01:45:21

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#8 2010-11-19 16:44:34

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

#9 2010-11-22 17:18:26

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB2 problems

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