Arch Linux

Drakx

Member

Registered: 2008-01-14

Posts: 27

[SOLVED] Grub refuses to install!

Hi

i tried to install Arch using the new install media, all goes well until its time to install the bootloader where it fails telling me to use tty7 to find out more information.
When looking its telling me that it cannot find /boot/grub/stage1. So ok off I go and reboot anyway thinking I'll remount the installed system and run the grub-install, again this fails saying it cannot find the above path, by which time i've gone and checked if it was there (the ls shows its not there (so i try to make a symlink to be told its there :S)).

I've also tried as root ofc running grub:
root (hd1,3)
setup (hd0)

Again this just complains about stage1 not found! (I might of messed up the (hd1,3) thing in this post)
Here is the fdisk -l from slackware

bash-4.1# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe89709be

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048    19458047     9728000    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2        19458048  1953523711   967032832    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdb: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6d7eed9f

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1            2048  1953515519   976756736    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb2      1953515520  1957709823     2097152   82  Linux swap
/dev/sdb3   *  1957709824  2675058687   358674432   83  Linux
/dev/sdb4      2675058688  3907028991   615985152   83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdc: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00033753

and here is how my fstab would normally read (again this is using slackware to get this information)

/dev/sdb2        swap             swap        defaults         0   0
/dev/sdb3        /                ext4        defaults         1   1
/dev/sdb4        /home            ext4        defaults         1   2

Now I've had arch installed on this computer before using grub too yet no matter if i try to install it via cd/usb i get all the way through the install to find grub just flat refuses to install. So last night I did another install but using syslinux and that worked (although i could not boot my win 7 partition). While syslinux is ok (not really looked at how to configure it etc etc) its not what i would like to use as I'm having to tell my bios to show me a boot order rather then it just booting /dev/sda's mbr like grub does (I've installed slackware just to type this in the help I'll get some help (lilo seems to be working fine also)).

Sorry for the long post I've tried to give as much information as possible in order for some one to try and help me install grub.

Thanks.

Last edited by Drakx (2011-08-30 21:37:06)

Drakx

Member

Registered: 2008-01-14

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Grub refuses to install!

It seems installing slackware's lilo fixed my grub problem as its just installed

BTW its root (hd1,2)
Sorry to have wasted your time.

EDIT:
Seems after rebooting from the install media grub is not booting arch at all, all im getting is a prompt

grub>

so I've done

grub> root (hd1,2)

which it finds stage1 and w/e else it looks for
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> reboot

when thats rebooted I've got the same again as above.

Last edited by Drakx (2011-08-30 16:29:53)

null

Member

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 398

Re: [SOLVED] Grub refuses to install!

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Grub
tells you that "root (hd1,3)" should be the partition with your /boot folder in it. But it has to be /dev/sdb3 because you obviously don't have any extra /boot partition and sdb4 is your /home partition.
Try a "root (hd1,2)" instead (because this hdX,X system starts with 0).

Edit: to late...

Last edited by null (2011-08-30 16:25:44)

null

Member

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 398

Re: [SOLVED] Grub refuses to install!

try
grub> boot
instead of
grub> reboot!
everything you do in this grub shell will not be saved to the mbr, so if you reboot the system nothing can change. If arch starts then, just install grub the proper way.

Drakx

Member

Registered: 2008-01-14

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Grub refuses to install!

Hi

Thanks for your replys I did what you asked but it just didn't want to boot so in the end I reinstalled again using syslinux as the bootloader then when I finally got into my system I installed grub2 using the wiki so I shall mark as solved.

Once again

Thanks null!

null

Member

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 398

Re: [SOLVED] Grub refuses to install!

Too bad that you had to reinstall. I'm sure we could have figured it out
But at least you got a running system again.