Arch Linux

airdem

Member

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 4

Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

I am not able to reinstall GRUB after Windows XP install.

/dev/sda1 Windows
/dev/sda2 Arch Linux (root & boot)

What I've tried so far:

> boot arch iso
> mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
> cd /mnt
> mount -t proc proc proc/
> mount -t sysfs sys sys/
> mount -o bind /dev dev/
> chroot /mnt
> grub-install /dev/sda

ERROR: /dev/disk/by-uuid/../../sda2 does not have any corresponding BIOS drive

> grub-install --recheck --no-floppy /dev/sda

Returns the same ERROR!

/boot/grub/device.map

(hd0)	/dev/sda
(hd1)	/dev/sdb
(hd2)	/dev/sdf
(hd3)	/dev/sdg

/boot/grub/menu.lst

# general configuration:
timeout   5
default   0
color light-blue/black light-cyan/blue

# boot sections follow
# each is implicitly numbered from 0 in the order of appearance below
#
# TIP: If you want a 1024x768 framebuffer, add "vga=773" to your kernel line.
#
#-*

# (2) Windows
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

# (0) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux
root   (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/a80f53b1-ee78-438f-924c-71ebd529a647 ro
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img

# (1) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux Fallback
root   (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/a80f53b1-ee78-438f-924c-71ebd529a647 ro
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img

Any ideas?

Last edited by airdem (2011-09-05 13:14:02)

toad

Member

From: if only I knew

Registered: 2008-12-22

Posts: 1,775

Website

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

Hi,

man grub-install talks about a recheck option - I'd try that.

---

never trust a toad...
::Grateful ArchDonor::
::Grateful Wikipedia Donor::

airdem

Member

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 4

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

Read the first post again please.

RichAustin

Member

From: Wakefield, Yorkshire, England

Registered: 2011-07-27

Posts: 186

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

Looks like toad is right. A quick google search on "does not have any corresponding BIOS drive" shows a load of entries going back to 2006. The ones I looked at are same error as you report, and the fix sounds exactly what toad said:

The first Google result was -

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/error-devhdx-does-not-have-any-corresponding-bios-drive-and-solution/

Which basically says to do this -

# grub-install --recheck /dev/sda

You did mention recheck in your post. I then read the post again:

> boot arch iso
> mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
> cd /mnt
> mount -t proc proc proc/
> mount -t sysfs sys sys/
> mount -o bind /dev dev/
> chroot /mnt
> grub-install /dev/sda

and you are mounting /dev/sda2 to /mnt but trying to install grub to /dev/sda.

I can't say for sure that's wrong but surely sda2 wont mount to /dev/sda? I may be miles off here admittedly. I can't remember offhand how mount works.

Last edited by RichAustin (2011-09-05 13:38:31)

airdem

Member

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 4

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

I beg you guys to read the first post properly. Please!

It already states that i have tried grub-install --recheck /dev/sda
returning: ...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive

Google search told me to do so. But no luck for my problem...

airdem

Member

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 4

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

Switching to GRUB2 (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Grub2) seems like the only "Solution" to me.

fastix

Member

Registered: 2011-09-18

Posts: 1

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

I have tried to install Grub to usb drive and got the same error:

# grub-install --recheck /dev/sdb
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
/dev/disk/by-uuid/../../sda8 does not have any corresponding BIOS drive.

Then I googled and this thread was the only up-to-date result.

vacant

Member

From: downstairs

Registered: 2004-11-05

Posts: 816

Re: Unable to recover GRUB [...does not have any corresponding BIOS drive]

Can you boot the arch iso, interrupt grub and replace the boot lines with the /dev/sda1 kernel & initrd?