GRUB Error

[Harold the sage]

Hello my Computer programing class is trying to set up a linux only network and we are having problems. When ever we try to install an Image it installs and we get an error (before anything else) that says "GRUB" thats all please help i will post more info later if needed.


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[DelJo63]

need a ton of other info here.
what distribution and version are you installing,
what hardware platform,
did you verify HW compatibility,
are you attempting DualBoot on standalone?

 

[Harold the sage]

First there was a windows Fedora core 4 dual boot then we tried to install suse 10.1 then we got the error "GRUB" we have now moved to Fedora core 5 and this is just linux nothing else. The rest i can't tell you right now but i'm working on it

 

[Nodsu]

What kind of image is it? How was it created? An OS cannot boot if the hard drive ordering changes for example. If the drive you took the image from was a slave and now you apply the image to a master drive, then GRUB cannot find its configuration files.

 

[Harold the sage]

not sure about the kind of image but there is only one hard drive in any of the computers

 

[YosefM]

hard to tell without more info, but sounds like the Win/RH dual boot used Grub in MBR, and SuSE doesn't default to that. So the MBR still has the code in it to redirect to the (now non-existant) RH Grub files. Try reinstalling the Windows image as single-boot first, booting it once & then install your SuSE image.

 

[DelJo63]

IF windows boots ok then LEAVE IT ALONE! otherwise you need to fix the MBR.

If only your Linux fails, reinstall the LINUX, install GRUB, and save the results
on the Linux partition.

your MBR will be updated to then properly poin to the new LINUX

 

[YosefM]

Yes, if that's true, use the recovery option of the install to repair the grub config, but if you just get the word
Grub
by itself on the screen, then more is needed.

For this reason, when I set up a dual boot system, I let windows have the 1st partition on the drive, then put a small /boot partition (enough for 2 kernels & some change) in & make it the active partition. Then I make an extended partition & put logical drives in for /swap, / & whatever else (/home, /usr, /srv ...).

This way, if I want to blow away the dual boot without affecting windows, I make the windows system partition active and delete the /boot partition. It then becomes a single boot system. I boot it once to verify, and then I can start over with a fresh, active /boot. Sounds harder than it is & it's pretty painless.

 

[DelJo63]

For this reason, when I set up a dual boot system, I let windows have the 1st partition on the drive, then put a small /boot partition (enough for 2 kernels & some change) in & make it the active partition. Then I make an extended partition & put logical drives in for /swap, / & whatever else (/home, /usr, /srv ...).

V E R Y G O O D planning and administration :giddy:

this is the voice of an experienced admin -- sadly, they don't teach this stuff

 

[YosefM]

tyvm - yes I do speak from experience. Most of what I know is from getting bitten - & usually from being bitten hard.
LOL

 

[Omicron91]

Happedned to me when I switched from Ubuntu back to windows.

I had to use the XP recovery console and use the "FixMBR" command.