Ubuntu

Installation appears to succeed, but refuses to boot...

Asked by R0sbif

Hallo all,

I have recently made the decision to move from Windows to Linux and a friend has made a strong recommendation to use Ubuntu. I chose 6.06 LTS DVD version. Incidentally, I have succesfully installed this, using the same DVD on an Asus M6 laptop for my GF. It certainly seems to do the business - and I want it on my desktop now!!

Incidentally, I would like to Dual Boot until I am comfortable that I can leave Windows for good.

My PC consists of the following:

AMD 64 3200
Asus K8V Deluxe motherboard
ATI Radeon 9600XT
1Gb RAM
1x SATA WD Raptor 74Gb (on VIA controller)
1x IDE DVD/CD R/W
1x IDE WDC 240Gb
1x IDE WDC 120Gb
2x IDE Maxtor 240 (RAID Array (500Gb for data) on Promise controller)

I currently boot from the Raptor (SATA) with Win XP. On this disk there is a Windows (NTFS) partition and a data (NTFS) partition.

All the other disks are for data and are currently NTFS partitions. The RAID array is done from the BIOS rather than the tricky Windows method....

I have tried (over the past 5 days) to install Ubuntu using the following methods:

Remove second partition from SATA disk and install using largest free space
Expand Windows partition to maximum and get Ubuntu to resize, and install in the space created.
Delete the 120Gb WDC and use the entire disk (and change BIOS to boot from it)
Create my own partitions using the facility in Ubuntu's installer on SATA disk and on 120Gb WDC

All the methods have failed.

I either get a continuous flashing cursor or a message which is something like "Cannot find operating system". In either case, I need to either boot from the DVD again or use partition magic's recovery disk to activate the windows partition once again so i can use the machine.

I have noticed that each time, during the installation process (which seems to happen without hitch every time) that when it installs GRUB, it says detecting other OSs but never asks me anything, or says that it has found anything...

I cannot work out why it is that I can't successfully install this. The frustration is incredible. I have looked on documentation, wikis, forums (fora?) and have tried some of the things that appear to be related but obviously aren't.

I would dearly like to get out of this Windows nightmare that I have been in since version 2.0. Therefore, any help that you could offer me would be greatly appreciated.

I have some professional knowledge of (Windows based) IT but for the last 2.5 years I have been in a completely different industry so some of this is obviously new to me. Linux is very new to me.

It looks like, on this support system, that someone else had a very similar problem but he (or she) became to frustrated and threw their toys out. I am much more persistant :-)

Thank you very much for at least reading this rather long rant...

Happy new year by the way

Rich

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R0sbif
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Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#1

Are you installing from the "live" desktop CD - using the graphical installer? If so there is (I believe - I have not had this problem myself) a known issue where the location that GRUB is installed is not configurable. And under certain circumstances it results in the issue you have. The Alternate CD (which you will have to download an ISO of and burn) has an option for where to install GRUB. So that rather than (as I understand it) it being installed on the partition you install ubuntu on, you can install it on the MBR of the first disk.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto

As I said, I am speculating because I have not seen the issue, but it is worth a go. Also, with hardware that new you might want to consider using Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy) which has a newer kernel and drivers.

You may alternatively be experiencing bug 14135

Revision history for this message
R0sbif (richard-crontek) said : 		#2

Hi,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I am using the "live" DVD and the graphical installer. So it appears that this may be where the problem lies (GRUB not configurable etc.) I have just started downloading Edgy like you suggested.

Does this have an issue with GRUB like the other one? or should I really be downloading the Alternate DVD?

I'll take a look also at bug 14135 in just a sec.

Thanks once again

Rich

Revision history for this message
R0sbif (richard-crontek) said : 		#3

Sorry - I had omitted to mention that I have to start the Dapper DVD in safe graphical mode because otherwise I get a blank screen.

I just tried with the 6.10 cd, checked MD5, dod an integrity check and booted from it.

In both normal and safe graphics mode, I get a blank screen and can't do anything.

I'm going to download and try with the 6.06 Alternate CD now.

Thanks

Rich

Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#4

Both the Desktop (live) CDs have the problem I believe. The Alternate CD is more flexible in a number of ways, selection of GRUB install location being just one of them.

Revision history for this message
R0sbif (richard-crontek) said : 		#5

Hi Alan,

Last night just before going to bed I tried the Alternate CD. It is MUCH more interesting because you can see what is going on :-) and I think I can see where the problem is now.

I am trying to install Ubuntu on the other half of my Raptor (SATA, and comes up as sdc in the partitioning program) and it installs to partition #2 for /root and #5 for the swap file. I guess #1 is Windows.

This time, GRUB indeed asked me if it was safe to install itself on the MBR, which it is, so I agreed. I spotted, however, that it was putting it on HD0 (I can't remember the exact terminology - it was quite fast.) The disk that I installed ubuntu on is sdc. It was installing GRUB on a different HDD.

So, I went into the BIOS and changed the boot priority to boot from the disk that GRUB had installed to. This time, it started to boot GRUB but gave an error 22 and freezes. impossible to do anything after this. I think that it is looking for the OSs on the same disk as itself, and clearly not finding them.

I suspect that I have a good (and working) partition for Windows still, and a good partition for Ubuntu and swap on my Raptor, but that GRUB is now installed on my 120Gb WDC on the IDE bus instead on the SATA Raptor. As a result, GRUB believes the two OSs are on it's disk but they aren't.

Incidentally, during installation, GRUB indeed found my Windows partition this time. I guess it got somehow confused with the disks.

Is there a difference in terminology between Ubuntu and GRUB in terms of HDDs? sda, sdb, sdc etc. and hda0, hda1 etc.? This is quite new and I am trying to forget C: D: etc ;-)

Thank you very much for your help

Rich

Revision history for this message
R0sbif (richard-crontek) said : 		#6

I think that I am going to try to physically disconnect all drives apart from the Raptor and reinstall. This way, GRUB must install on the good disk... My only concern is that the RAID array that I have configured from the BIOS may have to be rebuilt. i can only hope that this is not going to be damaged.

Maybe I'll try to just disconnect the IDE0 devices... (sda and sdb)

I'll let you know

Regards

Rich

Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#7

The raid set shouldn't be touched if you disconnect the disks ;)

But it likely won't be accessible from within Ubuntu due to the requirement for oddball drivers to make it work.

Revision history for this message
Best R0sbif (richard-crontek) said : 		#8

Alan,

You're right - the RAID set wasn't touched. Here's what I did to solve this problem.

Unplug the power supply from all disks apart from the one I wanted to install Ubuntu on.
Ran the alternate 6.06 AMD64 version installer
selected use largest available space (previously deleted all the other partitions apart from the Windows one)
allowed GRUB to put itself in the MBR (it didn't have any choice other than to put it on the HDD that was fired up)
rebooted, checked that GRUB loaded.
Shut down and plugged all the other disks back in
re-adjusted the BIOS to make sure it was booting off the Raptor
GRUB loads fine, and I have a nice choice of operating system!

Thank you very much for your help and support - I hope that this helps other people to solve this as well.

Now all that remains is for me to find out why I get a blank screen when it starts X. But that's for a different ticket ;-)

Thanks once again for your help

regards

Rich