Ubuntu
grub package

error 17: cannot mount selected partition

Asked by Harlee

error 17: cannot mount selected partition
press any key to continue
takes me to linux that is highlighted
when i press enter takes me back to the beginning

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Harlee (hlroper) said : 		#1

I have been running ubuntu 8.04 for a couple of weeks
installed it on 2nd hd 40G
xp on 1st hd
every thing was working fine until today
Thanks for any help

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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said : 		#2

Common Grub error

Here the questions related to Grub https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub

Please put into serch field error 17

Thank you

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W. Prins (wprins) said : 		#3

Have you added a new disk to your machine or otherwise changed the disk configuration (boot priority) in any way? Often/Usually GRUB error 17 is caused by hard disk subsystem configuration/boot priority changes.

You might try downloading the SuperGRUB CD ISO image and burn that to a disc and boot from it. It's very useful for fixing/reinstalling failing GRUB setups. It is available here: http://www.supergrubdisk.org/ Download links are top right.

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Wyatt Smith (wyatt-smith) said : 		#4

Quoted from the GNU/GRUB manual

17 : Cannot mount selected partition
This error is returned if the partition requested exists, but the filesystem type cannot be recognized by GRUB.

One thing that can cause GRUB Error 17 is a damaged file system in your Ubuntu partition. A lot of people have solved their GRUB Error 17 problems simply by running a file system check. It is not recommend to run this from a mounted filesystem so boot to the LiveCD and open a terminal

sudo fsck /dev/sdbX

substitute you ubuntu partition for sdbX

Secondly check your /boot/grub/menu.lst file and make sure to check your operating system entry's 'root (hdx,y)' details are correct. If you have used hard disk partitioning software recently, it could have renumber you partitions on you without telling you. If that's the case, you probably need to

(1) edit your /boot/grub/menu.lst file to make it point to the correct hard disk and partition number
(2) re-install GRUB's IPL to MBR in your first hard disk

Please let me know if these help. If not, we will have to look elsewhere and try a grub CLI direct kernel boot.

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Harlee (hlroper) said : 		#5

Thanks every one..
I just upgraded to 8.10 and now every thing is fine.

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ullivilli (ullivilli) said : 		#6

Had the same problem and error 17. for 9.04

the problem as it came out was in menu.lst
aka drives were wrong.
It wanted to boot from hd(0,1) but everything was on 0,0(sda1) or 0,2(sda3)

so i booted into live
opened partition manager to make shure what is on which partition.

mounted the disk on which was ubuntu installed on.
opened in terminal sudo gedit /mountpoint/boot/grub/menu.lst
changed the partitions to what they should be and everything worked.