GRUB 17 error, cannot access any OS

Asked by Gunrun

Right, here is my situation:
My PC has 4 hard drives in it.
1 80GB IDE hard drive (C, and V in windows XP)
2 160GB SATA drives
1 80GB SATA drive, bought specially for linux.
I have 3 OSes, Windows XP, and windows Vista, both on seperate partitions on my 80GB (C and V respecitvely) The 2 160GB drives are for data storage. The 80GB SATA has Ubuntu sat on it. I cannot boot into any OS.

I ran the install, selecting all the default options, except to install ubuntu to the 80GB drive. I rebooted, and was greeted with an Error 17 from GRUB. A quick google search tells me this means GRUB can't find my OS, or somesuch. I ran the install, and the only thing I changed from default was my keyboard layout (to UK) my time to london, and for it to install to the new 80GB drive (Selecting Guided - SCSI4 (0,0,0)(sdc) - 80.0 GB ATA SAMSUNG HD080HJ
How do I fix this? (I seem to have access to all my drives via the boot CD)

I figure from reading another thread like this I should post my menu.lst, so here it is:
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=698ad264-85a1-43b1-9da4-b698bec0d3f0 ro

## Setup crashdump menu entries
## e.g. crashdump=1
# crashdump=0

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd3,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-15-generic
root (hd3,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-generic root=UUID=698ad264-85a1-43b1-9da4-b698bec0d3f0 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-15-generic
quiet
savedefault

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-15-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd3,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-generic root=UUID=698ad264-85a1-43b1-9da4-b698bec0d3f0 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-15-generic

title Ubuntu, memtest86+
root (hd3,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb1
title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
root (hd2,0)
savedefault
makeactive
map (hd0) (hd2)
map (hd2) (hd0)
chainloader +1

Question information

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Revision history for this message
Ralph Janke (txwikinger) said :
#1

Thanks for your question.

Could you please provide the output of the following commands:

blkid

sudo lshw -C disk

sudo fdisk -l

Thanks

Revision history for this message
Ralph Janke (txwikinger) said :
#2

Thanks for your question.

Could you please provide the output of the following commands:

blkid

sudo lshw -C disk

sudo fdisk -l

Thanks

Revision history for this message
Gunrun (gunrun247) said :
#3

blkid outputs nothing.
sudo lshw -c disk gives:
Hardware Lister (lshw) - B.02.08.01
usage: lshw [-format] [-options ...]
       lshw -version

        -version print program version (B.02.08.01)

format can be
        -html output hardware tree as HTML
        -xml output hardware tree as XML
        -short output hardware paths
        -businfo output bus information

options can be
        -class CLASS only show a certain class of hardware
        -C CLASS same as '-class CLASS'
        -disable TEST disable a test (like pci, isapnp, cpuid, etc. )
        -enable TEST enable a test (like pci, isapnp, cpuid, etc. )

sudo fdisk -l outputs this:
Disk /dev/hda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 6095 48958056 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 6096 9964 31077742+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2 19457 156280320 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 2 19457 156280288+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 310101 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 310099 156289864+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 1 9327 74919096 83 Linux
/dev/sdc2 9328 9729 3229065 5 Extended
/dev/sdc5 9328 9729 3229033+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Revision history for this message
Ralph Janke (txwikinger) said :
#4

Ok.. I think the problem is that your disk is not tagged correctly therefore it can't find the UUID given in the menu.lst file

Save the menu.lst file in a backup (i.e. menu.lst.orig) and change the UUID=<id> part into /dev/sdc1 and look if you can then boot from it.

Or if this does not help, please run the command

sudo lshw -C disk

again (notice the C is capital) or use

sudo lshw --class disk

instead.

Thanks.

Revision history for this message
Gunrun (gunrun247) said :
#5

Is the UUID thing the bit that looks like root=UUID=698ad264-85a1-43b1-9da4-b698bec0d3f0 ro quiet splash?
If so, would I change all references to it? Will I need to do this in any special way, as when I double click the file it states "read only" at the top.

Revision history for this message
Gunrun (gunrun247) said :
#6

Oh dear, I clicked the wrong button. Also what would I change the line to exactly?

Revision history for this message
Ralph Janke (txwikinger) said :
#7

Change

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-generic root=UUID=698ad264-85a1-43b1-9da4-b698bec0d3f0 ro quiet splash

to

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-generic root=/dev/sdc1 ro quiet splash

You need to edit it as sudo in order to be able write it.

Revision history for this message
John Arthur Fensome (fensj) said :
#8

BugFix:

Grub Loader problems:- "OS will not boot halts at Grub loader" as seen in versions 5.04 / 6.06 / 6.10 / 7.04 (& beta) / 7.10

Most of these are created by the grub loader reading (or attempting to read) an area that it can't see because of the DMA settings.

Fix: Rather simple really go into your BIOS and reset the IDE hard-drive settings from (Auto) to a DMA mode the hard-drvie does not recognise,

 e.g. On the following two motherboards, Asus A8V Deluxe (model A + B I'm building two for friends) and Asus A7V 880, the hard-drives are seen automatically and the drives set according to the reported back DMA mode is auto-selected (using Seagate Barracuda 120gb, 250gb, and 320gb ATA {also known as PATA} 16mb cache drives are seen as UDMA modes 5 and 6, and Hitachi Deskstar 80gb (these drives are the same as IBM I believe.)

 Set the value to one NOT recognised by the drive (ignore motherboard modes) and set them to UDMA 4, if your drive uses DMA4 or UDMA 4 use a lower value or adjust accordingly.

 This will force the grub loader to read the relevant DMA/UDMA mode directly from the drive and not from the motherboard BIOS, so it then selects the correct mode and can read the drive. (If it trys to read from the motherboard BIOS it stalls and this is where the problem [BUG] occurs.

Acknowledgements:-

 This information was gleaned from the web pages at http://www.ubuntulinux.org {it is not my own}

 I hope that this helps people fix the majority of the Grub booting problem[s].

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