what do I do with "grub>" after reboot?

[Invincible_777]

So i reboot, and i get: GNU GRUB ....

grub>
(there is text where the space is, but i think that is irrelevent)

so what do i do with this dang prompt?!
i did edit /grub.conf, and i installed it in the livecd with the "grub" command. I thought i would get a graphical loader...

spent nearly all day working on the second half of the installation. Fluxbox awaits

[snowbum]

The dang prompt shouldn't appear when you boot if you really did everything properlly. Sorry to have to say it like that. Are you sure you edited /boot/grub/grub.conf? Are you sure you used grun to install it in the correct place on the correct harddisk? I'm sure you'll get it. If not, post again with more details please.

[commonloon]

After you emerge grub you must not only create a grub.conf on boot, but install grub on the mbr (master boot record). Simple:

<code>
grub
grub> root (hd0,0)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
</code>

The 1st statement says 1st ide disk, 1st partition. 2nd statement is put the boot loader on 1st disk. Maybe you did already? If you did them perhaps there is a typo in your grub.conf and it isn't pointing to where the boot loader is, e.g.:

grub> root (hd0,1)

and in your grub.conf you have:

root (hd0,0)

...just guessing.

[marakid]

I have the same problem... no errors reported when I grub-install, and I tried with grub> setup(hd0) too.

I can boot by manually typing the commands i stored in /boot/grub/grub.conf, but seems like grub doesn't see that file.

The other problem that I have (maybe as something to do with that one) is that while booting the kernel I get an error from fsck.ext2: "no such file or directory while trying to open /dev/BOOT - the superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2 filesystem"

Maybe something is wrong with my /boot filesystem?

[snowbum]

I have the same problem... no errors reported when I grub-install, and I tried with grub> setup(hd0) too.

I can boot by manually typing the commands i stored in /boot/grub/grub.conf, but seems like grub doesn't see that file.

The other problem that I have (maybe as something to do with that one) is that while booting the kernel I get an error from fsck.ext2: "no such file or directory while trying to open /dev/BOOT - the superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2 filesystem"

Maybe something is wrong with my /boot filesystem?

Unless you have a symlink, there is no such device as /dev/BOOT. You have to actually put a device there. /dev/xxxx is different than /boot. /boot is a directory. /dev/xxxx is a device. You may mount /dev/xxxx on /boot. However they are still different. Try lilo. Maybe you'll understand it better. It doesn't really let you make mistakes.

[marakid]

Corrected the mistake with fsck.ext2: I forgot to delete the sample lines in fstab, so I had those wrong device name (like /dev/BOOT) before the right ones /dev/hdaN.

Now I'm using LILO and my system boots OK!

Thank you.

[Rainmaker]

Followup

After converting my system into dual-boot, I reinstalled grub in the MBR with grub-install and with the grub prompt.

Now, instead of the normal menu, I get a grub prompt.

If I type

Code: Select all

kernel /nitro-2
boot

it works, also for windows.

But I'd like to have a graphical menu again... I tried reformatting my /boot partition, but still no go.

*edit: found http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=39392, but my menu.lst is already symlinked to grub.conf. Using version 0.94

Does anyone have a clue where to start looking?

[commonloon]

as root:

fdisk -l /dev/hda # where hda is your boot drive

mount /boot
ls - l /boot /boot/grub

cat /boot/grub/grub.conf

...make sure everything matches expectations. You might also go into grub and type root then hit tab. Devices available should show... post results and get some more eyes on it.

[Kill_Kenny]

I'm having the grub prompt problem too. A few months ago I switched from lilo to grub ver 0.94.x and everything worked flawlessly. I started getting the prompt on boot after grub updated to the testing version 0.95.x. I did the symlink thing for menu.lst and nothing changed. I then swithced back to the stable x86 branch and reinstalled grub 0.94.x (sorry, I don't remember the dot version). After emerging, i did the grub install:

grub>root (hd0,4)
grub>setup (hd0)
grub>quit

No errors were reported but when I reboot, I get grub 0.95 prompt not the 0.94 that is installed. Tried to reinstall grub 4 or 5 times, same thing, it is reverting to the previously installed unstable version.

What's happening here?

[Phlogiston]

A friend has the same problem. I found this bug here:

http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=39392

So which version of grub do you use?

[cokey]

why not just boot off the live cd, chroot and make sure the grub.conf and fstab is fine? Also with the gentoo install you should have the grub bootmenu with the gentoo logo...

[Phlogiston]

yes but this is/(was) a bug..

[elpierco]

So I am also having the same problem on my laptop...
anyone resolve this issue?

[Phlogiston]

Try to use an older version of grub, like 0.92 or something like that.

[elpierco]

So LiLo worked like a charm the first time but then I got that red box with my two options in a blam! contrast white...in other words I miss the colorful screen and smoothness of GRUB...I will try that out. Thanks

[Kill_Kenny]

I tried to revert to an older version but grub 0.95 stayed installed on /boot even after doing grub install to that device.

How do I override the 0.95 version?

[cokey]

delete it? you may want to format the mbr before emerging the new/old grub as well with fdisk /mbr

[Kill_Kenny]

I'll try that. I didn't know you could reformat just the MBR.

Thanks

[cokey]

np, thats what im here for

[j3rm]

So, am I correct in thinking that the grub-0.95 gui is totally broken without solution? Everything I've read (including the bug report) does not provide any answer whatsoever to the problem (getting a grub> prompt instead of the gui) except to use grub-0.94 instead. All of my settings are correct, and I still get the prompt when I reboot with grub-0.95. Someone clarify this, please!

[Rainmaker]

/kick

still having this problem... Upgrading to 0.94 didn't work, as previously mentioned. Tried reformating the mbr... Nothing works... Tried all suggestions of bug 39392... Anyone? The symlink to menu.lst is there...

[Maedhros]

Out of interest, does the recursive symlink exist in /boot? (boot -> .)

Edit: Let's get the symlink name right...

[cokey]

i just reinstalled and found there to be no problem...

[chunderbunny]

I think I've found the problem here. It seems that the newest version of the grub ebuild doesn't make a symlink from /boot/boot to /boot, but in fact makes a new directory. In order to fix it you have to copy everything from /boot/boot to /boot/grub, then delete the /boot/boot directory and make a symlink from /boot/boot to /boot.

That expains why when you downgrade grub to an older version the problem doesn't disappear, since the ebuild thinks the symlink is present but it is in fact a directory.

[Maedhros]

Please follow up to http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-161569.html

Moved from Installing Gentoo.