Puppy4 full installation

[harryh]

Hi folks
I have two drives in my computer: Drive hda1 has Windows XP on it and Puppy 4 as frugal installation. Now I wonder if I can change Puppy to the second drive hdb1 and still use grub on hda1 to boot puppy on hdb1? Is it possible? The problems seems to be that grub doesn't recognize the drive hdb1 because it's not mounted. How do I mount the drive as early as possible, maybe in grubb?

Regards Harryh

[Bruce B]

I don't know how you determined that GRUB doesn't recognize hdb1

It should recognize it along the lines of (hd1,0) as a possibility.

If hdb1 is formatted as a Linux file system, grub should be able to read it.

[harryh]

Well Bruce B, when I choose Puppy4 in the grub menu it responds with "drive doesn't exist".
The hdb1 is formatted as ext3 and have puppy4 installed (full) on it, so what could couse the error message?

Harryh

[Bruce B]

I feel like going back to square one.

I have two drives in my computer: Drive hda1 has Windows XP on it and Puppy 4 as frugal installation. Now I wonder if I can change Puppy to the second drive hdb1 and still use grub on hda1 to boot puppy on hdb1? Is it possible? The problems seems to be that grub doesn't recognize the drive hdb1 because it's not mounted. How do I mount the drive as early as possible, maybe in grubb?

In sentence #1 I conclude you have two drives. Why? Because you said so.

Hda1 is not a drive, but I tried to read around that.

I read around hdb1 also, but it confirmed that we are in fact dealing with two physical drives. If not, your use of b and 1 are an error on your part. Sufficient to cause an error on the reader's part which can't be read around.

I also have no idea of the partitioning schema other each different drive has one partition.

I completely missed any idea that you had a full installation because you said frugal.

An important question appears to be can you change Puppy Frugal to from hda1 to hdb1 and can you still boot it.

Answer is: affirmative main contingency especially if hdb1 is a Linux file system.

You indicated you thought there was a mounting problem. I didn't address that. The reason being is I don't think that is where the problem is.

GRUB's equivalent for mounting is the rootverify command. The non mounting command is merely root

The syntax would be:

rootverify (hd1,0)

I don't think it is your problem, but feel that your question was answered and feel free to use it.

In this post, I learn that you have a Full Install. I could not have Divined this. I would not have guessed it, especially in view of your specifically saying you had a Frugal and in view of the omission about the Full Install.

Here's a link for the GRUB manual for the version we use:

http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html

Reading between the lines and divining is too tough for me.

Below is a list of GRUB error messages. How about you tell us which one is the quoted error ""drive doesn't exist" ? All you have to do is report the # if you get one. Also any idea on your part why.

You may also fail to get the help you want by not giving enough information.

Rarely can one give too much. Suppose you give twenty pieces of computer related data. Maybe one of those pieces is all a reader needs to zero in on the problem and you're on your way.

Never count on people pulling teeth to get answers from the person with the query. Question, yes. But nobody is pulling teeth, it's all 100% voluntary on your part.



------------------------------

Error messages reported by GRUB

This chapter describes error messages reported by GRUB when you encounter trouble. See Invoking the grub shell, if your problem is specific to the grub shell.

* Stage1 errors: Errors reported by the Stage 1
* Stage1.5 errors: Errors reported by the Stage 1.5
* Stage2 errors: Errors reported by the Stage 2

Next: Stage1.5 errors, Up: Troubleshooting
14.1 Errors reported by the Stage 1

The general way that the Stage 1 handles errors is to print an error string and then halt. Pressing <CTRL>-<ALT>-<DEL> will reboot.

The following is a comprehensive list of error messages for the Stage 1:

Hard Disk Error
The stage2 or stage1.5 is being read from a hard disk, and the attempt to determine the size and geometry of the hard disk failed.
Floppy Error
The stage2 or stage1.5 is being read from a floppy disk, and the attempt to determine the size and geometry of the floppy disk failed. It's listed as a separate error since the probe sequence is different than for hard disks.
Read Error
A disk read error happened while trying to read the stage2 or stage1.5.
Geom Error
The location of the stage2 or stage1.5 is not in the portion of the disk supported directly by the BIOS read calls. This could occur because the BIOS translated geometry has been changed by the user or the disk is moved to another machine or controller after installation, or GRUB was not installed using itself (if it was, the Stage 2 version of this error would have been seen during that process and it would not have completed the install).

Next: Stage2 errors, Previous: Stage1 errors, Up: Troubleshooting
14.2 Errors reported by the Stage 1.5

The general way that the Stage 1.5 handles errors is to print an error number in the form Error num and then halt. Pressing <CTRL>-<ALT>-<DEL> will reboot.

The error numbers correspond to the errors reported by Stage 2. See Stage2 errors.

Previous: Stage1.5 errors, Up: Troubleshooting
14.3 Errors reported by the Stage 2

The general way that the Stage 2 handles errors is to abort the operation in question, print an error string, then (if possible) either continue based on the fact that an error occurred or wait for the user to deal with the error.

The following is a comprehensive list of error messages for the Stage 2 (error numbers for the Stage 1.5 are listed before the colon in each description):

1 : Filename must be either an absolute filename or blocklist
This error is returned if a file name is requested which doesn't fit the syntax/rules listed in the Filesystem.
2 : Bad file or directory type
This error is returned if a file requested is not a regular file, but something like a symbolic link, directory, or FIFO.
3 : Bad or corrupt data while decompressing file
This error is returned if the run-length decompression code gets an internal error. This is usually from a corrupt file.
4 : Bad or incompatible header in compressed file
This error is returned if the file header for a supposedly compressed file is bad.
5 : Partition table invalid or corrupt
This error is returned if the sanity checks on the integrity of the partition table fail. This is a bad sign.
6 : Mismatched or corrupt version of stage1/stage2
This error is returned if the install command points to incompatible or corrupt versions of the stage1 or stage2. It can't detect corruption in general, but this is a sanity check on the version numbers, which should be correct.
7 : Loading below 1MB is not supported
This error is returned if the lowest address in a kernel is below the 1MB boundary. The Linux zImage format is a special case and can be handled since it has a fixed loading address and maximum size.
8 : Kernel must be loaded before booting
This error is returned if GRUB is told to execute the boot sequence without having a kernel to start.
9 : Unknown boot failure
This error is returned if the boot attempt did not succeed for reasons which are unknown.
10 : Unsupported Multiboot features requested
This error is returned when the Multiboot features word in the Multiboot header requires a feature that is not recognized. The point of this is that the kernel requires special handling which GRUB is probably unable to provide.
11 : Unrecognized device string
This error is returned if a device string was expected, and the string encountered didn't fit the syntax/rules listed in the Filesystem.
12 : Invalid device requested
This error is returned if a device string is recognizable but does not fall under the other device errors.
13 : Invalid or unsupported executable format
This error is returned if the kernel image being loaded is not recognized as Multiboot or one of the supported native formats (Linux zImage or bzImage, FreeBSD, or NetBSD).
14 : Filesystem compatibility error, cannot read whole file
Some of the filesystem reading code in GRUB has limits on the length of the files it can read. This error is returned when the user runs into such a limit.
15 : File not found
This error is returned if the specified file name cannot be found, but everything else (like the disk/partition info) is OK.
16 : Inconsistent filesystem structure
This error is returned by the filesystem code to denote an internal error caused by the sanity checks of the filesystem structure on disk not matching what it expects. This is usually caused by a corrupt filesystem or bugs in the code handling it in GRUB.
17 : Cannot mount selected partition
This error is returned if the partition requested exists, but the filesystem type cannot be recognized by GRUB.
18 : Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS
This error is returned when a read is attempted at a linear block address beyond the end of the BIOS translated area. This generally happens if your disk is larger than the BIOS can handle (512MB for (E)IDE disks on older machines or larger than 8GB in general).
19 : Linux kernel must be loaded before initrd
This error is returned if the initrd command is used before loading a Linux kernel.
20 : Multiboot kernel must be loaded before modules
This error is returned if the module load command is used before loading a Multiboot kernel. It only makes sense in this case anyway, as GRUB has no idea how to communicate the presence of such modules to a non-Multiboot-aware kernel.
21 : Selected disk does not exist
This error is returned if the device part of a device- or full file name refers to a disk or BIOS device that is not present or not recognized by the BIOS in the system.
22 : No such partition
This error is returned if a partition is requested in the device part of a device- or full file name which isn't on the selected disk.
23 : Error while parsing number
This error is returned if GRUB was expecting to read a number and encountered bad data.
24 : Attempt to access block outside partition
This error is returned if a linear block address is outside of the disk partition. This generally happens because of a corrupt filesystem on the disk or a bug in the code handling it in GRUB (it's a great debugging tool).
25 : Disk read error
This error is returned if there is a disk read error when trying to probe or read data from a particular disk.
26 : Too many symbolic links
This error is returned if the link count is beyond the maximum (currently 5), possibly the symbolic links are looped.
27 : Unrecognized command
This error is returned if an unrecognized command is entered on the command-line or in a boot sequence section of a configuration file and that entry is selected.
28 : Selected item cannot fit into memory
This error is returned if a kernel, module, or raw file load command is either trying to load its data such that it won't fit into memory or it is simply too big.
29 : Disk write error
This error is returned if there is a disk write error when trying to write to a particular disk. This would generally only occur during an install of set active partition command.
30 : Invalid argument
This error is returned if an argument specified to a command is invalid.
31 : File is not sector aligned
This error may occur only when you access a ReiserFS partition by block-lists (e.g. the command install). In this case, you should mount the partition with the `-o notail' option.
32 : Must be authenticated
This error is returned if you try to run a locked entry. You should enter a correct password before running such an entry.
33 : Serial device not configured
This error is returned if you try to change your terminal to a serial one before initializing any serial device.
34 : No spare sectors on the disk
This error is returned if a disk doesn't have enough spare space. This happens when you try to embed Stage 1.5 into the unused sectors after the MBR, but the first partition starts right after the MBR or they are used by EZ-BIOS.

[harryh]

Bruce B, your skills goes far away over my head but I try to simplify my problem one more step.
I have two physically different hard drivers: The first one, in linux called hda with one partition hda1 formatted as ntfs. On this drive I have Winows XP and Puppy4 (frugal).
Now I like to delete Puppy from the hda and do a full installation on the second drive, in linux called hdb1 with an ext3 file system. I hope you are with me so far.
The Grub menu.lst looks like this:
# GvR Sept 30th 2004

color black/cyan yellow/cyan

timeout=5

default=0



title Default Boot on HD 0

rootnoverify (hd0,0)

chainloader +1

boot

title Puppy Linux 4.00

kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz PMEDIA=idehd PDEV1=hda1 psubdir=puppy400

initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz

boot

title Puppy Linux 4.00

kernel (hd1,0)/vmlinuz PMEDIA=idehd PDEV1=hdb1 psubdir=puppy400

initrd (hd1,0)/initrd.gz

boot

Can this give some light over my problem?

Why I like to separate these two osses in different drives is simply for the future - I don't like to mess up Puppy files when I get rid of W.

Harryh

[Bruce B]

Code: Select all

title Puppy Linux 4.00
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz PMEDIA=idehd PDEV1=hda1 psubdir=puppy400
initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz
boot 

critique and comments for above boot snippet

boot is not necessary

often this line:
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz (cut)
is written like this in two lines:
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz (cut parameters)

examples of puppy usage is root for full install and rootnoverify for frugal install - I don't know why the differences.

A problem (unanswered question) I have is with the case sensitivity of PMEDIA and PDEV

Is it case sensitive or not?

It is Puppy specific and I NEVER GOT aNSWER To tHAT ONE. iT COULD be cAse doeSN'T MATTer.

I use lower case and no problems
example:
pmedia=idehd psubdir=puppy400

Looks like I don't use PDEV and I question PDEV1, the #1 portion, need some else's help on that.

Moreover, your example indicates vmlinuz and initrd.gz exist at / , but I would check to make sure they don't exist at /puppy400 instead.

Try and digest this while I take a nap.

[harryh]

Sorry that I have disturbed you - sleep well

Harryh

[Bruce B]

Thanks, I didn't get the nap yet.

You can't disturb me because I like helping. But if I'm tired, I can have a hard time digesting what I read.

A challenge is making a very good mental facsimile of your computer setup as well as the problem.

If I could get a hands on, I could usually isolate these kinds of problems very quickly. But via posts, sometimes simple things take considerable patience and persistence on everyone's part.

[Bruce B]

OK Harry,

Now for a little more. Puppy has it's personality as do other distributions.

If you have a Linux partition available, Puppy installer will give you an option for a Full Install. It will also give you an option to Install GRUB in a variety of ways, including the MBR. If you install GRUB on the MBR (I would) install it on hda with the support files on hdb1.

If you select these options the installer will write a correct menu.lst. But you'd probably want to take the text editor and clean its display up a little.

NOW FOR THE BIG IFS

If you remove hdb, hda will not longer be bootable.

Some people don't like installing on the mbr, but I'm good with it. I also have reasons to be good with it. Main reason is I could fix things.

It could be you already have GRUB on the MBR of hda, in that case you might was well put it there again.

------------------

There is another option for GRUB which would involve you doing a little work - it is the option that people who only have an NTFS partition pretty well have to use.

For more information on this method please read the information from the URL below.

http://www.icpug.org.uk/national/linnwin/contents.htm

[harryh]

Hi Bruce, I did as you mentioned in your last post and now the computer boots only with cd. In my eyes the Grub menu.lst seems to be OK but some how when the computer starts it jumps directly to the cd. If the player is empty Grub returns an error code 21.

I must work a little more on this problem - I come bak later.

Harryh

[Bruce B]

Your catching on fast.

I know what error code 21 is.

Now you copy and paste which menu item you select that produces that error code.

Hi Bruce, I did as you mentioned in your last post and now the computer boots only with cd. In my eyes the Grub menu.lst seems to be OK but some how when the computer starts it jumps directly to the cd.

You know what happens here. If you don't know why ask, any number of people can explain.

These problems are best solved in a methodical order and that seem to be happening. They get solved a step at a time. I think we are making good progress.

Maybe delays on my for holiday, back pacific time in the evening, others can help if they see what to do next.