Puppy 4.2 boots to GRUB directory . . . then what?

Message

rjohnson · #1 Post by **rjohnson** » Sun 06 Sep 2009, 17:22

I'm sure it's a simple thing, but I can't get Puppy to boot up to a desk top display. I've installed v. 4.2 to my hard drive, and when it boots it just goes to the Grub directory instead of to the desktop. I have absolutely no clue what to do after this, and none of the commands listed there seem to make any sense.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.

alix_board · #2 Post by **alix_board** » Mon 07 Sep 2009, 07:52

type xwin in the console - it should work!

disciple · #3 Post by **disciple** » Mon 07 Sep 2009, 09:20

I'm not sure what you mean by going to the grub directory - perhaps you could post what you see on the screen.
I think you're saying you can't get past the grub menu, which probably means your menu.lst file is missing or not set up right.

rjohnson · #4 Post by **rjohnson** » Mon 07 Sep 2009, 16:42

This is a response to "Disciple" . . . what I mean by booting into the Grub directory is that I end up looking at a screen that I would liken to a DOS display, where all you see is a "C" prompt. In this case, all I see is this: "Grub/". There are also some instructions that tell me to hit tab if I want to see a menu of commands, but as I said in the first post, none of these commands make any sense to me, as they don't seem to be able to take me to the Puppy desk top.

The only thing on the hard drive is Puppy, as I have wiped out the Windows OS.

Does this help give you a better idea of what my problem is and what I need to do? You see that Alix_board recommends typing "xwin" . . . what do you think? Thanks.

Aitch · #5 Post by **Aitch** » Mon 07 Sep 2009, 17:59

Simple question, did 4.2 run as LiveCD OK?

It may have been a badly burned CD, or bad install

check the CD is good first, on another PC, possibly, or by typing

Code: Select all

puppy pfix=ram

at the bootup 5 second screen

see

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=36508

then ...since this is new and no windows to mess up, just try the install again, maybe?

Aitch

rjohnson · #6 Post by **rjohnson** » Mon 07 Sep 2009, 18:10

Thanks, Aitch. I will try. The live CD worked beautifully . . . that's what prompted me to go ahead with the install.

I'll try the suggested fixes, and hopefully that will do the trick for me.

rjohnson · #7 Post by **rjohnson** » Tue 08 Sep 2009, 12:41

Sorry folks . . . I just don't get it. Puppy is supposed to be the easiest Linux version . . . to "work out of the box," but it ain't working for me! It's enough to drive me back to Windows.

I try all the fixes, and a re-install, but it just boots right back to a dos-like Grub directory with no instructions as to what to do next. All I want is for it to boot up to desk top so I can use it off the hard drive. I don't want to run it off the live CD. What's so hard about this, and why isn't it working?

I can get every live CD version of Linux to work gloriously off the CD - Ubunutu, Xubuntu, Vector, Mandriva, etc. - but the minute I try to load it on the hard drive there's always some problem. I just don't get it.

It there is anyone who has the patience to walk me through this I'd appreciate it, but if not, I'll head back to Windows or Mac. Thanks.

Aitch · #8 Post by **Aitch** » Tue 08 Sep 2009, 14:18

OK

Here's 2 versions of full install instructions

The first includes instructions for finding menu.lst, which I suspect is wrong in your installation - read it

http://www.puppylinux.org/manuals/puppy ... stallation

the 2nd is without windows [both will work] but has better grub details

http://rexxinfo.org/How_to_Install_Puppy/HOW_TO_1.HTM

there's also catdude's version using qemu [you don't use this, but it's still useful, as there's a video to help you]

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=29653

by all means come back at me with any questions, OK?

btw, what PC [make/model + any add-in network/wifi or video cards] are you using?, - so I can check your manufacturer's hardware

I can get every live CD version of Linux to work gloriously off the CD - Ubunutu, Xubuntu, Vector, Mandriva, etc. - but the minute I try to load it on the hard drive there's always some problem. I just don't get it.

this maybe a bios issue?

Aitch

rjohnson · #9 Post by **rjohnson** » Tue 08 Sep 2009, 16:14

Thanks again, Aitch, for trying to help me. Let's see if I can get a step further.

When I look at all the links you've sent me, it looks like I've installed Puppy according to the "book." The only thing I'm not sure of is in the second link (the one without windows), it says in #7 to edit the menu.lst to make it "look nice." What in the whole world does that mean?

The problem doesn't appear to be an installation problem per se, but a boot configuration. I've obviously got something wrong here, as it does not boot up to any kind of a command where I can choose to go to Linux (ie. a boot menu). I just get a screen with a command line like this:

GRUB/

The computer is a generic model, so I can't tell you too much about it. I know that its cpu is a Pentium 4

I'm going to try to re-install again following the video provided by catdude. I'll let you know if it works. Thanks

rjohnson · #10 Post by **rjohnson** » Tue 08 Sep 2009, 16:27

Let me give you the exact words that appear upon rebooting after the installation:

GNU GRUB version 0.97 (639K lower / 97216K upper memory)

[Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB list the possible completions of a device/filename.]

grub/

That's it. It looks like I'm supposed to type something after "grub", but here are the only possibilities: blocklist, boot, cat, chainloader, cmp, color, configfile, debug, displayapm, displaymen, embed, find, fstest, geometry, halt, help, hide, impsprobe, initrd, install, ioprobe, kernel, lock, makeactive, map, md5cripty, module, modulenounip, pager, partnew, parttype, password, pause, print, read, reboot, root, rootnoverify, savedefault, serial, setkey, setup, terminal, terminfo, testload, testvbe, unhid, uppermem, vbeprobe.

I have no clue what to do here.

Aitch · #11 Post by **Aitch** » Tue 08 Sep 2009, 20:31

Hi

A couple of possibilities...

1st:

Have you installed/tried to install *buntu on that PC?

If so that may be the cause of the problem as the grub in puppy cannot recognise *buntu formatted hdd's - apparently [don't know - never tried, just remembered it]

2nd:

Did you reformat the hdd at all? I take it it had windoze at some time? If so, what filesyastem is it now formatted with?
Did you make/is there a linux swap partition?

3rd

When installing, where did you put grub? in a partition/file/MBR?
However, because grub is a Linux product, this will only work if you have installed Puppy into its own partition.
And the partition must be formatted using a Linux-compatible filesystem such as ext2, preferably with gparted.
Did you edit the menu.lst file?

4th:

try typing

Code: Select all

find /etc/fstab

at the grub screen, it should return the location of the puppy files

also

Code: Select all

/boot/grub/menu.lst

should tell if puppy installed correctly

another way is to boot puppy from liveCD using

Code: Select all

puppy pfix=ram

as explained, at the bootup 5 second page, then open gparted in the menu, and see what it shows for the partitions
It should show the puppy files as allocated use in a partition hda0, or hda1, I think, & check that the boot flag is set, if not set it

Also mount the hdd using pmount, and use rox to explore the files
click the green arrow top left to go up a level [it won't break - just close it & try again, it takes a bit of getting used to]

go here and see rcrsn51's tip about inode size

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 324#262324

.....

Apart from suggesting reformatting/re-installing again...
Have you tried a frugal install on this PC?

Aitch

rjohnson · #12 Post by **rjohnson** » Fri 11 Sep 2009, 13:36

Okay, Aitch, you're helping me, and I've made progress but still have an error somewhere.

I simply did a reinstall, and this time I get to the Puppy boot screen and I get some choices as to what to load. I load the Puppy Linux 421 full install (in sda1) option, and it begins to load. Almost immediately in to the process, I now receive these error messages:

Bad inittab entry: id:4:initdefault:
Bad inittab entry: pr:: powerfail:sbin /shutdown -f -h +2 "THE POWER IS FAILING"
Bad inittab entry: pg:0123456: powerokwait: /sbin/shutdown - c "THE POWER IS BACK"
Bad inittab entry: psS: powerokwait: /sbin /init 2

The booting process stalls here.

Any ideas as to how to correct this now? Thanks.

rjohnson · #13 Post by **rjohnson** » Fri 11 Sep 2009, 13:38

Sorry, I should have added that the "boot option" is

root=/dev/sda1 pmedia=atahad nasmp ro vga=normal.

I don't know if that's important information, but I thought I would add it just in case.

Aitch · #14 Post by **Aitch** » Fri 11 Sep 2009, 15:33

I think that should read

root=/dev/sda1 pmedia=atahd nosmp ro vga=normal.

can't think why you're getting powerfail - unless you have bad connections from, or bad powersupply???

I would think that needs checking before proceeding - try jiggling the connections to the motherboard

Aitch

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Puppy 4.2 boots to GRUB directory . . . then what?

Puppy 4.2 boots to GRUB directory . . . then what?