What about GRUB after re-partitioning?

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sigi
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 1:59 am

What about GRUB after re-partitioning?

Post by sigi »

My basic configuration:
------------------------------

HD-0 SATA 610 GB
HD-1 SATA 610 GB

BIBM Version 1.13
Support for more than four Primaries enabled

Win7 Prof. 64-Bit on HD-0 as Primary Partition
LinuxMINT 12 (location changed as described below)






The Problem:
-----------------

I initially installed LinuxMINT within the HD-0 Extended (root and swap) using BING 1.87. GRUB was correctly installed to the root. Some time later I moved LinuxMINT to HD-1 Extended and deleted the HD-0 Extended but keeping Linux Swap on HD-0.

I adapted the LinuxMINT Boot Menu, which contains root and swap only, in BING accordingly and was able to boot into it and work normally with LinuxMINT.

When making a restart the computer froze during the POST shortly after detection of HD-0 and before detection of HD-1. I was no longer able to reach BING not even with the installation diskette or CD.

If I remember correctly it was setting the BIOS Fail-safe defaults that put me in a position to solve the problem in a cumbersome process. But since then I have not dared to access LinuxMINT again.


My Question:
-----------------

Meanwhile I installed BIBM deleting the BING files and again not limiting Primaries. My question is whether setting up the LinuxMINT Boot Item would do all that is necessary to avoid the hang-up during POST or whether I would have to follow the instructions in GRUB Article #2 or GRUB Article #4 (which one?) or any other course of action.
TeraByte Support(TP)
Posts: 305
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 4:22 pm

Re: What about GRUB after re-partitioning?

Post by TeraByte Support(TP) »

sigi wrote:
> My basic configuration:
> ------------------------------
>
> HD-0 SATA 610 GB
> HD-1 SATA 610 GB
>
> BIBM Version 1.13
> Support for more than four Primaries enabled
>
> Win7 Prof. 64-Bit on HD-0 as Primary Partition
> LinuxMINT 12 (location changed as described below)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The Problem:
> -----------------
>
> I initially installed LinuxMINT within the HD-0 Extended (root and swap)
> using BING 1.87. GRUB was correctly installed to the root. Some time later
> I moved LinuxMINT to HD-1 Extended and deleted the HD-0 Extended but
> keeping Linux Swap on HD-0.
>
> I adapted the LinuxMINT Boot Menu, which contains root and swap only, in
> BING accordingly and was able to boot into it and work normally with
> LinuxMINT.
>
> When making a restart the computer froze during the POST shortly after
> detection of HD-0 and before detection of HD-1. I was no longer able to
> reach BING not even with the installation diskette or CD.
>
> If I remember correctly it was setting the BIOS Fail-safe defaults that put
> me in a position to solve the problem in a cumbersome process. But since
> then I have not dared to access LinuxMINT again.
>
>
> My Question:
> -----------------
>
> Meanwhile I installed BIBM deleting the BING files and again not limiting
> Primaries. My question is whether setting up the LinuxMINT Boot Item would
> do all that is necessary to avoid the hang-up during POST or whether I
> would have to follow the instructions in GRUB Article #2 or GRUB Article #4
> (which one?) or any other course of action.

I don't know what the cause/affect would be between relocating Linux, and the system freezing like that on boot. If you are able to boot into Linux, there's no reason to reinstall Grub, and there's no reason to think that reinstalling it would solve a bootup freeze problem (if there still is one).

What are the actual partition designations (such as /dev/sdb5, etc) where the root and swap partitions are located now, and what exactly did you delete? Or, post a partinfo listing that you can create from Windows by downloading the free partinfo utility from this web page:
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downlo ... ftware.htm
sigi
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 1:59 am

Re: What about GRUB after re-partitioning?

Post by sigi »

[attachment=0]PartInfg (12-11-27) txt.png[/attachment]Thank you very much for your answer. I am attaching my current partinfo. Since the partinfg.txt is very long and I am not sure whether it will appear inline thus producing a very long posting, I am only attaching the GUI product. Perhaps it serves the purpose. It would be useful if I or rather all forum users could be given advice on how to present partinfg.txt in this forum.

The Linux in question whose GRUB is concerned in this thread is Lx_Mint, which at the time of installation was in the then existing HD0 Extended (unfortunately no partinfo available any more) together with PCLOSkde, PCLOSobx and swap_Lx.

I am not sure any more whether Lx_Mint was the first partition inside the Extended or immediately before the Extended (directly behind Win7). Anyway, I installed the 3 Linuxes following your (Tom Pfeifer’s) Generalized Disk Layout. So, Lx_Mint probably was sda1 for GRUB and swap_Lx was something like sda8. The Boot Item was Lx_Mint in the first and Lx_swap in the second slot.

Although I can hardly believe it now, I think I had successfully booted into Lx_Mint after having transferred it to its present position on HD1 and having adapted the Boot Item to boot Lx_Mint from HD1 instead of HD0. But what role should GRUB play if BIBM would do all the job? Moreover, I am completely at loss as to how Lx_swap on sda8 would be treated in the present context where there is no longer an Extended on HD0. Pobably it is just not being used?

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

Since I had not dared to boot Lx_Mint recently, I started a live session from my LinuxMINT installation DVD just prior to the first answer to this thread in order to have a look at the GRUB files. I had filled Lx_Mint into the MBR and could see it in Nautilus. But beeing a Linux beginner I was not able to find the pertinent files. Perhaps I could be given short instructions as to the files required, how to access them and how to adapt them to my present partition layout.
Attachments
PartInfg (12-11-27) txt.png
PartInfg (12-11-27) txt.png (64.42 KiB) Viewed 5136 times
sigi
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 1:59 am

Re: What about GRUB after re-partitioning?

Post by sigi »

sigi wrote:

> ........
> ........
> ........
>
> Although I can hardly believe it now, I think I had successfully booted
> into Lx_Mint after having transferred it to its present position on HD1 and
> having adapted the Boot Item to boot Lx_Mint from HD1 instead of HD0. But
> what role should GRUB play if BIBM would do all the job? Moreover, I am
> completely at loss as to how Lx_swap on sda8 would be treated in the
> present context where there is no longer an Extended on HD0. Pobably it is
> just not being used?
>

I think perhaps I have to correct myself. I thought I had booted the Lx_Mint partition from HD1 under the new partition scheme. But I have come to think that I cannot exclude the possibility that I first created the present MINT_Cy on HD0 and then booted this one. But still, the two questions above remain.

>
> Since I had not dared to boot Lx_Mint recently, I started a live session
> from my LinuxMINT installation DVD just prior to the first answer to this
> thread in order to have a look at the GRUB files. I had filled Lx_Mint into
> the MBR and could see it in Nautilus. But beeing a Linux beginner I was not
> able to find the pertinent files. Perhaps I could be given short
> instructions as to the files required, how to access them and how to adapt
> them to my present partition layout.

These questions are still on my mind and I would be very grateful for an answer because I certainly will have to correct the pertinent grub files to at least make use of the dedicated swap partition whose designation points to the wrong (in fact no longer existing) partition.
Last edited by sigi on Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sigi
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 1:59 am

Re: What about GRUB after re-partitioning?

Post by sigi »

Disregard my previous posting. Perhaps the administrators may take it out?

Encouraged by TP’s below answer

TeraByte Support(TP) wrote:
> ........
> ........
> ........
> I don't know what the cause/affect would be between relocating Linux, and the system
> freezing like that on boot. If you are able to boot into Linux, there's no reason to
> reinstall Grub, and there's no reason to think that reinstalling it would solve a
> bootup freeze problem (if there still is one).

I tried to boot both Lx_Mint from HD1 and MINT_Cy from HD0 using different Boot Items.

[attachment=1]Boot Items.jpg[/attachment]

The result so far was:

MINT_Cy ran into difficulties with recognizing one of the hard drives and the mouse up to the logon screen (I did not go further because I could not remember my password at tha moment).
Lx_Mint booted without problems (fortunately I recalled my password by then).

During the Lx_Mint session I was able to see the Boot Manager’s partition layout via a GUI based program as follows:

[attachment=0]GParted.jpg[/attachment]

So, it is not GRUB but GParted. And GParted obviously sees the partitions as BIBM does now and not as they were after the fresh installation.

How can that be? How are the GParted files updated without any intervention on my part (except adapting the Boot Items)? I would very much welcome a few explaining words by Tom Pfeifer who always gives very clear and targeted explanations and whom I want to thank at this opportunity for his many wonderful contributions reaching far back into the BING era. I have collected them in a special folder on my computer.
Attachments
GParted.jpg
GParted.jpg (116.44 KiB) Viewed 5120 times
Boot Items.jpg
Boot Items.jpg (129.56 KiB) Viewed 5120 times
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