topic title: Boot Repair
Posts: 20
mello
Joined: 18 Feb 2014
#1
Greetings ALL!

My low-RAM hardware has never been able to install a LiveCD/USB until AntiX 13.x!

AntiX-Install to a USB thumb drive appeared to install correctly:
# Grub menu

Code: Select all

 timeout 5
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1

gfxmenu /boot/grub/message

title  antiX at sdb1, kernel 3.7.10-antix.5-486-smp
root   (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-3.7.10-antix.5-486-smp root=/dev/sdb1 quiet
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.7.10-antix.5-486-smp
boot

title Windows 95/98/Me at sda1
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
**************************
Q: Can someone tell me why Grub freezes?
Other distros use a rootdelay boot code for slow USB 1.1 thumb drives.

Also, I have boot repaired similar problems w/grub-install tool for Grub2. Therefore, any chance AntiX can do the same?
Both AntiX and windoze failed to boot using referenced Grub menu.

Yours,
mello
Last edited by mello on 02 Mar 2014, 16:13, edited 1 time in total.
Posts: 325
male
Joined: 04 Nov 2011
#2
viewtopic.php?f=49&t=4788
Posts: 2,238
dolphin_oracle
Joined: 16 Dec 2007
#3
Did you do an actual install or just make a liveUSB?

If you used the installer then its possible the sdb is now sda and vice versa.
Posts: 20
mello
Joined: 18 Feb 2014
#4
male wrote:
========= SCRAPER REMOVED AN EMBEDDED LINK HERE ===========
url was:"antix.freeforu ms.org/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=4788"
linktext was:"antix.freeforu ms.org/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=4788"
====================================
male,
Scanned wiki, which reminded me of a successful Grub2 re-install to an unbootable ubuntu-install
to thumb drive using a chroot from the liveCD, by following this demo:


========= SCRAPER REMOVED AN EMBEDDED LINK HERE ===========
url was:"http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/09/live-usb-sticking-grub-2-video"
linktext was:"http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/09/live ... ub-2-video"
====================================


Seems like upgrading to Grub2 would be a better approach, since demo was confirmed to work.

Q: Can this be done in a AntiX 13.x environment?
mello
Posts: 20
mello
Joined: 18 Feb 2014
#5
dolphin_oracle wrote:Did you do an actual install or just make a liveUSB?

If you used the installer then its possible the sdb is now sda and vice versa.
dolphin_oracle,

I used a liveCD to do an actual antix-install to the thumb drive. The demo liveUSB route has its limitations.

This tells me sdb is ok:

Code: Select all

root   (hd1,0)
mello
anticapitalista
Posts: 5,955
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
#6
Did you install grub into the mbr of the live disk? You should have.
Posts: 2,238
dolphin_oracle
Joined: 16 Dec 2007
#7
mello wrote:
dolphin_oracle wrote:Did you do an actual install or just make a liveUSB?

If you used the installer then its possible the sdb is now sda and vice versa.
dolphin_oracle,

I used a liveCD to do an actual antix-install to the thumb drive. The demo liveUSB route has its limitations.

This tells me sdb is ok:

Code: Select all

root   (hd1,0)
mello

I assume that line is from menu.lst on the usb stick. It points the grub boot loader to the files on sdb. What I was trying to say is that the sdb when you installed may be sda now. Doing an install to a thumbdrive is a little tricky. and the grub mbr needs installed on the usb stick (as anti said).

I would think whatever limitations you see from a liveUSB may be mitigated with a liveUSB w/ persistence enabled approach.

also, you can use a rootdelay=## in the boot line (cheatcodes) of the liveUSB, but I don't know if that will work on an installed usb, but it won't hurt to try.
Posts: 325
male
Joined: 04 Nov 2011
#8
@mello

Even if they write red
it is not clear what you want ..
mello wrote:Q: Can this be done in a AntiX 13.x environment?
Yes, even in antiX they can use the Grub2 instead of Grub-legacy. Have I practiced several times (assuming the appropriate sources are set up).

Code: Select all

apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade
rm -rf /boot/grub
apt-get purge grub-gfxboot
apt-get install grub2 os-prober
In addition, if you want to install on a USB drive:

Code: Select all

apt-get install fll-iso2usb install-usb-gui
update-grub
Versuch macht Kluch __{{emoticon}}__
anticapitalista
Posts: 5,955
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
#9
fll-iso2usb?
Posts: 1,308
BitJam
Joined: 31 Aug 2009
#10
FWIW: the rootdelay boot parameter does nothing on our LiveCD/USB but it might work on an installed system. On the Live system there is a try= boot parameter that sets how long we try finding the boot device before giving up. The default is 15 seconds.

I have to admit that for a very low RAM system, a full install to usb might be better than Live with persistence because you would want to use static root persistence to save on RAM and that might be unacceptably slow. Depending on your needs, a remastered LiveUSB might be the ticket. With low RAM you would probably want to use static root persistence while adding / removing packages to prepare for the remaster-live. But if you have a system with plenty of RAM you could customize your LiveUSB there and remaster-live there and then use the LiveUSB on the low-RAM system. The Live system will consume RAM when you make changes to the filesystem but it should be much faster than the installed system. Running remaster-live resets the extra RAM usage to close to zero on the next boot.
Posts: 325
male
Joined: 04 Nov 2011
#11
anticapitalista wrote:fll-iso2usb?

Code: Select all

apt-cache search iso2usb
install-usb-gui - gui for fll-iso2usb
fll-iso2usb - backend scripts to install aptosid or siduction to an usb hdd
anticapitalista
Posts: 5,955
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
#12
In antiX we have antix2usb which does the same.
Posts: 325
male
Joined: 04 Nov 2011
#13
anticapitalista wrote:In antiX we have antix2usb which does the same.
__{{emoticon}}__
all the better for the hobbyist __{{emoticon}}__
Posts: 20
mello
Joined: 18 Feb 2014
#14
anticapitalista wrote:Did you install grub into the mbr of the live disk? You should have.
anti,
Please translate"live disk", which sounds like the LiveCD installer . . .

That was NOT an option, only sda (HD) and sdb (thumb drive destination device).

Q: Can the Grub boot loader be repaired?

thx
mello
* fix what's broken *
Posts: 20
mello
Joined: 18 Feb 2014
#15
dolphin_oracle wrote: Doing an install to a thumbdrive is a little tricky. and the grub mbr needs installed on the usb stick (as anti said).
dolphin_oracle,

As far as I can tell, it was, which means the root cause of sdb NOT booting is something else.
So, is there a patch . . .

I can ONLY learn linux when it's broken.
mello