Ubuntu GRUB error 21

[Aleph]

hello.

I'm very new to the whole linux thing and I'm having some trouble..

I installed linux to my External HD from the live CD. Windows is on my C drive.

Now when I try to boot, I get an error.

Grub Loading stage1.5.

Grub loading, please wait...

Error 21

Please help.

Oh, and can you make the instructions in, like, English, please xD I've googled the error, but I have no idea what any of it means..xD

Thanks for any help.

[markwolfe Veteran]

What is your current partitioning? Where did you install GRUB (sounds like the MBR of the boot drive, which is correct)?

It sounds like GRUB is pointing to a Linux install (kernel) that isn't there (or at least isn't where it was told it would be).

You can boot your LiveCD again and poke around. Things of interest in getting this fixed is your partitioning. Do a fdisk -l (that is a lowercase letter "L", not the number one) to list that out. Also, find your Linux partitions and look though them to find your kernel image in your boot directory (or the root of your boot partition, depending on your partitioning). A printout or copy of your GRUB's menu.lst file will show where GRUB is told to find your kernel. If it is told wrong, we correct it, and voila!, you will have a booting Linux. :)

[Aleph]

erm...when linux started up, I clicked on the install icon and set it to my external hard drive..no idea if that helps anything.

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sda1 1 892 7164958+ 83 Linux

/dev/sda2 29647 30401 6064537+ 5 Extended

/dev/sda3 * 893 29646 230966505 83 Linux

/dev/sda5 30025 30401 3028221 82 Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sda6 29647 30024 3036222 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

that's what I get when I type fdisk -l in the terminal

How does one get a copy of the grub menu file?

[Wilhelmus]

It should be located in:

/boot/grub/menu.lst

[Aleph]

Thanks, Wilhelmus.

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)

# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),

# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub

# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num

# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and

# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.

#

# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry

# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.

# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your

# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.

default 0

## timeout sec

# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry

# (normally the first entry defined).

timeout 10

## hiddenmenu

# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)

#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours

#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd

# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing

# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the

# command 'lock'

# e.g. password topsecret

# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/

# password topsecret

#

# examples

#

# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000

# root (hd0,0)

# makeactive

# chainloader +1

#

# title Linux

# root (hd0,1)

# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro

#

#

# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified

## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##

## default kernel options

## default kernel options for automagic boot options

## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z

## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.

## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro

## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro

## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro

# kopt=root=UUID=61e5e0d1-aea0-40e6-8d92-975257489f5c ro

# kopt_2_6=root=/dev/sda3 ro

## default grub root device

## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)

# groot=(hd1,2)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options

## e.g. alternative=true

## alternative=false

# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options

## e.g. lockalternative=true

## lockalternative=false

# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the

## alternatives

## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5

# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options

## e.g. lockold=false

## lockold=true

# lockold=false

## altoption boot targets option

## multiple altoptions lines are allowed

## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options

## altoptions=(recovery) single

# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst

## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the

## alternative kernel options

## e.g. howmany=all

## howmany=7

# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option

## e.g. memtest86=true

## memtest86=false

# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system

## can be true or false

# updatedefaultentry=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic

root (hd1,2)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-generic root=/dev/sda3 ro quiet splash

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-generic

quiet

savedefault

boot

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic (recovery mode)

root (hd1,2)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-generic root=/dev/sda3 ro single

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-generic

boot

title Ubuntu, memtest86+

root (hd1,2)

kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin

quiet

boot

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian

# ones.

title Other operating systems:

root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS

# on /dev/hda1

title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

root (hd0,0)

savedefault

makeactive

chainloader +1

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing

# linux installation on /dev/sda1.

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic (on /dev/sda1)

root (hd1,0)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-generic root=/dev/sdb1 ro quiet splash

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-generic

savedefault

boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing

# linux installation on /dev/sda1.

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic (recovery mode) (on /dev/sda1)

root (hd1,0)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-generic root=/dev/sdb1 ro single

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-generic

savedefault

boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing

# linux installation on /dev/sda1.

title Ubuntu, memtest86+ (on /dev/sda1)

root (hd1,0)

kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin

savedefault

boot

[markwolfe Veteran]

The partitioning is a bit odd (and it looks like you are just showing your external drive? I don't see /dev/hda or anything in your list).

sda1 is a small partition. Likely a /boot partition?

sda2 is just an extended holder for the following:

sda6 as swap

sda5 as swap

and that is where I am confused. They are one right after the other. How did this happen? Did you go through the process twice and the previous swap get left behind and another one created? I would remove/redeclare your swap to be one partition.

sda3 is your largest partition, and is almost surely your root.

The double swaps indicate (to me, anyhow) something abnormal happened during the install.

[Aleph]

Yeah, I've installed it a few times, thinking back, I have no idea why...

What should I do now?

(can you basically hold my hand and walk me through this bit? I have no idea what to do)

[markwolfe Veteran]

Since this was a new install anyway, I would just re-do it, and tell it to remove all Linux partitions and install.

If you want to fix the existing install, and adjust your swap from your current install, we just need to edit your GRUBs menu.lst file to point to the right partition (those root (hd1,2) types of lines).

Assuming (and you can poke around inside your partitions to verify) that your /dev/sda1 contains your boot information, you need to change your "root (hd1,2)" sections (points to sda3) to "root (hd1,0)" to point to sda1.

It could be that your partitioning is different than I am guessing (and this is truely just a guess), but this won't hurt anything if wrong.

Which road you travel is up to you.