GRUB Problems with Dell Optiplex GX1

[backyard]

--- Garrett Cooper <youshi10 at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> On Aug 21, 2006, at 6:41 PM, backyard wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > --- Garrett Cooper <youshi10 at u.washington.edu>
> wrote:
> >
> >> backyard wrote:
> >>> I'm having problems installing GRUB on my Dell
> >>> Optiplex GX1 pentium3 500 BIOS A10. I'm setting
> >> this
> >>> server up for a friend and not having GRUB isn't
> >> the
> >>> biggest deal; I just wanted to have a nice
> >>> inappropriate boot image when they turn it on...
> >>>
> >>> It will boot from a floppy, but installing it to
> >> the
> >>> hard drive seems to corrupt the root filesystem.
> >> It
> >>> claims to install fine and during boot will load
> >>> grub_stage1.5 from the disk, but instead of
> >> loading
> >>> stage2 it begins to boot the system, but the
> >> console
> >>> font has become completely corrupted, and I'm
> not
> >>> certain if anything else has. It will boot, and
> >>> appears to function but the font is messed up.
> >>>
> >>> Has anyone else had issues with the particular
> >> Dell
> >>> and GRUB? I've never had problems with GRUB
> before
> >>> this machine. I'm at a loss, any help would be
> >>> appreciated. It would be nice to get GRUB on
> this
> >>> thing, but if I can't oh well.
> >>>
> >>> -brian
> >>>
> >> FreeBSD folks tend not to use Grub, but some of
> us
> >> do use it as opposed
> >> to FreeBSD's bootmanager.
> >>
> >> Please post the steps you use to install grub and
> >> the output those steps
> >> give you, and your grub.conf.
> >>
> >> -Garrett
> >
> > #menu.lst
> > default 0
> > timeout 7
> > fallback 1
> > #password --md5 some kind of password that is
> encypted
> > splashimage (fd0)/boot/grub/opt/smurffed.xpm.gz
> >
> > title  BSD
> > root (hd0,0,a)
> > kernel /boot/loader
> >
> > title Hold the Phone
> > halt
> >
> > title Reset me
> > reboot
> >
> > title Floppy Boot
> > lock
> > root (fd0)
> > chainloader
> > #EOF menu.lst
> >
> > here is my menu.lst off my grub install floppy.
> this
> > was created by building grub 0.97 from ports on my
> HP
> > Kayak. the floppy was then prepared as below:
> >
> > fdformat /dev/fd0
> > newfs -O1 -n /dev/fd0
> > mount /dev/fd0 /mnt
> > mkdir -p /mnt/boot/grub/opt
> >
> > I then copied the grub files from the
> > /usr/local/share/grub/i386-freebsd if memory
> serves me
> > correct to the /mnt/boot/grub folder. then copied
> in
> > my splashimages, then prepared menu.lst as
> described.
> > I then ran grub and setup the floppy to boot grub.
> >
> > now to install on a system I:
> > mkdir -p /boot/grub/opt
> > mount /dev/fd0 /mnt; cp -R /mnt/boot/grub
> /boot/grub
> >
> > change menu.lst as required to reference hardrives
> or
> > different boot options like a windows partition or
> > linux or whatever needs to be started up.
> >
> > boot the system with the floppy and go to grub
> > console.
> > make sure I can
> > find /boot/grub/menu.lst
> > then...
> > root (hd0,0,a) # or whatever
> > setup (hd0) # again depends
> >
> > and usually I take the floppy out, reboot, and
> grub
> > asks me what I want to boot up.
> >
> >
> > as far as the exact output from grub I don't know,
> but
> > it didn't give any errors. it just said:
> > checking for /boot/grub/menu.lst.... found
> > installing stage1.... success
> > installing stage1_5.... success
> > installing stage2.....  success
> >
> > the typical everything is ok message. I have heard
> in
> > later reading that a missing splashimage can mess
> > things up, I will have to make sure I remembered
> to
> > change the root for the image to the harddrive.
> But I
> > have also read that this just happens sometimes
> with
> > grub and certain machines. this is the only time
> I've
> > seen it happen.
> >
> > I personally love me some grub. it just makes
> things
> > easier in my world; at least usually.
> >
> > -brian
> 
> Ok, it seems like your installation process at least
> is ok; perhaps  
> the location of the installed grub is incorrect
> though. Could you do  
> the following?
> 
> 1.	Run fdisk and verify that the partition you
> actually have your  
> root installed on is the first one.
> 2.	Replace all references to just "/" (root) in all
> partition names  
> to the proper device name, plus root, e.g.:
> root (hd0,0,a)
> kernel (hd0,0,a)/boot/loader
> 	I know it seems a bit redundant, but it's saved me
> from some issues  
> with installing grub on my linux box.
> 3.	Remove the splashedimage reference. It's
> referring to your floppy  
> and if the floppy isn't there I could see some
> possible issues  
> occurring with booting grub, as you mentioned
> earlier in the email.
> 
> -Garrett

I'll give this a whirl and report back as to what
happens, but I think I just have one of the machines
that grub just doesn't like very much. Its just a good
thing it happened to be the one machine I have that
will never see anything but BSD on it. Like I said
GRUB was just to put an inappropriate splash screen up
to tick off my friends should they ever turn the thing
on with a monitor plugged into it... That being said
it's still annoying when things don't work out the way
you want.

-brian