[nflug] GRUB error 18
Robert Meyer
meyer_rm at yahoo.com
Fri Mar 7 14:06:27 EST 2008
Maybe I'll chime in, here... There are a lot of really old machines out there with terminally limited BIOS. These machines cannot address anything beyond cylinder 1023 on bootup. The standard solution to the problem is to create a /boot partition at the very beginning of the drive that is just big enough for the kernel, the initrd file and grub configs, etc. Frequently, there will be enough extra space for multiple copies. Here is the partition map on a machine that I work with that does this:
Disk /dev/hda: 100.0 GB, 100030242816 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 12161 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 14 12161 97578810 8e Linux LV
The 'df' output of this machine looks like:
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
187150052 3822516 173667532 3% /
/dev/hda1 101086 11966 83901 13% /boot
tmpfs 513476 0 513476 0% /dev/shm
So, I would try using that methodology to see if it solves the problem...
Sometimes it's good to be a dinosaur...
Cheers!
Bob
--
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
--Leonardo da Vinci
----- Original Message ----
From: Cyber Source <peter at thecybersource.com>
To: nflug at nflug.org
Sent: Friday, March 7, 2008 1:50:16 PM
Subject: Re: [nflug] GRUB error 18
All the stanzas are the same except the the boot images. I would think
then that it's not a grub problem but rather a problem with the
images/kernels.
Steve Petersen wrote:
> Thanks again for your help - yes, when I pick one of the kernels it boots.
>
> uname -l output;
>
> Linux liza 2.6.17-10-generic #2 SMP Tue Dec 5 22:28:26 UTC 2006
> i686 GNU/Linux
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 10:01 AM, Cyber Source
> <peter at thecybersource.com <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>> wrote:
>
> Does anything in that grub file boot?
>
> Steve Petersen wrote:
> > I've attached my /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Thanks again.
> > Steve
> >
> > On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 11:36 PM, Cyber Source
> > <peter at thecybersource.com <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>
> <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com
> <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>>> wrote:
> >
> > Show me your /boot/grub/menu.lst file
> >
> > Steve Petersen wrote:
> > > Thanks for the help! I'm afraid I can't make much of it
> though.
> > As I
> > > say, I've been using linux for about 10 years, but that
> doesn't mean
> > > I've been /understanding/ much of it. I have only the
> vaguest grasp
> > > of UUIDs and cylinder geometry. I don't know what the
> "stanzas" are
> > > and I'm not sure what you mean by "the actual drive /dev use"
> > (unless
> > > you just mean /dev/hda, which I believe it is, though
> there is a
> > > second hard drive I mount separately).
> > >
> > > Below I give the "fdisk -l" output. Thanks again for any
> help.
> > > Steve
> > >
> > > Disk /dev/hda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
> > > 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
> > > Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> > > Disk identifier: 0x0008fac7
> > >
> > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id
> System
> > > /dev/hda1 * 1 38560 309733168+ 83
> Linux
> > > /dev/hda2 38561 38913 2835472+ 5
> Extended
> > > /dev/hda5 38561 38913 2835441 82
> > Linux swap
> > > / Solaris
> > >
> > > Disk /dev/hdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
> > > 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
> > > Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> > > Disk identifier: 0x000b8293
> > >
> > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id
> System
> > > /dev/hdb1 1 19103 153444816 83
> Linux
> > > /dev/hdb2 19104 19457 2843505 5
> Extended
> > > /dev/hdb5 19104 19457 2843473+ 82
> > Linux swap
> > > / Solaris
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 9:40 PM, Cyber Source
> > <peter at thecybersource.com <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>
> <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>>
> > > <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com
> <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>
> > <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com
> <mailto:peter at thecybersource.com>>>> wrote:
> > >
> > > Whatever the bios is told as a boot device, if it's a hard
> > drive, it
> > > will go to "first" partition on that drive that has a
> "boot"
> > flag
> > > (fdisk
> > > -l), it will be the partition with a "*" declared.
> > > First off, I would suspect a problem with the CHS
> > > (cylinder,head,sector)
> > > geometry that the drive has or is being interpreted by the
> > bios as, to
> > > the kernel.
> > > Second off, I would think it's how the stanzas are written
> > and the
> > > UUID's (always a problem I've seen) are being used.
> Try changing
> > > to the
> > > actual drive /dev use.
> > > Tell me those things and I'll tell you my reasoning
> later, if
> > > applicable, sorry lazy typer.....
> > > Steve Petersen wrote:
> > > > Hi NFLUGgers,
> > > >
> > > > I've been using some form of linux for about 10
> years, but I'm
> > > still a
> > > > newbie in many ways, and I wonder if you can help
> me. For
> > some time
> > > > now my home desktop computer - which has Ubuntu 7.10
> on it and
> > > nothing
> > > > else - won't boot any of the more recent kernels the
> > update-manager
> > > > downloads. It gives me
> > > >
> > > > Error 18: selected cylinder exceeds maximum
> supported
> > by BIOS
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > until I choose in GRUB an old enough kernel that
> BIOS can
> > reach,
> > > > apparently. I don't know if I have a separate boot
> > partition; it's
> > > > however Ubuntu set it up default. (No separate boot
> > partition shows
> > > > up on the 'mount' command - but would it?) I also
> don't know
> > > what my
> > > > motherboard is - that's where the BIOS lives, right? As
> > you see I'm
> > > > still pretty ignorant of some basic computing concepts.
> > > >
> > > > Anyway this has been going on for over a year, probably,
> > but the
> > > > kernel's old enough now that (without good evidence
> either
> > way) I'm
> > > > starting to worry it'll be sub-optimal in noticeable
> ways.
> > It's
> > > > 2.6.17-10-generic, though /boot lists versions as
> recent as
> > > > 2.6.22-14-generic.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks in advance for any help or thoughts.
> > > >
> > > > Steve
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > http://stevepetersen.net
> > > >
> > >
> >
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> > > --
> > >
> > > http://stevepetersen.net
> > >
> >
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> > http://stevepetersen.net
> >
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