[solved]: GRUB installation: Error 29: Disk write error

[LucaToni]

Hello,

I've been using pcbsd for a while.

Now I'd like to install and use GRUB.

This is the error message I get, when performing a GRUB installation with grub-install /dev/... or doing the installation "nativeley".

pcbsd# grub-install /dev/ad0

    GNU GRUB  version 0.97  (640K lower / 3072K upper memory)

 [ Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported.  For the first word, TAB
   lists possible command completions.  Anywhere else TAB lists the possible
   completions of a device/filename. ]
grub> root (hd0,1,a)
 Filesystem type is ufs2, partition type 0xa5
grub> setup  --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 --prefix=/boot/grub (hd0)
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
 Checking if "/boot/grub/ufs2_stage1_5" exists... yes
 Running "embed /boot/grub/ufs2_stage1_5 (hd0)"... failed (this is not fatal)
 Running "embed /boot/grub/ufs2_stage1_5 (hd0,1,a)"... failed (this is not fatal                                                           )
 Running "install --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) /boot/grub/                                                           stage2 p /boot/grub/menu.lst "... failed

Error 29: Disk write error
grub> quit


pcbsd# grub
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.

    GNU GRUB  version 0.97  (640K lower / 3072K upper memory)

 [ Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported.  For the first word, TAB
   lists possible command completions.  Anywhere else TAB lists the possible
   completions of a device/filename. ]

grub> root (hd0,1,a)
 Filesystem type is ufs2, partition type 0xa5

grub> setup (hd0,1,a)
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
 Checking if "/boot/grub/ufs2_stage1_5" exists... yes
 Running "embed /boot/grub/ufs2_stage1_5 (hd0,1,a)"... failed (this is not fatal)
 Running "embed /boot/grub/ufs2_stage1_5 (hd0,1,a)"... failed (this is not fatal)
 Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0,1,a) /boot/grub/stage2 p /boot/grub/menu.lst "... failed

Error 29: Disk write error

grub>

My hard disk partitions:
/dev/ad0s1 = 90 GB/reiserfs without any OS for Backup and storage tasks
/dev/ad0s2 = 10 GB/ufs2 with PC-BSD 1.5.1
/dev/ad0s3 = 01 GB/linux-swap
/dev/ad0s4 = 10 GB/reiserfs with PC LinuxOS 2008

BTW, the optional bootlader GAG is able to start PC-BSD without problems, but starting the Linux-System there is an eror message: "bootsector not found (korrupt)"

Any ideas?
All help is highly appreciated! :-)

Thanks a lot! + Kind Regards,

LucaToni

[putu]

I never use GRUB before, cause GAG doing the job very well

It's easy, without a headache

[LucaToni]

... GAG doing the job very well ...

Hello,

GAG returns regularly an error message, if Linux is called up. Like: "bootsector not found (korrupt)"

This Linux-System is a Mandriva derivate: PC Linux OS 2008. From the PC-BSD partition I can mount the Linux-System (reiserfs) without problems. PC Linux OS had been installed with the distribution's bootmanager GRUB. With this GRUB installation I'm able to start Linux and PC-BSD. However, this is not the favored solution I'm looking for. I'd like to be completely independent from Linux ;-)

GAG would be fine, if it would work ...

Best Regards,
LucaToni

[TerryP]

It sounds like something is being accessed read only when it needs to be read+write.

What is the value of the kern.geom.debugflags sysctl?

you can check with:

# sysctl kern.geom.debugflags

The value should be 16 to make the MBR writable.



For you menu.lst file, you will want an entry like:

title PC-BSD
root (hd0,1,a)
kernel /boot/loader

GAG returns regularly an error message, if Linux is called up. Like: "bootsector not found (korrupt)"

Things may have changed with more recent versions of GAG but the only times I've had booting problems with Linux on my GAG system, is when there is no boot loader in the linux / partition to use for chain loading linux.


e.g. install GRUB or LILO into Linux /

[LucaToni]

...

Code:

# sysctl kern.geom.debugflags

The value should be 16 to make the MBR writable.
...

Hello TerryP,

Thanks for your answer!
This is the current value:

pcbsd# sysctl kern.geom.debugflags
kern.geom.debugflags: 0

UPDATE 2008/07/09: the problem is solved ! :-)


There is the solution:

1) If the command

pcbsd# sysctl kern.geom.debugflags

returns a value like this:

pcbsd# kern.geom.debugflags: 0

then type the following:

pcbsd# sysctl kern.geom.debugflags=16

This command will unlock the current protection mechanism of the Master Boot Record (MBR)! Now the MBR is writable.


2) Perform the GRUB installation into the MBR with:

pcbsd# grub-install <device>

in my example the <device> is: /dev/ad0


3) Edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst

in my example like this:

timeout 10
color black/white white/black

title PC_BSD 1.5.1
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
boot

title PCLinuxOS 2008-2
kernel (hd0,3)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=PCLinuxOS root=/dev/sda4 acpi=on resume=/dev/sda3 #splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,3)/boot/initrd.img

And now you are ready to start your Operating Systems with the GRUB of FreeBSD ! :-)

Best Regards,
LucaToni