Fails to boot after installation

[NickC]

Hi All,

My first install of Debian so forgive me if I miss something obvious.

Just installed Debian Squeeze using graphical install, standard options. Problem is after installation the system won't boot, just gets to a certain point and drops the monitor output and appears to lock-up. I have tried recovery mode, messages scroll past the screen but I can't see what the last line was before it failed.

The only 'non-free' driver required was for the NICs: rtl_nic/rtl8168-2.fw which I obtained from firmware-realtek_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb.

Just incase it give us any clues the basic hardware is:
AMD Phenom X6
NVidia Quadro NVS 295

How can I trace the cause of this?

Thanks,

[ZACHARiAS]

please do tell us:
a) Version of debian
b) more hardware spec: i.e. if its a laptop, desktop, etc.

[NickC]

Version: debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso

Hardware:
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
CPU: Phenom II X6, 2.8GHz, 9.0Mb total cache
RAM: 2 x 4Gb DDR3, 1600Mhz
HDD: 2 x SATA, 500Gb & 1Tb
Floppy - Sony MPF920
Graphics: nVidia Quadro NVS295
DVD - Pioneer DVD106S/2 (region free)
DVD Writer: Lite-on LH-20A1S11C
SCSI: Adaptec ASC29320A

[NickC]

Don't know if relevent but been poking about and found Graphical rescue mode. Booted that and went to Interactive shell on /dev/sdb5.
Here is the last bit of output from dmesg:

device-mapper: ioctl: 4.15.0-ioctl (2009-04-01) initialised: dm-devel@redhat.com
__ratelimit: 86 callbacks supporessed
FAT: utf8 is not a recommended IO charset for FAT filesystems, filesystem will be case sensitive!
EXT2-fs: sdb5: couldn't mount because of unsupported features (4).
kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds
EXT3 FS on sdb5, internal journal
EXT3-fs: recovery complete
EXT3-fs: mounted filesyatem with ordered data mode

Are any of these relevent?

[ZACHARiAS]

Don't know if relevent but been poking about and found Graphical rescue mode. Booted that and went to Interactive shell on /dev/sdb5.
Here is the last bit of output from dmesg:

device-mapper: ioctl: 4.15.0-ioctl (2009-04-01) initialised: dm-devel@redhat.com
__ratelimit: 86 callbacks supporessed
FAT: utf8 is not a recommended IO charset for FAT filesystems, filesystem will be case sensitive!
EXT2-fs: sdb5: couldn't mount because of unsupported features (4).
kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds
EXT3 FS on sdb5, internal journal
EXT3-fs: recovery complete
EXT3-fs: mounted filesyatem with ordered data mode

Are any of these relevent?

maybe its the kernel. try to run debian wheezy, see how it goes.

[NickC]

Hmm.. that means downloading the whole DVD again which means geting that jigdo thing to work again. When I tried earlier to use jigdo to update my .iso image, just to test it, it failed with:
error while reading file debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso, file will be ignored (no such file or directory) - but it certainly is present!

Anyone know if it is possible to get jigdo to just download the changes between debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso and debian-testing-amd64-DVD-1.jigdo, does that sound possible? That is assuming I find out how to get jigdo update working.

[ZACHARiAS]

Hmm.. that means downloading the whole DVD again which means geting that jigdo thing to work again. When I tried earlier to use jigdo to update my .iso image, just to test it, it failed with:
error while reading file debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso, file will be ignored (no such file or directory) - but it certainly is present!

Anyone know if it is possible to get jigdo to just download the changes between debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso and debian-testing-amd64-DVD-1.jigdo, does that sound possible? That is assuming I find out how to get jigdo update working.

i always use netinstall or business card mate.
im sorry i cant help you more. my debian knowledge isnt dat good yet.

[NickC]

Completely fresh install of wheezy now completed. But won't even try to boot due to a GRUB error! Is there some way to reinstall the GRUB bootloader only, I don't thing I have the energy to go through another four hour install again.

I have booted from Knoppix and established that I have the following partitions:

/dev/sda1 - ntfs
/dev/sda2 - ntfs
/dev/sda3 - extended
/dev/sda5 - ntfs
/dev/sda6 - ntfs
/dev/sda7 - ntfs

/dev/sdb1 - ntfs
/dev/sdb2 - extended
/dev/sdb5 - ext3, boot
/dev/sdb6 - linux-swap
/dev/sdb7 - root?

What do I need to do to install GRUB to /dev/sdb5?

Thanks,

[kiyop]

Completely fresh install of wheezy now completed. But won't even try to boot due to a GRUB error!

What error message is shown?

Is there some way to reinstall the GRUB bootloader only,

There are many ways.
The shortest way may be to use Super Grub2 Disk.
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/

I have booted from Knoppix and established that I have the following partitions:

/dev/sda1 - ntfs
/dev/sda2 - ntfs
/dev/sda3 - extended
/dev/sda5 - ntfs
/dev/sda6 - ntfs
/dev/sda7 - ntfs

/dev/sdb1 - ntfs
/dev/sdb2 - extended
/dev/sdb5 - ext3, boot
/dev/sdb6 - linux-swap
/dev/sdb7 - root?

What do I need to do to install GRUB to /dev/sdb5?

If you install Grub2 code onto the partition boot record of /dev/sdb5, you may be unable to boot Grub2 directly.
First, BIOS try to find the bootable device (usually, MBR of /dev/sda, /dev/sdb). The order can be set by BIOS configuration.
You should configure so that partition boot record of /dev/sdb5 is chainloaded.

Instead, you can install grub2 code onto MBR of /dev/sdb or /dev/sda. It is simpler for especially a newbie.
But be careful! You do not mention about the OS's installed on your two hard disks.
If /dev/sdb contains some boot loader, installing grub2 code onto the MBR of your second hard disk (/dev/sdb) destroy the boot loader in the MBR.

I do not know about Knoppix. You do not mention version of Knoppix.
Maybe you can install grub2 code by using your knoppix, though I am not sure.

If you cannot solve the problem by yourself, execute boot info script while knoppix is booting, and post the contents of the generated RESULTS.txt.
boot info script:
http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/

[ZACHARiAS]

try this:
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75356&p=418153#p418097
kudos

[kiyop]

try this:
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75356&p=418153#p418097
kudos

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75356&p=418153#p418097

do a clean install of debian.
after that if XP is not visible on grub try this:

Code: Select all

1)  # sudo apt-get install os-prober

2)  # sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

3) add the following line after # GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
 # GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

4)  # sudo update-grub2

How can he run "sudo apt-get install os-prober" or so when he cannot boot debian installed on his hard disk?

[nadir]

How can he run "sudo apt-get install os-prober" or so when he cannot boot debian installed on his hard disk?

live-CD and chroot

[ZACHARiAS]

try this:
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75356&p=418153#p418097
kudos

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75356&p=418153#p418097

do a clean install of debian.
after that if XP is not visible on grub try this:

Code: Select all

1)  # sudo apt-get install os-prober

2)  # sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

3) add the following line after # GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
 # GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

4)  # sudo update-grub2

How can he run "sudo apt-get install os-prober" or so when he cannot boot debian installed on his hard disk?

im learning as well seensei.tks for your light
Kudos

[kiyop]

How can he run "sudo apt-get install os-prober" or so when he cannot boot debian installed on his hard disk?

live-CD and chroot

I know. But it may be difficult for NickC.
Furthermore, in live cd circumstance, the following command should be modified properly.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75356&p=418153#p418097

do a clean install of debian.
after that if XP is not visible on grub try this:

Code: Select all

1)  # sudo apt-get install os-prober

2)  # sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

3) add the following line after # GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
 # GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

4)  # sudo update-grub2

I think Super Grub2 Disk is easier, and getting information on his problem is 1st thing to do.

nomodeset or some kernel option relating to graphics or acpi=off or so may solve his problem.
Furthermore, I am not sure he has a debian live cd. I remember he hesitated to download iso.

Hmm.. that means downloading the whole DVD again which means geting that jigdo thing to work again. When I tried earlier to use jigdo to update my .iso image, just to test it, it failed with:
error while reading file debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso, file will be ignored (no such file or directory) - but it certainly is present!

Anyone know if it is possible to get jigdo to just download the changes between debian-6.0.4-amd64-DVD-1.iso and debian-testing-amd64-DVD-1.jigdo, does that sound possible? That is assuming I find out how to get jigdo update working.

But I am not sure if he has live CD/DVD.

To NickC,

Do you have any live-debian CD, DVD or USB?
http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/release/current-live/

[nadir]

Furthermore, I am not sure he has a debian live cd. I remember he hesitated to download iso.

He probably hasn't got a super-grub-CD neither.
Any Debian based distro will do, and if one hasn't got one, one should download one as soon as possible (which is now, not later, but now).