Grub load error 15

[muz]

Hello - I have calmed down somewhat since my last post...

When I try and boot my Debian computer I get the messages:

Grub Loading stage1.5.
Grub loading, please wait...
Error 15

Is there any way of recovering from this - or is it simply a fresh install?

I was attempting an upgrade from Lenny to Squeeze and despite a few hurdles it looked like it was all happening. Got the new kernel loading, and the new grub. It looked as though grub2 was working so I ran the grub-remove-legacy-support command (something like that) and now my computer won't boot grub or Linux.

I'm assuming the MBR on my harddrive is lost, however I don't know what state the partition is in. I'm guessing that maybe this has been lost as well.

I tried a few tools from the Ultimate Boot CD but nothing here was able to re-install my grub or boot from any partition or even mount my file-system. I'm fearing the worst but would like it confirmed before I blow it all away with a new install.

Cheers
muz

[craigevil]

Take a look at Grub 2 - Ubuntu Wiki - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2#Error%201 ... ot%20found

No need to reinstall , just fix the issue using a livecd.

[muz]

Take a look at Grub 2 - Ubuntu Wiki - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2#Error%201 ... ot%20found

No need to reinstall , just fix the issue using a livecd.

I went to this site and I couldn't find any mention of "livecd". There was an entire Ubuntu download of 700mb (over 2 hours) which I'm loathe to do as I have been running Debian5 Lenny and trying to upgrade to Squeeze. So why would downloading Ubuntu fix this problem???

Are you sure these instructions are what you intended???

Cheers
Muz

[nadir]

Any live-cd will do.
You might also try to re-install grub from your Debian-installation-media (-> advanced ->recover)
What happens if you try to mount your filesystem from a live?
Do you take drugs.If yes, which ones?

[muz]

Hi guys

This is silly. What defines a "livecd"? Is any linux bootable cd a livecd? Is it any linux installation cd? As I said, there isn't any mention of "livecd" on that site listed above. If I download a small cd Debian install disc will this do the trick?

The UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD) allowed me to boot linux from a cd but I was unable to find anything to mount from my hard-drive - nothing worked.

Drugs.... if I had any I think I would choose valium for it's calming qualities. Otherwise I'll just stick to my plain old heroin injections.

Cheers
muz

[nadir]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live-CD

So: download any live-CD and follow the link given by craigevil or follow the links given by emariz in the other thread.
Else:
mount the live-CD
open a terminal
$ sudo su
# fdisk -l
# mkdir /media/disk
# mount /dev/sdX /media/disk
(adapt /dev/sdX to the output of 'fdisk -l'
post the error message.

Consider if re-installing wouldn't be less trouble in your case. Go for Lenny.

[BioTube]

A LiveCD is simply an OS that can be booted from a disc; many distros(Ubuntu among them) put their installers on them(Debian's actually one of the few exceptions, mostly because the discs are just copies of the repos). If you're in the market for a small LiveCD, try Puppy Linux or DSL.

[muz]

Hi guys

The Debian small CD install had everything necessary to repair this error.

As mentioned: Advanced options>
Install GRUB>

Really only those two were needed, and I needed to know the device name of the disk and device name for the Linux partition.
I'm not going to GRUB2 for obvious reasons.

Now I'm back to repairing all of the upgrade errors.

Thanks for your help.
Sorry for my inappropriate comments regarding the ancestry of the programmers and my dark desires to punish their off-spring.

Cheers
Muz

[craigevil]

Just for future info The LiveCD List - http://www.livecdlist.com/

8.7. Recovering a Broken System

Sometimes, things go wrong, and the system you've carefully installed is no longer bootable. Perhaps the boot loader configuration broke while trying out a change, or perhaps a new kernel you installed won't boot, or perhaps cosmic rays hit your disk and flipped a bit in /sbin/init. Regardless of the cause, you'll need to have a system to work from while you fix it, and rescue mode can be useful for this.

To access rescue mode, type rescue at the boot: prompt, or boot with the rescue/enable=true boot parameter. You'll be shown the first few screens of the installer, with a note in the corner of the display to indicate that this is rescue mode, not a full installation. Don't worry, your system is not about to be overwritten! Rescue mode simply takes advantage of the hardware detection facilities available in the installer to ensure that your disks, network devices, and so on are available to you while repairing your system.

Instead of the partitioning tool, you should now be presented with a list of the partitions on your system, and asked to select one of them. Normally, you should select the partition containing the root file system that you need to repair. You may select partitions on RAID and LVM devices as well as those created directly on disks.

If possible, the installer will now present you with a shell prompt in the file system you selected, which you can use to perform any necessary repairs. For example, if you need to reinstall the GRUB boot loader into the master boot record of the first hard disk, you could enter the command grub-install '(hd0)' to do so.