[SOLVED New installation refuses to boot

[LisaO]

I am trying to install Debian Wheezy on a new computer, the installation works perfectly. But when I try to boot from the HDD it does not recognize it as a bootable media with error: "Reboot and Select proper Boot device, or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key"

The partition sda2 are set as bootable and the HD are first in boot order, and I have tried both grub and lilo. It did boot the original Win7-installation when I bought the computer, and if I boot from a liveCD I am able to see and access the harddrive.

Do anyone have any ideas about this?

The computer are a Packard Bell imedia i9509.

/Lisa

[kedaha]

I think you have to enter the BIOS and set the HDD as the first device to boot, save the changes and reboot. The "Reboot and Select proper Boot device" message is because the BIOS is set to boot only from the cdrom/DVD. But if as you say it's already selected, then, maybe the partition isn't flagged to boot or something.

[LisaO]

I think you have to enter the BIOS and set the HDD as the first device to boot, save the changes and reboot. The "Reboot and Select proper Boot device" message is because the BIOS is set to boot only from the cdrom/DVD.

Which I have already done. The HDD are first in boot order - which I noted, no CD are present and it still does not boot. And the partition are bootable, which I also noted.

[kedaha]

What is the root partition called?
/dev/sda2 ?
Sounds to me as though the installation of grub failed. Did you install Debian from a live cd?

[LisaO]

What is the root partition called?
/dev/sda2 ?
Sounds to me as though the installation of grub failed. Did you install Debian from a live cd?

/dev/sda2, yes. I have reinstalled it several times, from different CDs. I have also tried both lilo and grub with same problem.

[kedaha]

I wonder if you would have had better luck with Stable rather than testing?
Just a suggestion but you might like to try a disk rescue utility CD such as rescatux. Alternatively you could use your installation cdrom in rescue mode and reinstall grub that way.

[LisaO]

I wonder if you would have had better luck with Stable rather than testing?
Just a suggestion but you might like to try a disk rescue utility CD such as rescatux. Alternatively you could use your installation cdrom in rescue mode and reinstall grub that way.

I have know tried both of these, with no change. It is frustrating, my next move are to install debian on an external HD and boot fram that one and use the internal as /home.

[kedaha]

It might also help if you posted the output of this command?
# fdisk -l

Another idea would be to open the computer and remove the BIOS battery for a couple of minutes, replace it, adjust the clock time and reboot which will clear the BIOS should the setting, in spite of selecting the HDD as the first boot device, somehow be stuck on the CDROM.

I had a few experiences of this kind of thing in the past but I was always to boot the system eventually one way or another so I trust you will solve the problem too.

[LisaO]

It might also help if you posted the output of this command?
# fdisk -l

Another idea would be to open the computer and remove the BIOS battery for a couple of minutes, replace it, adjust the clock time and reboot which will clear the BIOS should the setting, in spite of selecting the HDD as the first boot device, somehow be stuck on the CDROM.

I had a few experiences of this kind of thing in the past but I was always to boot the system eventually one way or another so I trust you will solve the problem too.

I think I found the problem
While browsing Packard Bells supportsite I noticed that for slightly older computers but the same model have a downloadable BIOS for Linux. So it seems lika it is the BIOS that refuses to boot due to something and I need to flash it. I will contact them and ask them about this as soon as I am able.

This is very frustrating since I did not find any information about this either on Packard Bells och the resellers site.

[kedaha]

Something like this may be occurring: It may be that the BIOS cannot boot sda2 because Grub gets installed to the boot sector on sda1. A hard drive can only have one bootable partition and if Grub is in sda1, since that partition is not marked to be booted, it can boot neither Debian nor Windows. Having 2 partitions is like having 2 hard drives. The BIOS looks for Grub or Windows on sda2 and can't find it because it is located in the other, unbootable partition and then you get the error message. So the solution would be to flag sda1 as bootable.
For example, on my system, you can see that /dev/sda1 is marked with as asterisk as the bootable device. If I were to flag another partition, for example, /dev/sda7 as bootable, then I would get the same error because my my Grub bootloader is on the boot sector in /dev/sda1.

Code: Select all

[size=85]# fdisk -l
  Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        1836    14745600   83  Linux
/dev/sda2            1836       60802   473636865    5  Extended
/dev/sda5            1836        2821     7909376   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6            2821       26013   186290039+  83  Linux
/dev/sda7           26013       27849    14745600   83  Linux
/dev/sda8           27849       28822     7811072   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda9           28822       60802   256877568   83  Linux[/size]

Did you install grub to sda1 or sda2?
Grub needs to be in the bootable partition.

[LisaO]

Debian is installed on /dev/sda2, which is bootable. I have also tried to install grub both at /dev/sda and /dev/sda2.

I did a few hours ago notice another possible problem. My computer uses UEFI, and if that is correct it can't and won't boot a linux-partition that are BIOS/MBR. When I get home from work I will look into that ans see if I can get a version of grub that support UEFI and use that.

[kiyop]

I do not know well about UEFI.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible ... _Interface

I think Grub2 can be installed on HDD with GPT.
But in order that Grub2 can deal GPT, module part_gpt.mod should be loaded.

Code: Select all

insmod part_gpt

To use grub command line, the directory /boot/grub or BIOS BOOT partition should be available by grub2.
It is better to prepare Bios Boot partition if GPT is used.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux ... y/l-grub2/

Could you please execute boot info script and post the contents of RESULTS.TXT?

I am not sure whether grub-efi is good or not.
http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/grub-efi
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=995704

[kedaha]

This GRUB GPT HOWTO using gparted looks very clear.

[LisaO]

Well, the IBM-page did not mention EFI. But I did run the bootinfoscript and noticed something that might be a problem. But then I tried the howto provided by kedaha and it destroyed my partition table and I had to restart everything. But I am not certain that it are a real problem, a missing core.img. That file are almost never mentioned in any descriptions and there are several different howtos with very different methods. None are really that clear and most are about Mac.

At the moment I think that the information at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GR ... FI_Systems are most clear, but it still does not work. Debians installationsCDs does not seem to have native support for EFI, which is a problem. Ubuntu does on the other hand, so my next step is trying to boot with a ubuntu disk and try to set up EFI so the harddrive can boot. Afterwards I should be able to install Debian.

[kiyop]

If only posting RESULTS.TXT before you changed partition table...

I did run the bootinfoscript and noticed something that might be a problem. But then I tried the howto provided by kedaha and it destroyed my partition table and I had to restart everything.

If you only change partition table, the real data of partition and the partition boot record is not damaged. Then you can fix with some tool like testdisk.

But, thanks to and according to kedaha's link, it may be necessary to incorporate EFI function to kernel.

I used Ubuntu before this May and I read in Ubuntu Japanese forum that some guy succeeded to install Ubuntu with GPT for a HDD larger than 2TB, by starting installer of Ubuntu without doing extra things.
God bless you!

[kedaha]

Well, the IBM-page did not mention EFI. But I did run the bootinfoscript and noticed something that might be a problem. But then I tried the howto provided by kedaha and it destroyed my partition table and I had to restart everything.

But how did the referenced howto destroy your partition table? If I do:

Code: Select all

root@localhost:/home/user# parted
GNU Parted 2.3
Using /dev/sda
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) select                                                           
New device?  [/dev/sda]? /dev/sdb                                         
Using /dev/sdb
(parted) mklabel gpt

I am immediately informed:

Code: Select all

Warning: The existing disk label on /dev/sdb will be destroyed and all data on
this disk will be lost. Do you want to continue?
Yes/No?

You must have typed in Yes; if you hit Enter you'll be asked again.
The command mkfs also results in a similar warning:
I posted the link after kiyop's post and supposed you'd first post the information you were asked for:

Could you please execute boot info script and post the contents of

[quote="kedaha"]It might also help if ... tml]Manual, which also states the obvious: "you should back up your important files before running Parted."
The graphical partitioning program GParted also issues similar warnings like this:

Code: Select all

Create partition Table
WARNING: This will ERASE ALL DATA on the ENTIRE DISK /dev/sdc
Default is to create an MS-DOS partition table.

You'll find that forum members are happy to try and assist you, but posting requested details will help them.
Regards.

[LisaO]

There were a dd-command that wrote over the partition table, or atleast the beginning of the partition.
It would be easier to post the output from different commends if I had a working installation, since I do not have that questions and answers will have to suffice. There are no other OS on that computer, /dev/sda1 are the EFI-partition, sda2 linux and sda3 swap. I am very familiar with linux, as I have worked with it on and off for ten years, it is only the EFI-part that was new to me which created my confusion. Especially since few howtos agreed about EFI and most where mostly relevant to linux/mac installations.

But it is solved now.

I installed Ubuntu at a small partition and it created a working EFI-bootloader. When booting I will choose "ubuntu" at the UEFI-menu and then grub pops up and I am able to boot debian. I have no idea how ubuntu succeeded, but it may be related to that the ubuntu liveCD supports EFI which the debian installation-CD does not.

I do thank you both for your help.

[kiyop]

Congratulations!
If you think your problem is solved, please add the Subject line of the first post of yours, "[SOLVED]".
Have fun with Debian and Ubuntu!

[kedaha]

Would be a good idea to submit an installation report to the developers: one can't have a new installation of Debian refusing to boot! Glad to hear you've found a a way round it.