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AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

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AoiHana
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AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#1 Post by AoiHana »

Hi.
I've just installed bullseye on a hard disk. it went well, and booted, then:
error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found
grub rescue>
then on another machine I plugged in the hard disk, did "update-grub; grub-install /dev/sdb"
and when rebooting on the disk it went:
no such device 704... [name the other machine uses to give to the hard disk"

In fact I lied a bit. I went through HELL to get even a bootable installer image.

I resinstaller it and it gave exactly the same message :"file "/boot"" etc

Either my hard disk is crap (why ?!) ?
Or the image of debian stable I used is crap, but I check the sha512sum (which I never had to do in my life...) AND the image on the usb stick.

Thanks
Last edited by AoiHana on 2021-09-16 13:41, edited 1 time in total.

AoiHana
Posts: 34
Joined: 2016-02-13 08:22

Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#2 Post by AoiHana »

now I'm trying to install on another stick, from another stick, same image though. If it fails, then debian has a serious "stable" problem.

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sunrat
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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#3 Post by sunrat »

You possibly have an error in methodology here. Which image did you use? How did you create the installer USB device? Some details of hardware would be helpful, along with a full description of your installation process.
AoiHana wrote: 2021-09-16 11:35 Hi.
I've just installed bullseye on a hard disk. it went well, and booted, then:
error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found
grub rescue>
GRUB is the boot manager. grub rescue means it didn't boot.
then on another machine I plugged in the hard disk, did "update-grub;-grub-install /dev/sdb"
and when rebooting on the disk it went:
no such device 704... [name the other machine uses to give to the hard disk"
Just because a disk is /dev/sdb on one machine doesn't mean it is on another. Your command is wrong but I assume it's a typo, should be no dash before grub-install.
In fact I lied a bit. I went through HELL to get even a bootable installer image.
Explain exactly what you did. Going through hell is not necessary.
Either my hard disk is crap (why ?!) ?
Or the image of debian stable I used is crap, but I check the sha512sum (which I never had to do in my life...) AND the image on the usb stick.
There are tests you can do to check HD.
If your image passes sha512sum it is not crap.
“ computer users can be divided into 2 categories:
Those who have lost data
...and those who have not lost data YET ”
Remember to BACKUP!

AoiHana
Posts: 34
Joined: 2016-02-13 08:22

Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#4 Post by AoiHana »

I downloaded the image on https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/cu ... 4/iso-dvd/
verified the checksum.
burnt it with dd (then sync) on two or three usb sticks, verified THEIR checksums.
It went through the installation, installed GRUB, But then it couldn't boot, as explained.
Then I reinstalled it just the same, but after having wiped the first 90 Mo with dd, on my other computer. To be sure the MBR etc was wiped.
Same exact problem.

I just tried installing with another stick on another stick instead of the disk: same image, I had verified the stick image before too...
this time it won't even go to end, the stick stops responding, it disconnects for some reason. and I don't know how to put it back on in the context of the installer... plugging it off and on doesn't work.

my hope lies in repairing the disk's GRUB.
I tried grub-install to no avail.
Last edited by AoiHana on 2021-09-16 13:39, edited 1 time in total.

AoiHana
Posts: 34
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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#5 Post by AoiHana »

And I tried before all of that on another hard disk... wouldn't even see it as bootable in the first place.
Tell me what are the odds that all of that happens in a row ?
my hope lies in repairing the disk's GRUB.
I tried grub-install to no avail.

(Of course sdb is how the disk with the failed installation appears in the other machine)
Dash is a typo.
The thing is... I'm not exactly a beginner with command lines, but this time absolutely nothing is going well since the beginning !

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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#6 Post by trinidad »

https://www.supergrubdisk.org/

Stop thinking so hard.

TC
You can't believe your eyes if your imagination is out of focus.

AoiHana
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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#7 Post by AoiHana »

I tried both programs. Of course nothing worked at all.
I even tried installing linux mint... the cute desktop pops up but the installer won't even open.
I'll try with the "good" image once again, and then f**k it I'll do without that PC.

AoiHana
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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#8 Post by AoiHana »

having reinstalled now grub boots but shows 2 "debian gnu-linux"
each one giving "loading linux 5.10.0.8
incorrect magic number ELF independant of architecture
loading initial ramdisk
incorrect magic number ELF independant of architecture

I try the rescutux again on that.

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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#9 Post by p.H »

AoiHana wrote: 2021-09-16 18:18 incorrect magic number ELF independant of architecture
Weird. It looks like if GRUB modules are corrupted, either on disk or when read through the BIOS.
It may be a BIOS or hardware issue.
Did you try to boot that disk on another computer ?
Did you try to install with a small (500 MB) /boot partition at the beginning of the disk ?

AoiHana
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Joined: 2016-02-13 08:22

Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#10 Post by AoiHana »

no I didn't do anything but using the installer and grub-install. More is terra incognita to me. I try booting from that disk , and had big issues, from two computers.
I quit, now I'll focus my attention on opening the (encrypted) original SATA hard disk of that PC, which before worked like a charm. But it contains personal data I don't want to erase so I'll work with it. Than installing on it should be fine, it was before.

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Re: AFTER INSTALLATION: error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found grub rescue>

#11 Post by ticojohn »

AoiHana wrote: 2021-09-16 18:18 having reinstalled now grub boots but shows 2 "debian gnu-linux"
each one giving "loading linux 5.10.0.8
incorrect magic number ELF independant of architecture
loading initial ramdisk
incorrect magic number ELF independant of architecture

I try the rescutux again on that.
It is normal for GRUB to show the first two entries as Debian Gnu/Linux. The first entry is for normal boot, the second for advanced features, such as rescue. If you have multiple instances of Debian installed, ie. sdb1 and sdc1, then those GRUB entries will identify the OS by release version.
I am not irrational, I'm just quantum probabilistic.

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