GRUB loading

[firefexx]

Hi, since I upgraded F15 to F16, using PreUpgrade, the Netbook won't boot successfully.
The initial "GRUB loading." appears, then the Netbook restarts, repeating this procedure in an infinity loop.

I tried booting from a LiveUSBStick and executed the following:

# mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot
# mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
# mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
# mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
# chroot /mnt
# grub2-install /dev/sda
# grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

But it didn't help. Can anybody help me figuring out how to make it working again?

[firefexx]

Nothing more to try??

Seems that I have to reinstall the system :/

[firefexx]

Ok, the problem isn't solved after a complete reinstall. Seems that it is an incompatibility between GRUB2 and the LenovoS205.

I want to install the old grub to bypass the problem. So I tried it via chroot ob a live system and yum erase grub2 and yum install grub. But it won't install grub and lists grub2 instead. How can I install the old grub??

[chrismurphy]

When going from F15 to F16 via PreUpgrade, I didn't think it tried to change your partition scheme from MBR to GPT. But there are a number of Lenovo models that have a BIOS that really don't like GPT schemes.

By passing nogpt as a kernel parameter when booting off either LiveCD or DVD media, it will compel anaconda to create an MBR partition scheme (a.k.a. msdos disklabel).

[technolope]

I have the same problem. This Lenovo S205, though lightweight and inexpensive, has been a poor choice for a traveling Linux notebook. I should have just stayed on Fedora 15, or maybe I'll drop Fedora altogether after using it for 10+ years.

[chrismurphy]

"Me too" isn't going to fix your problem. Post more information. Have you searched the bugzilla for problems booting your hardware?

[DBelton]

Originally Posted by technolope

I have the same problem. This Lenovo S205, though lightweight and inexpensive, has been a poor choice for a traveling Linux notebook. I should have just stayed on Fedora 15, or maybe I'll drop Fedora altogether after using it for 10+ years.

Did you even think to check the Fedora common bugs for F16 before installing it on your machine?

UEFI install to Lenovo Ideapad S205 fails to boot

link to this item - Bugzilla: #748272

If you try to install Fedora 16 to a Lenovo Ideapad S205 booted via UEFI, the installed system will fail to boot. We do not yet have a complete understanding of this issue, but it appears the S205 may have a buggy UEFI implementation which prevents the efibootmgr tool from correctly writing an UEFI bootloader entry for Fedora. At present there is no known workaround for this issue. Installing in BIOS compatibility mode should avoid the problem, but it is not entirely clear from user reports and publicly available information whether the S205 actually has a BIOS compatibility mode and, if so, how to use it.

[technolope]

Not looking for an additional solution yet, as I haven't tried the "nogpt" and I haven't tried reloading the OS. I have the exact same problem as the OP: After the first step of preupgrade, the reboot gets to "GRUB Loading." then reboots again; I have no control over anything---I can't get to the grub loader menu to modify the boot commands, I can only enter BIOS (which obviously doesn't fix anything). This is the interim boot to a temporary kernel that is part of the preupgrade process.

This bug seems related to the problem: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=735733

I especially look forward to using the advice there, to add the following to the boot command:

updates=http://dlehman.fedorapeople.org/updates-735733.0.img nogpt

I intend to try to boot into rescue mode off an external CD via USB (I had problems with this before on the S205), remount the boot partition read/write, then edit the grub configuration file with the above code, and let it try to boot naturally.

Here is some other material about GPT, though some folks on the above bug report found that this advice didn't work: http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/bios.html

---------- Post added at 10:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:01 AM ----------

Originally Posted by DBelton

Did you even think to check the Fedora common bugs for F16 before installing it on your machine?

You don't have to be mean. I read the page about Preupgrade, but hadn't looked at the Common F16 bugs page recently. I don't even know what a UEFI boot is---it's not something I've had to learn about in 15 years of using Red Hat. I almost expected to find problems, being that this S205 has been a pain ever since I bought it last year.

My whole reason for "me too"ing was to make it more clear to future information-seekers that this isn't just one person's problem, and maybe to influence someone to avoid buying the S205. That's information that I would have benefitted from last year.

[DBelton]

Sorry, I didn't intend for it to sound mean, and apologize if it did.

[technolope]

I understand. I was frustrated, and normally don't have time to do a complete search before I upgrade things. Now that I realize I went too far down the river, I'm more inclined to thoroughly research solutions. I'll re-post here once I try the above fixes.

[chrismurphy]

I'd make a case with Lenovo for a warranty repair or exchange. As you point out, you're not the only person having problems with their UEFI implementation. And if the F16 Common Bugs supposition that this hardware doesn't have a CSM-BIOS implementation, that would cause even more problems without a work around.

So yeah - I'd hassle Lenovo, just cuz. Never know, there may be an unofficial firmware update that support has access to that they aren't putting on their web site.

[technolope]

I'm going to try to install the new BIOS revision (from August of last year) at

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/au...2064bit&cid=1#

When I installed Fedora 15 last year, I pulled the original 750GB Win7 disk and put in an SSD (so I voided the warrany). I need to boot into Win7 to install the BIOS patch. At least I should be able to do that if the Win7 disk is plugged into a toaster.

More to come once I get home.

[chrismurphy]

I find it hard to believe swapping a disk drive voids warranty. Not even Apple does that anymore with their laptops (for some time now this has not voided the warranty).

[technolope]

I am usually aware when I rip through a "warranty void" sticker with my Torx, and I don't think the Lenovo was any exception. It was worth it to me to have a fresh SSD and Linux.

Status: I couldn't boot off the original Windows hard drive, so I couldn't update the BIOS (ever). And, of course, the Lenovo didn't come with a recovery disk (and it's too late to make one).

Next step (someday, when I have time): try to boot into Linux in recovery mode off a USB or CD, then reprogram the boot command per the above.

[technolope]

Failure after failure. Could not get machine to boot off a USB-connected disk. Made a bootable USB of Fedora 15 x86_64 with liveusb-creator, but it wouldn't boot unless I changed the boot command line to show "LABEL=LIVE radeon.modeset=0". After the boot I found out that preupgrade totally hosed my /boot partition---my config, System.map and vmlinuz were blown away. I had to totally reload the OS. When creating the partition table, I was forced to have a /boot/efi partition and it was forced to be GPT, even though I also included "nogpt" on the LiveCD boot command line. And, I shouldn't even have to mention it by now, but suspend/resume doesn't work at all. What a waste of time.

EDIT (2012-04-16) : Bought a Samsung laptop and had none of these problems. Selling the S205 Lesson: Do not buy a Lenovo S205 if you intend to put Linux on it. In fact, it's easy to just avoid all Lenovo laptops.