Fedora 17 64bit - Failed bootloader

robert.forster · #1 11th December 2012, 05:43 PM

hardware is HP Compaq 8200 Elite (1TB HD with GPT)
Swapped to new HD (WD 1TB) with same results

default install fails (not changing anything just hitting next) to install bootloader
Custom install fails to install bootloader

booted to "linux rescue" and followed commands
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/GRUB_2

Got me to Grub2 menu but when selecting menu item results with

Code:

error: can't find command `['.
error: can't find command `['.
error: can't find command `search'.
error: can't find command `echo'.
error: can't find command `linux'.
error: can't find command `echo'.
error: can't find command `initrd'.

Press any key to continue...

booted into linux rescue mode
chroot /mnt/sysimage
and did a yum update thinking maybe grubby might update and fix whatever is causing grub to not know what these commands are. Like some header file is missing. but failed

boot to grub menu (GNU GRUB version 2.00~beta6)

Code:

setparams 'Fedora (3.6.9-2.fc17.x86_64)'

    load_video
    set gfxpayload=keep
    insmod gzio
    insmod part_gpt
    set root='hd0,gpt2'
    if [x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy]; then
       search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd0,gp\
t2 --hint-barementail=ahci0,gpt2 172038ff-f69e-401c-abd1-1dc009975a60
     else
        search --no-floppy ---fs-uuid --set=root 172038ff-f69e-401c-abd1-1dc009975a60
    fi
    echo 'Loading Fedora (3.6.9-2.fc17.x86_64)'
    linux              /vmlinuz-3.6.9-2.fc17.x86_64 root=/dev/mapper/vg-pxha--cas--120g-lv\
_root ro SYSFONT=True LANG=en_US.UTF-8 KEYTABLE=us
    echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
    initrd /initramfs-3.6.9-2.fc17.x86_64.img

I had seen there was a bug report for beta 3? but noting else I could find....

***DBelton*** · #2 11th December 2012, 07:27 PM

If your hard drive is GPT, are you booting uEFI or from the BIOS?

If you are booting from the BIOS, then you need a small BIOS_Boot partition for grub2 to store it's core.img file. Have you created that?

If you didn't create one, then if you have space left on the drive, create a Bios_boot (type EF) partition, then reinstall the bootloader.

For example, here is the partition layout on one of my drives that is GPT and I boot from the BIOS:

Code:

Disk /dev/sdb: 976773168 sectors, 465.8 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): F25E45F7-9D14-4293-B4AB-E167D262C515
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 976773134
Partitions will be aligned on 8-sector boundaries
Total free space is 0 sectors (0 bytes)

Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   1              34            2047   1007.0 KiB  EF02  BIOS boot partition
   2            2048         2099199   1024.0 MiB  0700  Linux filesystem
   3         2099200         6293503   2.0 GiB     8200  Linux swap
   4         6293504       111151103   50.0 GiB    0700  Linux filesystem
   5       111151104       216008703   50.0 GiB    0700  Linux filesystem
   6       216008704       976773134   362.8 GiB   8300  Linux filesystem

robert.forster · #3 12th December 2012, 09:48 PM

Sorry long wait on response.

The resolution I had come to was similar to as you had posted.

used a live CD

I had made two partitions

/dev/sda1 500mb
/dev/sda2 (remainder)

booted off install dvd
modified partitions

/dev/sda1 500MB /boot [formatted etx4]
/dev/sda2 LVM PV

LVM
lv_swap 4096MB
lv_root [remainder]

and all went through without issue