GRUB1 on USB-Stick

GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Christoph Anton Mitterer]

Hello.

I've just tried to install grub1 on an USB-stick in order to boot from
it, but it continues to fail:

Following situation:
-BIOS is definitely able to boot from USB
-the system has one harddisk /dev/sda
-USB-stick has one partition /dev/sdb1, type 0x83, filesystem ext3
-Debian sid => grub 0.97
-Installation of grub on /dev/sda works with both grub-install and the
grub shell

The stick is mounted on /mnt/
-/boot/grub/device.map shows:
(hd0) /dev/sda
This is also automatically generated by grub-install --recheck /dev/sda

-/mnt/boot/grub/device.map shows:
(fd0) /dev/fd0
(hd0) /dev/sda
(hd1) /dev/sdb
Automatically generated, too (via grub-install --recheck
--root-directory=/mnt /dev/sdb)
btw: this is strange, because the notebook doesn't have an floppy dr

I really tried every combination I could think of: Via grub-install,
grub-shell, with and without device.map, with hd0 and hd1, from a chroot
and not, etc. etc.


Some of them look like the following:

via grub-install:
# grub-install --recheck --root-directory /mnt /dev/sdb
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
The file /mnt/boot/grub/stage1 not read correctly.

or:

via grub-install:
# grub-install --root-directory /mnt /dev/sdb
The file /mnt/boot/grub/stage1 not read correctly.


via grub shell:
grub> device (hd0) /dev/sdb
grub> root (hd0,0)
FIlesystem type is ext2fs. partition type 0x83
grub> setup (hd0)
setup (hd0)
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... no
 Checking if "/grub/stage1" exists... no

Error 2: Bad file or directory type
grub>


From chroot into /mnt/
grub-install --recheck --root-directory /mnt /dev/sdb (with and without
--recheck) seems to work,.. at least grub-install reports no error,
BUT...

When I now boot from the stick (it actually seems to use the grub on the
stick, and not that on the HDD, because it "works" even, when I
deactivate the HDD in the BIOS) grub loads,... but it uses the menu.lst
from the hdd (/dev/sda) and not from the stick. (I can see this because
I've renamed the entries).

Perhaps you have some ideas :-)

Note, that switching to grub2 is not really an option for me,... on
reason are still missing features in grub2 like password protection.


Best wishes,
Chris.

btw: Please CC me, as I'm currently not subscribed.

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Marco Gerards]

Christoph Anton Mitterer
<christoph.anton.mitterer@physik.uni-muenchen.de> writes:

Hi,

[...]

> Note, that switching to grub2 is not really an option for me,... on
> reason are still missing features in grub2 like password protection.

This list is about the development of GRUB 2.  Better send an email to
bug-grub.

> btw: Please CC me, as I'm currently not subscribed.

How can you post without being subscribed!?

--
Marco

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Christoph Anton Mitterer]

On Thu, 2008-01-31 at 10:51 +0100, Marco Gerards wrote:
> This list is about the development of GRUB 2.  Better send an email to
> bug-grub.
Uhm,.. ok,.. then another question.
Is GRUB2 already considered to be stable, an when will we get the
missing features (like the password keyword, and manpages and other
documentation)? ;)

Is there anybody who has made some experiences with GRUB2 on Debian
(sid)?
There is a package, but I'm not sure whether it already integrates very
well into the Debian stuff (like kernel packages and so on)
 

> > btw: Please CC me, as I'm currently not subscribed.
> How can you post without being subscribed!?
Oh sry,.. from the mailman site I thought one wouldn't have to be
subscribed, but I got an error, and resent the message without removing
that part ;)

Best wishes,
Chris.

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Marco Gerards]

Christoph Anton Mitterer
<christoph.anton.mitterer@physik.uni-muenchen.de> writes:

> On Thu, 2008-01-31 at 10:51 +0100, Marco Gerards wrote:
>> This list is about the development of GRUB 2.  Better send an email to
>> bug-grub.
> Uhm,.. ok,.. then another question.
> Is GRUB2 already considered to be stable, an when will we get the
> missing features (like the password keyword, and manpages and other
> documentation)? ;)

We are working on this.  But any help is wanted, so if you would like
to help...? :-)

> Is there anybody who has made some experiences with GRUB2 on Debian
> (sid)?
> There is a package, but I'm not sure whether it already integrates very
> well into the Debian stuff (like kernel packages and so on)
>  
>
>> > btw: Please CC me, as I'm currently not subscribed.
>> How can you post without being subscribed!?
> Oh sry,.. from the mailman site I thought one wouldn't have to be
> subscribed, but I got an error, and resent the message without removing
> that part ;)

Ah, I was already doubting myself, which is usually a good thing to do
;)

--
Marco

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Robert Millan]

On Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 11:01:52AM +0100, Christoph Anton Mitterer wrote:
> Is there anybody who has made some experiences with GRUB2 on Debian
> (sid)?
> There is a package, but I'm not sure whether it already integrates very
> well into the Debian stuff (like kernel packages and so on)

If you're not sure, why don't you try it?

-- 
Robert Millan

<GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call!
<DRM> What use is a phone call… if you are unable to speak?
(as seen on /.)

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Christoph Anton Mitterer]

On Thu, 2008-01-31 at 12:01 +0100, Robert Millan wrote:
> If you're not sure, why don't you try it?
;) anyway... there's still the missing password protection :-P
When will this be added to grub2?

Chris.

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Marco Gerards]

Christoph Anton Mitterer
<christoph.anton.mitterer@physik.uni-muenchen.de> writes:

> On Thu, 2008-01-31 at 12:01 +0100, Robert Millan wrote:
>> If you're not sure, why don't you try it?
> ;) anyway... there's still the missing password protection :-P
> When will this be added to grub2?

Soon.

--
Marco

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Robert Millan]

On Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 12:12:16PM +0100, Christoph Anton Mitterer wrote:
> On Thu, 2008-01-31 at 12:01 +0100, Robert Millan wrote:
> > If you're not sure, why don't you try it?
> ;) anyway... there's still the missing password protection :-P
> When will this be added to grub2?

I don't know.  What I know for sure is it won't be added before someone
writes the code for it ;-)

-- 
Robert Millan

<GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call!
<DRM> What use is a phone call… if you are unable to speak?
(as seen on /.)

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Robert Millan]

On Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 10:51:25AM +0100, Marco Gerards wrote:
> Christoph Anton Mitterer
> <christoph.anton.mitterer@physik.uni-muenchen.de> writes:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> [...]
> 
> > Note, that switching to grub2 is not really an option for me,... on
> > reason are still missing features in grub2 like password protection.
> 
> This list is about the development of GRUB 2.  Better send an email to
> bug-grub.

Wait, isn't bug-grub for development of GRUB 2 too? :-)

-- 
Robert Millan

<GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call!
<DRM> What use is a phone call… if you are unable to speak?
(as seen on /.)

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[Marco Gerards]

Robert Millan <rmh@aybabtu.com> writes:

> On Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 10:51:25AM +0100, Marco Gerards wrote:
>> Christoph Anton Mitterer
>> <christoph.anton.mitterer@physik.uni-muenchen.de> writes:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> [...]
>> 
>> > Note, that switching to grub2 is not really an option for me,... on
>> > reason are still missing features in grub2 like password protection.
>> 
>> This list is about the development of GRUB 2.  Better send an email to
>> bug-grub.
>
> Wait, isn't bug-grub for development of GRUB 2 too? :-)

Perhaps (sigh ;), but also for GRUB Legacy), but this one certainly
isn't about GRUB Legacy.

--
Marco

Re: GRUB1 on USB-Stick

[walt]

Christoph Anton Mitterer wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I've just tried to install grub1 on an USB-stick in order to boot from
> it, but it continues to fail:
<mucho snippage>

I installed grub to a USB stick for the purpose of using it as an emergency
boot drive so I can use it to reinstall grub from the USB stick onto a hard
disk (after M$ deliberately trashes the MBR ;o).  Here is how I did it:

Format the USB stick with any filesystem that grub supports (FAT,ext2,UFS)
and copy all of the grub installation files into /boot/grub/ on the USB stick.
(I'm referring to files like  e2fs_stage1_5, fat_stage1_5, ffs_stage1_5, etc.)

Next, unmount the USB stick and start a grub shell from a command prompt.

 From inside the running grub shell, set 'root' to whichever partition on your
hard drive contains /boot/grub/<grub installation files>.

Now you need to determine exactly how your USB stick appears to the grub
shell, e.g. (hd2), (hd3), or whatever.  Let's say the USB stick is (hd3).

 From inside the running grub shell type 'setup (hd3)'.  You should see
some messages confirming that grub has been installed okay, and then you
can exit the grub shell and reboot.  If your BIOS is set to boot from the
USB stick first, you should get the usual grub prompt.  If you copied a
valid menu.lst into /boot/grub on the USB stick, then you should actually
see your grub menu displayed in the usual way (fingers crossed).