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by **tr_one** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:50 pm

it seems like it would be an easy question to find an answer. However after hours and days looking for the answer on google i still have not. And now for the question* - I have a working Redhat 9 system running and have tryed to update the system with up2date. up2date installed a newer kernel (2.4.3. something) and then i was told to reboot the system to try the new kernel, however it did not start with the new kernel but the previous 'old' kernel. I had asked on IRC what the trouble could be and was told that i should be able to start up from GRUB or LILO. however i did not install Grub nor LILO when i installed originaly. So I thought, "why not install Grub?". I have installed grub before at the install time but not this time. So grub is now installed. However, it is only the command line and *i need to know how to install the Grub boot GUI. please, please if anyone knows how to fix this, let me know and I will buy the beer if you are ever in Vancouver, WA. (U.S.A.) Now i should say that i DO NOT want to have to reinstall. i have worked long and hard to get the programs installed and i really don't want to have to start over.

by **Linux Frank** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 2:37 pm

I'd say where did you install Grub from?

I would suggest you get it from the RedHat disks, as this will probably install the full version with RedHats graphics (It is not really much more than a fancy looking command line in reality).

You could also try the apt-get (as found in this site's RH tips section). And install grub from there. I have never installed the boot loader after the OS before so I don't know if it auto detects the available kernels or not.

You can also do a rescue boot from the CD, this should give you the option to do a reinstall of the boot loader, this may have the benefit of finding all your kernels. Once you have grub installed to your satisfaction editing it is easy once you know where you kernel is located.

A reinstall of your system should not be a necessity.

Also I suggest here which I recommend you read FIRST.

by **Void Main** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 2:49 pm

So can you get the system booted up in Red Hat at all? How did you install it without installing either the GRUB or LILO boot loader, how did you boot? If you can get it booted just install the grub RPM from your Red Hat CD and set up the /etc/grub.conf (you actually might just be able to run the "/sbin/installkernel" command). You will probably also have to run the "grub-install /dev/hda" command. Make a boot disk before doing anything though:

# /sbin/mkbootdisk `uname -r`

Better yet:
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linu ... lling.html

And as Linux Frank said, you may want to ditch up2date for apt:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/redhat/re ... _have.html

by **tr_one** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 3:03 pm

did I fail to mention that i use a boot disk.
according to Synaptic, Grub is installed and i did #install-grub /dev/hda grub does start from the MBR however it is only the command line and not the GUI. now i dod remember from the past installs that there is indeed a gui that starts but i have yet to get it to work without installing at the time of the os install. Ok after following the link I am going to uninstall from apt-get and try the RH disk. thank you

by **Void Main** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 3:21 pm

If you don't have a menu then it's possible you don't have the menu configured in /etc/grub.conf. Here's an example:

Code: Select all: # grub.conf generated by anaconda # # Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file # NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that # all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg. # root (hd0,1) # kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda5 # initrd /initrd-version.img #boot=/dev/hda2 default=0 timeout=10 splashimage=(hd0,1)/grub/splash.xpm.gz title Windows 2000 rootnoverify (hd0,0) chainloader +1 title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-18.9) root (hd0,1) kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-18.9 ro root=LABEL=/ initrd /initrd-2.4.20-18.9.img

The above configuration reflects that Win2k is installed on the first partition and grub resides on a separate small /boot partition (/dev/hda2). If you do not have a boot partition and you do not have Windows and your Linux partition is on /dev/hda1 (the first partition) then your grub.conf should probably look like this:

Code: Select all: default=0 timeout=10 splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-18.9) root (hd0,0) kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-18.9 ro root=LABEL=/ initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.20-18.9.img

Also, when you install a new kernel with the "rpm -i" command it will add an entry for that kernel to you /etc/grub.conf and should show up on the menu when you boot your system. You might want to install/reinstall your kernel RPM, or:

# apt-get install kernel#2.4.20-18.9

If you already have the above kernel installed then reinstall it so the scripts get run to add the proper entries to /etc/grub.conf. It's easier to let the system configure it automatically than it is to have to think. :void:

And no, I don't believe you mentioned you booted from a boot disk, although I rather expected that is what you did if you didn't have LILO or GRUB installed.

by **tr_one** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 4:28 pm

after uninstalling and reinstalling nothing if different. it starts but not the GUI. I looked for /etc/grub.conf but didn't find it. that just might be the trouble. I do trulies appreciate the time and help.

by **Void Main** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 4:38 pm

Yes you need an /etc/grub.conf. Actually in Red Hat it should be /boot/grub/grub.conf with a symbolic link to to it called /etc/grub.conf. Red Hat also creates a symbolic link /boot/grub/menu.lst that points to that file.

by **tr_one** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 5:11 pm

great, something seems very wrong then. not only is there no /etc/boot/grub.conf i have no /boot/grub/menu.1st file.

I'm not having fun anymore

by **Void Main** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 9:30 pm

Not /etc/boot/grub.conf but /boot/grub/grub.conf and not /boot/grub/menu.1st but /boot/grub/menu.lst (lower case MENU.LST). If you don't have them then create them.

by **Calum** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 3:32 am

make sure they are all the same file, ie make one file and the other two are symlinks.

the default on a stock GNU GRUB install is actually /boot/grub/menu.lst so make that file, then put some config info in it and then make symlinks called /etc/grub.conf and /boot/grub/grub.conf which point to it. this way you won't have different versions of this file kicking about and confusing you. here's my file for interest, though this is a red hat one, and so it is installed by default as grub.conf and not menu.lst (for some reason).

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You do not have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, eg.
# root (hd0,4)
# kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda5
# initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,4)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux 9.0 (2.4.20-8)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/1 hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title FreeBSD 4.7
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
title MS Winsux (ME)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

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