[Sussex] Strange grub behaviour

[John D.]

John D. wrote:

>Rupert Swarbrick wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Presumably as it's Gentoo, you compiled your own kernel. You might want
>>to try not using an initrd - they tend to be difficult to get right and
>>somewhat of a black box when you try to work out how you broke it.
>>    
>>
>
>Hum? I sort of understand how to compile the kernel myself, but in
>truth, because I'm not confident when
>trying bits of the "white mans magic" like that, I use "genkernel",
>otherwise I suspect that I'd miss something.
>
>As to how I'd "not use an initrd", I wouldn't even know where to start.
>It has crossed my mind to get rid of the 2.6.11-gentoo-r8 version
>though, as it's
>not booting at all and then looking into how I might have a go at
>emerging/installing it again, as genkernel did manage to miss out lp
>support for my printer.
>
>  
>
>>It sounds like maybe it's failing to load your ram disk, which would
>>contain the modules to read your /dev/hda3. When I've compiled things
>>like PCI disks and reiserfs support in as modules without an initrd by
>>accident I've had error messages like that in the past.
>>    
>>
>
>Which might go someway to explaining that although I have the same stuff
>in the grub.conf, it doesn't like trying to boot the 2.6.11-gentoo-r8
>
>  
>
>>Regarding your grub problems, you could always try completely
>>reinstalling it (use dd to blank the start of the drive first to make
>>sure). Or if it feels safer, install lilo or something else on top first
>>instead.
>>
>>Of course, you could try using lilo in the short term to get things
>>working, as it always seems less inclined to go horribly wrong - I had
>>to a couple of months ago when I messed up my grub bootloader with
>>terrible splash options, but I've managed to get grub back.
>>    
>>
>
>
>I've tried re-installing grub already, but as I haven't got a
>"benchmark" model to go by I've tried this with what Iv'e read and can
>only presume that I've got it right.
>
>Thinking though, if there is something wrong with the way genkernel
>compiled the 2.6.11-gentoo-r8, if I just followed the instructions in
>the gentoo kernel upgrade howto,  do you know if it "revamps" the whole
>thing, or does it make a new version and leave the problematic one (file
>or whatever) in place ??? because if it was the former, then surely a
>recompile would make it so that grub might then know or see the ram disk
>part.
>
>Also I'm unsure whether I'd have to just delete all the current version
>files available (the kernel image of 2.6.22-gentoo-r8 and it's
>accompanying initrd), or whether it would all be uninstalled if I did
>emerge unmerge, but again, I'm not sure what I'd put for that, as it's
>post compile.
>
Ok, since this morning, I've now binned (well I think I managed too) the
2.6.11-gentoo-r8 kernel i.e. I deleted the entries from the grub.conf,
then I deleted all reference to it in the /usr/src and remade the
symlink to 2.6.11-gentoo-r3.

I don't know where else it might have shown up.

Anyhow, since then, I've re-emerged the 2.6.11-gentoo-r8 kernel and then
rather than just running genkernel, I've "done" it by entering the
command genkernel  --menuconfig --bootloader=grub all, then when it's
started menuconfig, I've been through just about everything so see if I
can work out what's "occuring", I'm not confident in doing that, as
there is so many options, I don't really know what I'd need, apart from
the obvious.

I've then finished things off as is, and as I couldn't suss out how to
"blank" that section of the drive with "dd" as Rupert suggested, I've
unmerged and then emerged grub again and rebooted.

I'm getting the same reply about it not seeing the /dev/hda3 as the root
block device.

So, I've then unmerged grub and emerged lilo just in case I'm being
really blind about something.

I've then "done the usual's" and when I reboot, I get the lilo options
screen fine, but when I boot the 2.6.11-gentoo-r8 kernel I'm just
getting the same reply.

It would appear that this is being caused by something deeper.

Could someone advise me where too look now? as instead of "it" being
over my ankles, It's over my head! (nothing new there though), and means
that I'm unable to upgrade the kernel!

regards

John D.