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@darrell22 wrote:

The problem is, grub does not show when booting.
No choices at all. And only Windows boots.
Reinstalling did not help.

I can boot to linux with a boot floppy.

GRUB is evidently not installed in the MBR if NTLDR is still booting Windows.

I've since tried to use grub-install.

/sbin/grub-install /dev/hda
it gave:
grub>
root (hd1,4)
File system type unknown, partition type 0x6
setup --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 --prefix=/grub (hd0)
Error 17: Cannot mount selected partition

GRUB can't read that file system. Did you wipe your second hard disk before installing Linux? What does fdisk /dev/hd1 show?

I experienced a problem quite similar to yours with my Dell 8300 P4 3000 machine. I also had added a second hard drive. At least in my case that turns out to be the key to this puzzle. After installing SUSE linux and/or Mandrake linux 9.2, Grub would hang not being able to boot either operating system. LILO would fail in a similar manner.

My problem turned out to be fixed with a simple change in the bios. My dell (as probably most others) ship from the factory with a setting for IDE drive #2 set to NONE. Changing this from NONE to AUTO will allow the bios to recognize and 'boot' the second drive allowing GRUB or LILO to recognize it.

(Once you get to the linux kernel or windows those operating systems are capable of recognizing the drive regardless of bios settings. That's why they work with the bios setting to NONE but GRUB/LILO does not)

Well, after MUCH struggle, and MANY hours, I have finally discovered the secret, and got grub to work.

When I first installed Suse, I used lilo, and it worked fine.  So, today I thought that I would try
installing Suse once again.  Only this time, I used grub. Suse installed fine, and gave me a nice dual boot.

But before installing Suse, I did notice with fdisk that the /boot and / partitions were FAT16!

   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hdb1             1      1959  15735636    c  Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hdb2   *      1960     14593 101482605    f  Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hdb5          1960      1972    104391    6  FAT16
/dev/hdb6          1973      2625   5245191    6  FAT16

Why?  This made no sense.  When I installed, I instructed Redhat to format the partitions as ext3. 
But they always showed up again as an unknown file type. 

Call me demanding, but I do expect that when I give the format command, and when it does proceed to format, that the partitions would in fact get formatted as ext3.  But it must be too much to ask of the Redhat installer.  I guess it's just there for a warm fuzzy feeling inside, so  you can watch the taskbars slowly move across the screen as you waste your time. 

Originally, I had created the partitions with Windows  Diskpart.  It was very easy to use, and I knew that I
wouldn't be destroying my Windows partitions with it.   During the Redhat install, I would then assign the
filesystem (/boot, etc.)  Why the first two stayed as FAT16, but not the others, is beyond me.

After Suse's installation worked, I then tried installing  Redhat.  This time I noticed that the partitions were
actually linux partitions.  The installation worked, grub got installed, and it worked.  Ta Da!

So, I would say that there is a problem with the Redhad Advanced server installer.  It doesn't format
the partitions the way it says it does.  Suse's installer worked fine, but Redhat's did not. Go figure.

I must say, that Suse's Yast2 install is so much better than Redhat's.  It formatted the partitions
right.  It had a nice GUI for configuring the partitions too.  It gave a really good tool for configuring
the boot loader, even allowing me to see the grub.conf file before proceeding.  And it had all three grub
commands required for grub to boot Windows on Dell.   It took me a day to figure how to boot Windows with
Redhat grub, which only inserted two lines in grub.conf. 

Suse probed my machine and found so much more that  Redhat did.  It configured the sound, ethernet, DHCP,
printer, and the video card automatically.  I could  even test the graphic configuration before proceeding. 
When I rebooted, X windows came up cleanly. 

With Redhat, it took another number of days to figure  out that the video, and ethernet were not even installed,
and more hours to fix it. 

Too bad that Suse can't set some other fundamental things: the modem, memory and shmmax.  It might make
a good server. 

I started this fiasco on Jan. 16th, and it is now Jan. 24th.  About 40 hours or more of my time wasted. 
Thanks for nothing Redhat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, after MUCH struggle, and MANY hours, I have finally discovered the secret, and got grub to work.

When I first installed Suse, I used lilo, and it  orked fine.  So, today I thought that I would try
installing Suse once again.  Only this time, I used grub. Suse installed fine, and gave me a nice dual boot.

But before installing Suse, I did notice with fdisk
that the /boot and / partitions were FAT16!

   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hdb1             1      1959  15735636    c  Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hdb2   *      1960     14593 101482605    f  Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hdb5          1960      1972    104391    6  FAT16
/dev/hdb6          1973      2625   5245191    6  FAT16

Why?  This made no sense.  When I installed, I instructed Redhat to format the partitions as ext3. 
But they always showed up again as an unknown file type. 

Call me demanding, but I do expect that when I give the format command, and when it does proceed to format, that the partitions would in fact get formatted as ext3.  But it must be too much to ask of the Redhat installer.  I guess it's just there for a warm fuzzy feeling inside, so  you can watch the taskbars slowly move across the screen as you waste your time. 

Originally, I had created the partitions with Windows Diskpart.  It was very easy to use, and I knew that I
wouldn't be destroying my Windows partitions with it.   During the Redhat install, I would then assign the
filesystem (/boot, etc.)  Why the first two stayed as FAT16, but not the others, is beyond me.

After Suse's installation worked, I then tried installing Redhat.  This time I noticed that the partitions were
actually linux partitions.  The installation worked, grub got installed, and it worked.  Ta Da!

So, I would say that there is a problem with the Redhad Advanced server installer.  It doesn't format
the partitions the way it says it does.  Suse's installer worked fine, but Redhat's did not. Go figure.

I must say, that Suse's Yast2 install is so much better than Redhat's.  It formatted the partitions
right.  It had a nice GUI for configuring the partitions too.  It gave a really good tool for configuring
the boot loader, even allowing me to see the grub.conf file before proceeding.  And it had all three grub
commands required for grub to boot Windows on Dell.   It took me a day to figure how to boot Windows with
Redhat grub, which only inserted two lines in grub.conf. 

Suse probed my machine and found so much more that Redhat did.  It configured the sound, ethernet, DHCP,
printer, and the video card automatically.  I could even test the graphic configuration before proceeding. 
When I rebooted, X windows came up cleanly. 

With Redhat, it took another number of days to figure out that the video, and ethernet were not even installed,
and more hours to fix it. 

Too bad that Suse can't set some other fundamental things: the modem, memory and shmmax.  It might make
a good server. 

I started this fiasco on Jan. 16th, and it is now Jan. 24th.  About 40 hours or more of my time wasted. 
Thanks for nothing Redhat!