cannot start machine, grub error

[austin.texas]

austin.texas,
Do I need to download rescatux too or just supergrub2 disc? I am a bit confused.

The Rescatux CD includes SuperGrub2. That is the one you want.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/rescatu ... o/download

[sarath]

Hi,

Rebooting with a new USB did not work.

I do not have access to a cd-write, so cannot download rescatux into a cd. I am going to try and download into a USB and see if I can get it to work. But I have to say that I am not too optimistic. The USB, new or old, is just not registered by the machine.

I may have to restore the machine to the factory settings and go through the whole process of updating XP and then downloading LM. Is that a possibility?

Before that I will give this a try:
Is this the method to download rescutax on to a USB?
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/wizard-ste ... o-a-media/

Sarath

[lostfarmer]

When you first install LM16, I take it you use a cd, if so do you still have it ? I'm sure grub could be repaired with it but with more work and others would have to tell you how.

Do you know if the Win XP recovery cd will let you use the Recovery Console , if yes then one can put the XP boot code into the MBR and use 'grub4dos' to boot into LM.

[austin.texas]

Is this the method to download rescutax on to a USB?
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/wizard-ste ... o-a-media/ Sarath

I don't know anything about installing rescatux to a usb using Windows, but with Mint 17 I simply opened the Mint "USB Image Writer" from the Main Menu and pointed to where the .iso file was in Downloads, and clicked "Create USB"

[gold_finger]

Just to clarify what you mean by "downloading", when you said:

I am downloading LM 17 using unetbootin into a brand new USB ... hope this works...

and

I went to pendrivelinux.com and downloaded the universal usb installer. Ran that program and downloaded LM 17 into the USB.

Do you mean that you are downloading a fresh ISO of Mint each time you try to make a new USB? Or have you downloaded a Mint ISO file first -- saving it to your Desktop or Downloads folder -- then you point the USB making programs to that ISO in order to make the bootable USB? Your answer to that could be very important.

[austin.texas]

I went to pendrivelinux.com and downloaded the universal usb installer. Ran that program and downloaded LM 17 into the USB.

Do you mean that you are downloading a fresh ISO of Mint each time you try to make a new USB? Or have you downloaded a Mint ISO file first -- saving it to your Desktop or Downloads folder -- then you point the USB making programs to that ISO in order to make the bootable USB? Your answer to that could be very important.

When you are using the Multiboot MultiSystem from pendrivelinux.com, you run the program, as sarath said he did, and the program "downloads" the .iso to the usb drive. If he ran the program, as he said, then he is doing it right.

[sarath]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Today, when I downloaded LM 17 into a new USB, a brand new one, I first downloaded LM from the primary download mirror page (Univ. of Okla.) on to the desktop, then used the universal usb installer from pendrivelinux.com to download the .iso on to the new USB. I got the same error message when I restarted the machine. I also used Unetbootin to download the same .iso on to another USB -- that did not work too, same error message. In short, this evening, I tried two USBs using two programs to download the same .iso and neither worked

The original LM 17 that I tried to install and the cause of all this heartache was got from James Maddison Univ. And before that LM 16 was got from James Maddison Uni. too, and that worked like a charm.

I have always used a USB to boot LM. I do not have access to burn a CD

I chose I different mirror today in the hope that if there was anything wrong in the original download that caused my problems it would not carry into the second.

So, yes, a fresh download each time.

Any ideas would be gratefully received. About the recovery console, which sounds intriguing, more info please.

Lastly, could I used the recovery CD to set my machine back to factory settings?

[austin.texas]

Please try to boot your usb drives on a different computer, to clear up any question about whether they work.

[sarath]

I tried using the USB on my old Toshiba machine (about 15 years old), but it does not boot. Windows XP come up and the bios does not give me the option to boot from USB. Once XP is on, the machine registers the USB and its contents.

Can I try it on a Mac machine?

[sarath]

I just got my machine to boot from the new USB!

It is the LM 17 version.

Now for installing instructions...

Under installation type this is what I see
/dev/sda

/dev/sda1 nfts Windows XP
/dev/sda2 swap
/dev/sda3 ext4 LM 17


From what I understood method 3 to be, I clicked on /dev/sda3 ext4, under use as clicked: ext4 existing journaling system, then unchecked the Format the Partition Box.

Under Device for boot loader installation

This is where I went wrong, I think, I selected /dev/sda3 ext4 LM17
Should I have selected the default /dev/sda?

Please advice.

[austin.texas]

I just got my machine to boot from the new USB!

Congratulations!!

From what I understood method 3 to be, I clicked on /dev/sda3 ext4, under use as clicked: ext4 existing journaling system, then unchecked the Format the Partition Box.
Under Device for boot loader installation
This is where I went wrong, I think, I selected /dev/sda3 ext4 LM17
Should I have selected the default /dev/sda?
Please advice.

Yes, you are on the right track. Install the bootloader to /dev/sda.

[sarath]

Perfect...

So I would be re-downloading LM 17 into my machine. Would I have two copies? Or would it rewrite /dev/sda3.

Sorry about the silly questions, but I just don't want to screw-up again.

[austin.texas]

Sorry, had to go out and do some yard work.
You are installing Mint 17 to sda3 as the / partition, and after installation you will have only that one Mint installed on the hard drive.

[sarath]

Hi, sorry for the delay. Just got back home.

Many thanks for the clarification. I did as you suggested and all is well. The duel boot works well.

When I get to the options of which OS to boot, below LM 17, it says previous versions of LM...I forget what actually. Is that okay?

Other than that quibbling question... everything works.

Many thanks for all your help austin.texas and gold_finger.

May I keep this topic open until sunday... just in case I encounter some trouble...

In any case, thank you very much for your help. Have a good weekend.

[austin.texas]

Many thanks for the clarification. I did as you suggested and all is well. The duel boot works well.

Superb!!

When I get to the options of which OS to boot, below LM 17, it says previous versions of LM...I forget what actually. Is that okay?

Yes, that is just listing the previous kernels you have used, in case you should ever want to use them. You can use Synaptic to uninstall those old kernels, if you start running out of room on your / partition.