# URGENT - Grub problem



## Mark07 (Nov 19, 2005)

Grub problem.

Okay, so i was attempting to reinstall Fedora Core 4, when an error came up saying it could not read a file off the CD, either due to an error on the CD itself or the CD drive. I suspect the CD drive, but right now that doesnt matter.

After pressing retry a few times, and the same problem kept coming up, I had no option but to reboot.

So, I reboot, and now I have grub, and no idea what to do. Right now installing Fedora is low on my priorities, I just want to get rid of grub so I can access Windows XP.

So, after the BIOS I get this:


> GNU GRUB version 0.95 (640k lower / 391644k upper memory)
> 
> [ Minimal BASH-like editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists the possible completions of a device/filename.]
> 
> Grub>


Pressing tab gives:



> grub>
> Possible commands are: background blocklist boot cat chainloader clear cmp color configfile debug displayapm displaymem embed find foreground fstest geometry halt help hide impsprobe initrd install ioprobe kernel lock makeactive map md5 crypt module modulenounzip pager partnew parttype password pause read reboot root toornoverify savedefault serial setkey setup splashimage terminal terminfo testload testvbe unhide uppermem vbeprob


So right now I am totally stuck. Any help at all will be very welcome.

Thanks for reading & any help suggested.


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## batty_professor (Jul 29, 2004)

I by far am not the expert on this. But here's what I think. You can try yyping windows at the grub> prompt. if that gives bad command, or unknown..... try boot and if you get a prompt grub>: boot, then try windows again.. You can substitute linux for windows at the prompt. If it can't find one, perhaps the other. What I suspect you will be forced to do though, is restart using the Fedora CD, when it asks if install or upgrade, select upgrade. That will take it through the process without all the package selections stuff, so it goes pretty fast. (probably 1/4 the time of the 1st go-round, maybe even less.) That should get you through to the summary, there you can fix the boot options in grub, and you should get the OS choices when you restart. There may be other options for this fix, but this is what I would be comfortable with.


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## Aeuzent (Sep 4, 2004)

Well you could try to enter the string to load Windows from the Grub prompt. It's not a set of commands but rather an entire entry that all has to be executed at once. An XP entry looks like this

```
title		Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root		(hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader	+1
```
Or if you want to give up on the setup for now you could use your XP disc (or boot floppy) to give controll of the MBR back to Windows. The command is something like 'fixmbr'. I don't know the specifics, ask a Windows tech.


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## Mark07 (Nov 19, 2005)

I used the second method you described Aeuzent, a friend on msn helped me out, thanks very much.

Do you think this problem was due to FC4, should I try a different distro such as ubuntu, or shall I just forget abiout it?


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## batty_professor (Jul 29, 2004)

I would like to see you try another distro. I myself run Mandrake/Mandriva, and have not tried Ubuntu, but either may be good choices for you. I have tried Fedora, and didn't like it so much. and Fedora doesn't like having a second hard drive on the system. It wants to set up with raid when you do that. Fedora may also be having hardware issues that the others may not.


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## Skie (Mar 15, 2003)

The problem may have been a bad CD burn. Either try re-burning Fedora or try another distro. I'd recommend Ubuntu or Kubuntu (both are the same, one uses Gnome, the other KDE). 2 others to try would be Mandriva or OpenSUSE.


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## Mark07 (Nov 19, 2005)

I installed Ubuntu last night - no problems there. Now I just need to get my internet and wireless mouse and keyboard working with it (microsoft - lol).

Any ideas there? Thanks very much.


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## Aeuzent (Sep 4, 2004)

Well what kind of internet?

And the wireless mouse didn't autoconfigure? That's weird


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## batty_professor (Jul 29, 2004)

Obviously the wireless mouse and keyboard were operational during the install. Near the end of the install there is a summary page. It shows a list of installed services and indicates if they have been configured. The Timezone, mouse, keyboard, Graphical display, and ethernet adapter configurations are all in that list, among others as well. Each has a configure button, allowing user input to set parameters, and test the configurations. You can get to this easiest if you go through the install again, but select the "upgrade" option when prompted for install or upgrade. That gets to the summary rather quickly. Scroll the summary to see ALL the services.


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## DeFcOn (Aug 20, 2005)

ur getting isos right.....if so try to find a more reliable fedora source...

i would recomend www.hosef.org....

go to downloads and u will find all the linux u'll ever need


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## Aeuzent (Sep 4, 2004)

Ubuntu doesn't require a mouse during the install. It doesn't use a GUI.


And the best ISO files from the offical distro sites.


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## batty_professor (Jul 29, 2004)

Keyboard must have been working though. Is there no summary?


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## DeFcOn (Aug 20, 2005)

guess not :4-dontkno


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## Mark07 (Nov 19, 2005)

I plugged in a wired keyboard for installation, cause the wireless one would not work.


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## Aeuzent (Sep 4, 2004)

Ok well give us a name, brand and model number


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