Re: Bug#185770: grub: incompatible with Windows 2000 NTFS wheninstalled on MBR

[David Balazic]

A wild guess :
grub stores something ( I think it is the stage1.5 )
after the MBR in the unallocated space.
Maybe windows does the same.

( point : don't store stuff in space you did not allocate
for yourself ! )

Try telling grub to store the stage1.5 somewhere else.


Jason Thomas wrote:
> 
> Hi, I have no solution at hand, but can tell you that I have grub
> working with win2k and NTFS on multiple computers fine.
> 
> I have CC'd the upstream mailing list maybe someone can make a
> suggestion.
> 
> On Fri, Mar 21, 2003 at 10:52:32AM -0600, Raj Manandhar wrote:
> > Package: grub
> > Version: 0.91-2
> > Severity: important
> >
> > I install grub using /sbin/grub-install /dev/hda (with or without the
> > --force-lba option; it makes no difference). I save the beginning
> > sectors of the disk after the grub install for reference using
> >
> >       $ dd bs=63b count=1 < /dev/hda > /boot/boot.grub
> >
> > I also make a floppy using grub-floppy. I can boot from the floppy
> > with no problem at any time. I have trouble with the hard drive (MBR)
> > installation as follows, though.
> >
> > After the MBR install, I can access the GRUB menu fine and boot into
> > Linux, and reboot into Linux as many times as I like. I can also
> > choose Windows from the menu and boot Windows, once. When I then
> > reboot from Windows, grub prints out "Loading stage1.5..." (or
> > something similar) for a fraction of a second, then it blanks and goes
> > back to the BIOS startup screen, and this continues in an infinite
> > cycle. I use the floppy to boot into Linux and notice that the boot
> > sectors have been changed by Windows:
> >
> >       $ dd bs=63b count=1 < /dev/hda > /boot/boot.broken
> >       $ cmp /boot/boot.grub /boot/boot.broken
> >       /boot/boot.grub /boot/boot.broken differ: char 2561, line 15
> >
> > (and cmp -l shows that everything is different beyond that point).
> >
> > I have done the same comparison after rebooting into Linux without
> > ever booting into Windows and I'm pretty sure that it shows no
> > changes, i.e., the problem is not with Linux or the basic grub
> > install. I have had grub installed on supposedly identical hardware
> > (Dell Optiplex GX150) but with Windows running on VFAT and it worked
> > perfectly. So I think it is a problem with Windows on NTFS. It looks
> > to me like the stage1.5 loader would have to fit into 2560 bytes or
> > less to work with Windows in this way.
> >
> > Background information follows.
> >
> > $ /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/hda
> >
> > Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 2434 cylinders
> > Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes
> >
> >    Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
> > /dev/hda1   *         1      1019   8185086    7  HPFS/NTFS
> > /dev/hda2          1020      2434  11365987+   5  Extended
> > /dev/hda5          1020      1748   5855661   83  Linux
> > /dev/hda6          1749      2113   2931831   83  Linux
> > /dev/hda7          2114      2332   1759086   83  Linux
> > /dev/hda8          2333      2434    819283+  83  Linux
> >
> > $ cat /proc/ide/hda/geometry
> > physical     38792/16/63
> > logical      2434/255/63
> >
> > My /boot/grub/menu.lst is
> >
> > ## default num
> > # Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, 
> > and
> > # the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
> > #
> > # You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default 
> > entry
> > # is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
> > default               0
> >
> > ## timeout sec
> > # Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default 
> > entry
> > # (normally the first entry defined).
> > timeout               2
> >
> > # Pretty colours
> > color cyan/blue white/blue
> >
> > ## password ['--md5'] passwd
> > # If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive 
> > editing
> > # control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
> > # command 'lock'
> > # e.g. password topsecret
> > #      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
> > # password topsecret
> >
> > #
> > # examples
> > #
> > title         Linux
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel        /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda8 ro
> >
> > title         Windows 2000
> > root          (hd0,0)
> > makeactive
> > chainloader   +1
> >
> >
> > ### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
> > ## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
> > ## by the debian update-grub script except for the default optons below
> >
> > ## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs
> >
> > ## ## Start Default Options ##
> > ## default kernel options
> > ## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
> > # kopt=root=/dev/hda8 ro
> >
> > ## default grub root device
> > ## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
> > # groot=(hd0,7)
> >
> > ## should update-grub create alternative boot options
> > ## e.g. alternative=true
> > ##      alternative=false
> > # alternative=true
> >
> > ## should update-grub lock alternative boot options
> > ## e.g. lockalternative=true
> > ##      lockalternative=false
> > # lockalternative=false
> >
> > ## altoption boot targets option
> > ## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
> > ## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
> > ##      altoptions=(recovery mode) single
> > # altoptions=(recovery mode) single
> >
> > ## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
> > ## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
> > ## alternative kernel options
> > ## e.g. howmany=all
> > ##      howmany=7
> > # howmany=all
> >
> > ## ## End Default Options ##
> >
> > title         Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.4.18
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel                /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18 root=/dev/hda8 ro
> > savedefault
> >
> > title         Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.4.18 (recovery mode)
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel                /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18 root=/dev/hda8 ro single
> > savedefault
> >
> > title         Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.2.20
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel                /boot/vmlinuz-2.2.20 root=/dev/hda8 ro
> > savedefault
> >
> > title         Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.2.20 (recovery mode)
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel                /boot/vmlinuz-2.2.20 root=/dev/hda8 ro single
> > savedefault
> >
> > title         Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.2.18
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel                /boot/vmlinuz-2.2.18 root=/dev/hda8 ro
> > savedefault
> >
> > title         Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.2.18 (recovery mode)
> > root          (hd0,7)
> > kernel                /boot/vmlinuz-2.2.18 root=/dev/hda8 ro single
> > savedefault
> >
> > ### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
> >
> >
> > -- System Information
> > Debian Release: 3.0
> > Architecture: i386
> > Kernel: Linux droid 2.4.18 #4 Tue Oct 8 11:54:03 CDT 2002 i686
> > Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=
> >
> > Versions of packages grub depends on:
> > ii  libc6                    2.2.5-14        GNU C Library: Shared 
> > libraries an
> > ii  libncurses5              5.2.20020112a-7 Shared libraries for terminal 
> > hand
> >
> 
> --
> Jason Thomas                           Phone:  +61 2 6257 7111
> Unix System Administrator              Fax:    +61 2 6257 7311
> Intology Services Pty. Ltd.            Mobile: 0418 29 66 81
> 1 Hall Street Lyneham ACT 2602         http://www.intology.com.au/
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Bug-grub mailing list
> address@hidden
> http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-grub


-- 
David Balazic
--------------
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill S. Preston, Esq., & "Ted" Theodore
Logan
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