Problem booting Ubuntu on triple-boot setup

[greg3305]

I have a triple-boot system with a disk laid out as follows:

80.0 GB NTFS - Windows XP Professional x64
80.0 GB NTFS - Windows Vista Ultimate x64
9.54 GB ext4 - Ubuntu 9.04, /
19.07 GB ext4 - /home
1.30 GB swap

GRUB is installed to the 9.54 GB partition.

I am able to boot to Windows XP and Vista fine. Ubuntu starts to load, I see the GRUB menu flash very quickly, and then a black screen with the text:

Booting '/boot/grub/menu.lst'

And it doesn't seem to go anywhere from there.

EasyBCD settings:
There are a total of 3 entries listed in the bootloader.
Default: Microsoft Windows Vista
Timeout: 30 seconds.
Boot Drive: D:\
Entry #1
Name: Earlier Version of Windows
BCD ID: {ntldr}
Drive: D:\
Bootloader Path: \ntldr
Entry #2
Name: Microsoft Windows Vista
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Entry #3
Name: Ubuntu 9.04
BCD ID: {5109e140-4ffc-11de-b372-00044b0219c5}
Drive: D:\
Bootloader Path: \NST\NeoGrub.mbr

NeoGrub config:
# NeoSmart NeoGrub Bootloader Configuration File
#
# This is the NeoGrub configuration file, and should be located at D:\NST\menu.lst
# Please see the EasyBCD Documentation for information on how to create/modify entries:
# http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/
timeout 0
default 0
title /boot/grub/menu.lst
fallback 1
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /boot/grub/menu.lst
configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
title /grub/menu.lst
fallback 2
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /grub/menu.lst
configfile /grub/menu.lst
title /boot/grub.conf
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /boot/grub.conf
configfile /boot/grub.conf
# All your boot are belong to NeoSmart!


Any thoughts? It's entirely possible I'm missing something stupid, as I'll admit to being a M$ fan and relatively inept when it comes to Linux.

I should add that I had this exact same setup working several weeks ago. I have since reinstalled Windows Vista and Ubuntu 9.04 on top of their existing partitions. Have there been recent changes to the EasyBCD 2.0 beta?

Thanks

 

[Coolname007]

Hello Greg, welcome to NST.
Please post the contents of your Ubuntu menu.lst located at /boot/grub/menu.lst on your Ubuntu root partition. You can access it while booted into a Live session from your Desktop CD.
Also, while still at the Ubuntu Live session desktop, open up Applications>Accessories>Terminal, and run the following command:

sudo fdisk -l

The last letter is a lowercase "L". Then post the results of that command, please.

Cheers.

Jake

 

[greg3305]

Hi Jake,

Here is menu.lst:

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## 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'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default        0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout        10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# 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        Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root        (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader    +1
#
# title        Linux
# root        (hd0,1)
# kernel    /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(recovery) 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

## specify if running in Xen domU or have grub detect automatically
## update-grub will ignore non-xen kernels when running in domU and vice versa
## e.g. indomU=detect
##      indomU=true
##      indomU=false
# indomU=detect

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title        Ubuntu 9.04, kernel 2.6.28-11-generic
uuid        7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-11-generic root=UUID=7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c ro quiet splash 
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-11-generic
quiet

title        Ubuntu 9.04, kernel 2.6.28-11-generic (recovery mode)
uuid        7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-11-generic root=UUID=7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c ro  single
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.28-11-generic

title        Ubuntu 9.04, memtest86+
uuid        7cfabf96-fc7c-44ab-83cd-b1694870118c
kernel        /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title        Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sde1
title        Windows Vista (loader)
rootnoverify    (hd4,0)
savedefault
map        (hd0) (hd4)
map        (hd4) (hd0)
chainloader    +1

Here is the fdisk output:

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3347bc44

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1      121602   976759808    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd0f78a2e

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               1      121602   976759808    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe1e79dc4

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdc1               1       60802   488383488    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdd: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe1e79dcb

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdd1               1       60802   488383488    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sde: 203.9 GB, 203928109056 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24792 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x1bb3aa02

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sde1   *           1       10444    83885728+   7  HPFS/NTFS
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde2           10444       20887    83886080    7  HPFS/NTFS
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4           20888       24792    31366912+   5  Extended
/dev/sde5           20888       22132    10000399+  83  Linux
/dev/sde6           22133       24622    20000893+  83  Linux
/dev/sde7           24623       24792     1365493+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdf: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe1e79dc9

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1               1       60802   488383488    7  HPFS/NTFS

Thanks

 

[Coolname007]

Please disconnect all HDDs that do not contain any of the OSes you mentioned, leaving only the one in question connected, and see if you can still boot into Vista and XP. If so, then re-add the Linux entry underneath the Linux tab in the Add/Remove Entries section of the latest EasyBCD beta build, making sure to point it at the right partition Ubuntu is installed to (i.e. don't point the entry at your /home partition instead of /root), and remember to not check the "Grub is not installed..." box. Then, without connecting any of the other disks, try booting into Ubuntu again.