[grub #37] 2 problems: only passive boot to redhat, and wiped out redhat with hide?

[mlaks2000]

Reporter: address@hidden
Summary: 2 problems: only passive boot to redhat, and wiped out redhat with 
hide?
Version: .93 fresh install
Type: software bug

Message:
Hi! 
Ok - I downloaded, compiled and installed the latest Grub .93!

Weirdest experience known to mankind! 

Here is precisely what I tried. I took a disk 80GB with 25gb of win2k on 
(hd0,0), 45 gb of winxp on (hd0,1) and redhat 7.3 installed on rest with have a 
/boot and / and /swap partitons on the rest.

I mentioned that I had previously configured Grub to  automatic boot to win2k 
and so I was unable to boot to Linux. More precisely, 

in the grub boot selector : if I hit "enter" with the Linux choice selected I 
get a hang at the boot line
 
apm: bios version 1.2 Flags 0x03 (drive version 1.16)

then  ctrl-alt-delete doesnt work - i must turn off and on to restart. 

However grub will allow  win2k boot fine, which is the grub default on this 
machine.
 
Now I went, and I used Tom's root-boot disk to access the linux partitions 
(hd0,6) is the boot partition. I changed the default=1 to default=0 in 
grub.conf and now I could (default)  boot into redhat. However - still  if I 
hit enter the boot  hangs, while if i let grub  by itself it boots fully into 
linux. Now however, if I move to windows2k or xp, and hit enter, will boot 
them. it is a linux problem with grub???!!! 

( by the way - 

here is a copy of another identical (intel motherboard)  machine's grub.conf = 
same behavior - if you hit enter on linux boot choice at grub boot screen, grub 
hangs!!while ok if let it "time itself " into the linux boot!!!!!

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You do not have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda1
#          initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
password --md5 $1$ÃÞwÝNaøÛ$j.qLrOqkuWCiuyz5YplyK1
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.18-3)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18-3 ro root=/dev/hda1 hdd=ide-scsi
        initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.18-3.img

)


Now I downloaded the  .93 grub, compiled, installed the new stage1, stage2 and 
*_stage1_5 files in the /boot/grub directory, replacing the old ones. Then I 
made a grub install disk and from the grub boot disk I ran the program 

grub> root (hd0,5) 

(ie whatever root command I saw that i had in the grub.conf file)

then i ran 
grub> setup (hd0)

ok. now i booted from the disk and now again no change. I can boot from linux 
as a default but not from "enter", while both win2k and win xp boot fine from 
default or enter.

Now for the craziest thing. Hold onto your hat!

I added a second drive /dev/hdb with both win me and win2k as the drive (hd1). 
ie two partitions (hd1,0) and (hd1,1).

Ok now this drive currently (alone) (windows) boots from the first partition 
and it gives the usual windows dual choice of me or 2k.

Now i added the following to grub.conf 

title old windows me and xp
        map (hd0) (hd1)
        map (hd1) (hd0)
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

and i rebooted. well i got all the choices, and the previous choices worked as 
before, but this choice did not. instead I got a hang with 
a couple of greek letters

alpha eiota (ie some random? greek letters) GRUB or something like that - 

then I tried to edit the choice by hitting the "e" during boot up,
and i tried  
title old windows me and xp
        map (hd0) (hd1)
        map (hd1) (hd0)
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1
        makeactive

no help

then i tried (big mistake!!!)

title old windows me and xp
        map (hd0) (hd1)
        map (hd1) (hd0)
        hide (hd0,0)
        unhide (hd0,1)
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1


and now i get error that 

Grub loading stage 1.5 

Grub Loading please wait
Error 22

( i didnt get a chance to try my next attempt 
title old windows me and xp
        map (hd0) (hd1)
        map (hd1) (hd0)
        hide (hd0,0)
        unhide (hd0,1)
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1
        makeactive )

Now when I look this up - documentation says it cant find partition!

And indeed when i go back and reboot via 
"my friend" Toms root boot and I do a 

fdisk -l on /dev/hda 

my second ntfs and my linux partitions have vanished!!!!

ie i get
 
/dev/hda1         1     3187       HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2       3188    9278       unknown

what happened to my other NTFS and my 2 linux ext3 and 1 linux swap partitions 
i saw there a few minutes ago????????? did they get wiped out by the 
hide command that should have been a virtual action  on the other drive????


Help!!! can I recover the drive or must i reinstall xp and linux and grub??

Thanks!!
Mitchell


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