Error at bootup after new install (complex situation)

[tomcloyd]

(I've posted on the software forum about a problem creating an ISO boot disk with K3b. I still have that problem, but have meanwhile found and installed Kubuntu from an older ISO disk, and now have a very different problem.)

Background: Trying to enlarge my /home partition with gparted, I accidently wiped out my root partition, and so needed to re-establish that and reload Kubuntu. Mine is a dual boot machine, with Win/Vista being the other OS.

Here is my partition structure as I set it up earlier tonight (and as gparted shows it to me):

sda1 - fat 16 - Dell Utility - 47 GB
sda2 - ntfs - Vista - 78 GB
sda4 - linux-swap - 6 GB
sda3 - extended - 214 GB
sda5 - ext4 - /home - 199 GB
sda6 - ext4 - / (boot) - 16 GB

Before working on it earlier tonight, root was right after swap, which was still in extended (I think). I made these other changes too: removed about 30 unused GB from Vista, moved swap next to vista, then added the new free space to /home (which is where I stupidly wiped my OS, which had been right after swap). To make space for the new root, I removed 16 GB from the end of /home, leaving things as they are now.

The Kubuntu install from CD (it was ver. 11.04) went fine. Except...and this may be the problem...I was never asked if I wanted to dual boot. I thought that odd, but I couldn't recall the exact sequence I'd encountered when originally setting up the dual boot some time ago, so I just let it pass. I didn't seem to have any other option.

But now when I attempt to boot, and am expecting to see grup and go from there, I get this:

error: incompatible license
grup rescue>
Needless to say, I'm in just enough over my head that I don't know what to do. I hope I don't have to reload Vista, and I certainly don't want to lose /home (which is all backed up, except for recent email, and programs installed in my user account).

Any ideas what I should do to get this fixed?

[oshunluvr]

That error comes from grub modules not matching what's in the MBR I think.

Try re-installing grub from the same installer you have installed from or try "grub-install --recheck"

[tomcloyd]

That error comes from grub modules not matching what's in the MBR I think.

Try re-installing grub from the same installer you have installed from or try "grub-install --recheck"

Re-installing - how? I just installed KB 11.04 from an old ISO CD. Normally, grub just magically get installed. I'll research this question, but right now I have no idea how to "re-install grup".

The "grus-rescue>" prompt looks promising, but it doesn't recognize the "grub-install --recheck" command you suggest. I need to research this prompt as well. Have no idea what I can do with it.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[oshunluvr]

Re-install grub:

Reboot to the LiveCD.
Open a terminal.
Type: sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt
Type: sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda
Type: sudo reboot

This should re-install grub to /dev/sda from /dev/sda5/boot.

[tomcloyd]

I'm confused. Why the focus on sda5? that's \home. sda6 is \boot - shouldn't that be the focus? (I'm really not grasping a few things here, I know... just don't want to make the problem worse), Thanks for your help.

[james147]

I'm confused. Why the focus on sda5? that's \home. sda6 is \boot - shouldn't that be the focus? (I'm really not grasping a few things here, I know... just don't want to make the problem worse), Thanks for your help.

Yes, you should mount /dev/sda6 instead of 5 if that's the one with /boot in it.

[oshunluvr]

Oh geez - I should proof-read better!

[tomcloyd]

Well, THAT sure worked. I've just booted into my 11.04 installation. Preparing to do the upgrade to precise.

Very simple fix - but I sure couldn't have done it so quickly - if at all - alone. Thanks to you both - very much!!!

FWIT: While waiting for responses to this thread, I learned about, then tried, the boot-repair utility. Useless. I ran it twice, and it just ran without going anywhere that I could detect - the first time for some 15 minutes. Don't know what the issue is there, but while it looked good it sure wasn't.

Thanks again for the help.