Re: debugging grub.cfg

[David H. Durgee]

Jordan Uggla wrote:
> On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 3:10 PM, David H. Durgee <address@hidden> wrote:
> > Per Jordan's request I have attached my grub.cfg to this post.  I ran
> > grub-script-check and received no errors, so I am a bit confused here. Let
> > me know if you need more information to help me diagnose this.
> That grub.cfg is clearly for Linux Mint 13, which uses grub 1.99 final
> (not the much older 1.97 beta4 currently installed to your MBR and
> /boot/grub/). If you actually installed grub 1.99 using grub-install
> then it would parse the grub.cfg without any syntax errors (as
> evidenced by grub-script-check reporting no errors), so that (and
> properly configuring Mint's packages to run grub-install correctly on
> future upgrades) seems like the only real solution. Why are you
> hesitant to run grub-install?
The reason has to do with the fact that this is a multiboot system that 
includes OS/2 - eCS among other operating systems.  I have found no way 
thus far to boot OS/2 - eCS installed on bootable JFS partitions from 
grub, so I must continue to use the IBM OS/2 boot manager partition for 
this purpose.  So the IBM boot manager is the active primary on the 
drive and is booted by the MBR.  The IBM boot manager then boots the 
operating system needed from its menu.

I had originally installed Linux Mint 8 Helena x64 on this system. I 
installed grub in the helena boot partition and IBM boot manager has no 
problem starting it from a menu entry I added for it.

When Helena reached end-of-support I decided I wanted to install Linux 
Mint 13 Maya x64, which is a long-term-support release. Unfortunately I 
found that between Helena and Maya changes had been made to grub to the 
point that I was unable to install grub to the Maya boot partition.  I 
did finally get grub installed there, but it has been long enough ago 
that my memory has faded and my notes are lost, but I believe I had to 
boot the Live-CD, chroot, and then back out 1.99 for 1.97 which was used 
in Helena and which did install to the Maya boot partition.

This was working fine for some period of time, but I am unsure what has 
happened since this point.  Given what you are noting I am wondering if 
I at some point allowed the update manager to upgrade grub and left 
myself with 1.97B4 in the partition boot record and 1.99 elsewhere.  If 
this is indeed the case, perhaps I can confirm this and fix it by 
falling back to 1.97B4 for everything.  Beyond that perhaps it is 
possible to fix grub so it can boot OS/2 - eCS in bootable JFS 
partitions, which would allow me to use grub in the usual manner.

In case it makes a difference to you, I have my mint partitions in JFS 
format as well, as I am more familiar with it from my OS/2 - eCS 
background, so grub does not appear to have a problem with bootable JFS 
partitions in general.

Dave