On 06/09/17 23:19 (GMT-0400) Paul Abrahams apparently typed:
I think the weird grub behavior I've encountered really is related to BIOS limitations. Following the instructions in the grub manual, I built a boot diskette and booted from it, getting a grub prompt. I then issued the following commands, with these responses:
root (hd0,7) Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS
The >128G HD size makes this sound like a geometry mismatch problem, even as new as the motherboard and BIOS are. Because it used to work, I suspect no one's going to figure out how it got broken, but I'll bet starting from scratch with a disk wipe and putting a /boot or / and Grub on the first cylinder would fix it permanently. In spite of all the recomendations you'll find elsewhere to install windoz first at the start of the drive, I've found there is no problem installing windoz anywhere you please as long as you provide it a first disk FAT primary of about 40M (yes M, not G) or more to boot (and install) from. I normally install XP on hda8 or higher (D:), after logical Linux partitions beginning at hda5. I always do all my partitioning prior to beginning any OS installation.
root (hd0,6) Filesystem type is Reiserfs, partition type is 0x83
root (hd0,7) Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type is 0x83
I then issued the root (hd0,7) command repeatedly and about half the time I got the Error 18 and about half the time I got the filesystem type.
As I mentioned earlier, my hard drive is a 200GB model and my motherboard is a Biostar P4M800-M7A, with an Award Bios v6.00PG. I'm now trying to update the BIOS, but I still don't know where to get information about the capacity of the current BIOS. I cannot find it anywhere in the BIOS configuration utility.
Is 10.0 the only Linux you ever installed on this system? Did the system come with XP already installed on the 200G HD? -- "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you." Proverbs 4:7-8 NIV Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://mrmazda.no-ip.com/partitioningindex.html