Booting ReactOS with grub

[reub2000]

I'm trying to do this:
http://www.reactos.org/wiki/index.php/H ... _from_GRUB

I set up an svn build of reactos on /dev/hda1, and then setup grub with this config:

Code: Select all

default 0
timeout 30

title Gentoo
        root (hd0,4)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz

title ReactOS
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /freeldr.sys

However when booting it with grub I get the following error:

Code: Select all

Inode is not a directory
Press any key

Am I doing something wrong with my grub configuration?

[Nmn]

For some reason, that error makes me think of a filesystem error, or possibly a miss configuration of your grub boot file. GRUB should be able to boot FAT32, as far as i know.

Mount it on linux and see if it reads it, whats in it, etc. Also make sure your giving GRUB the right harddrive. As far as i know, harddrives are assigned based on bios order in GRUB and Linux, so it should be the same one in linux.

And wait, How do you know its setup on hda1? You litterally have to burn an install cd, install it, and when it asks to install a boot loader, install it, insuring your not on an active partition. But, it never says the linux names for the partition, you need to know the size of your harddrive, and you can check it out in linux. I know the sizes of my harddrive, so i know where to install reactos.

The page shows a very interesting side of free loader, as it seems that freeldr.sys can act like executable kernel to grub. I ought to take a bit of a look at that later on and see how it works.

[reub2000]

I know it's installed on hda1 because I selected the first partition on my first hard drive in the installer. ls shows the reactos files where I mounted /dev/hda1.

[steveh]

If you define "kernel /freeldr.sys",

you should check if "freeldr.sys" is there in the root directory of the reactos partition.
If it is missing you can either copy it there, or indicate another path (subdirectory) in the grub menu.lst.

Suppose that while installing reactos you do not tell the installer to create a bootsector on hdd or fdd, then i'm not sure if reactos installer copies the "freeldr.sys" in that place?

[Nmn]

Of course it never places it there - its stuck in reactos.cab unless you install it.

So dig it up if u cant find it. Achivers in linux may not be able to open it so:

http://www.usa-host.us/download.php?id=BC72F630

goto bottom of page, type 3 number code, submit, scroll down, click download file and you have freeldr.sys and a template freeldr.ini. change it around for your pc! Also, dont forget to copy it to the root of your reactos drive.

Bios configurations can help reveal the configuration of your pc.

[reub2000]

I tell it to install the bootloader so it does install the 2 files on the root of the partition, so the files exist.

[Nmn]

Try running a harddisk check and such. I know there are utilities to do it in linux, but i cant recall them in my mind. So yeah, try that. In emergency, try to setup freeloader to boot linux. It seems to support it; i used to boot windows bootloader and SuSe linux through freeloader. So instead of disregarding freeloader, you can take advantage of the high stabilty and file systems it supports.

I lost that config, so i cant tell you how i did it. I would be grateful to know how to boot windows in freeloader again though.

[reub2000]

How would I get freeldr on my mbr? Telling the installer to put it on the mbr will not do it.

[.t.]

I have my ReactOS partition (/dev/sda1 in Linux), with ReactOS SVN installed. I have got freeldr.sys and freeldr.ini in /freeldr, and have GRUB load them with

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title ReactOS
root (hd0,0)
kernel /freeldr.sys
boot

However, on booting I get "Unable to locate boot partition". The partition is set as active in fdisk, and I also get the error when I have freeldr* in / so it isn't down to placement of files, or the partition not being active. So, what is causing this, and how can I fix it?

[reub2000]

This might help you.

[.t.]

Which part? I know how to use GRUB - it's freeldr that doesn't work; Linux works perfectly, as does memtest86+.

EDIT: Don't know what I did, but I fixed it. I think it's cos I applied the freeldr bootsector to the partition.