bootloader repair/replace problems

[signmeuptoo]

Let me start by saying I have always had this same problem with every version of SuSE I have installed, sinc 9.1:

I had to reinstall WinXP, and now my GRUB bootloader is gone, which is to be expected, however:

When I try to repair it, using either the auto OR the custom repair options off of the install disk, I run into fstab entries problems. Right now I am trying to recover the bootloader for SuSE 10.1 x64, WinXP, & WinVista.

I get these issues:

ignore (or remove, neither works) debugfs /sys/kernal/debug no auto

and

ignore /(or remove, neither works) /dev/sda2 /data2 vfat yadda yadda (it's for my iPod)

When it does:

"Check Package Database"

It tells me that all of the hard drives cannot be mounted.

Can someone tell me how I can repair, or rebuild, or build a new bootloader WITHOUT having to do a fresh install?

Someone told me to "chroot" into into SuSE, but when I do a man chroot command, it doesn't say anything about how to use it really, so I have no idea how to do it.

PLEASE, can someone help me on this? Thanks.

[dishawjp]

The info grub pages are pretty good. The amn pages don't have much to offer. Type info grub into a terminal and then go to the "invoking grub-install" section.

FWIW, the problem is created by MSWindows which insists on overwriting the MBR when installed; it's not a Linux problem. Since I don't run MSWindows at all, and haven't since the Win98 days, I can't give you much guidance on this, but I do understand that it is possible to get the Windows bootloader (NTLDR <?>) to boot Linux and this eliminated the MBR issues with grub and lilo.

[falko]

Originally Posted by signmeuptoo

Someone told me to "chroot" into into SuSE, but when I do a man chroot command, it doesn't say anything about how to use it really, so I have no idea how to do it.

You can boot from a rescue CD like Knoppix, then mount your hard drive and then chroot to the mounted hard drive, though the chroot is not necessary. You can then try to fix fstab.