[TriLUG] Updates installed, system won't boot now

[matt at noway2.thruhere.net]

Brian,

It has been quite a long time since I have messed with the grub
configuration, but one thing from your message jumped out at me:

"set root=(hd0,6) *I have the root partition at /dev/sda6
> set prefix=(hd0,1)/boot/grub *I have a boot partition at /dev/sda1"

I am at work and unable to easilly confirm, but if I recall correctly,
grup partitions are 0 indexed.  In other words, your root partition would
be (hd0,5) and boot would be (hd0,0).

If you haven't yet, consider giving that a try.

> So today I get several updates to my Ubuntu 11.04 system and I go
> ahead and install them. Afterwards I reboot and I get the dreaded
> blank screen with flashing cursor. This is a Lenovo M57 desktop. After
> some searching I find that the system isn't even getting to the grub
> menu and it just brings up the blank screen with flashing cursor. It
> won't even boot a live CD. After some puzzled looks, I decide to boot
> the system and try to get the system boot menu. I get that working and
> I'm able to boot a live CD. I try to boot to the HDD with the same
> procedures and I just get the dreaded grub> prompt.
>
> After trying all kinds of solutions from the Internet to get the
> system back up and running, all I can get is the grub> prompt. I can
> boot the live CD and mount the partitions from my system, so the files
> are there.
>
> From the grub> prompt I've tried booting the system with the following
> commands:
>
> set root=(hd0,6) *I have the root partition at /dev/sda6
> set prefix=(hd0,1)/boot/grub *I have a boot partition at /dev/sda1
> linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 ro
> I get error: file not found
> I've actually tried all the partitions and all give me error: file not
> found
> I've tried the following at grub>:
> initrd /initrd.img
> I get error: you need to load the kernel first.
>
> So basically I'm stuck here. What am I doing wrong in getting grub
> setup and booting the system again?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Brian