[syslinux] Boot Error GPT partition

[KESHAV P.R.]

On Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 17:23, Miller, Shao <shao.miller at yrdsb.edu.on.ca> wrote:
> Good day Keshav,
>
> If you install gptmbr.bin on the MBR and re-install Syslinux to
> whichever GPT partition is marked as bootable and if you reboot and make
> sure the CAPS LOCK LED is on before the BIOS tries to boot the HDD (or
> if you hold shift down for the whole boot), do you get the Syslinux
> "boot:" prompt?  Somewhat similarly, if you modify your Syslinux
> config-file, are you changes reflected in the booting behaviour?

I am thinking whatever bootsector is installed in /dev/sda8, it does
not find /boot/extlinux . By chainloading I meant chainloading
/dev/sda8 from grub2 to check whether the problem is in the mbr (which
is not). I am curious why should CAPS LOCK be ON, preciously when
syslinux was booting nothing like that was needed. I will try the
shift key though.

>
> What I'm wondering is if you are getting as far as loading Syslinux or
> not.  If you are chaining to a partition and that partition's boot
> sector is the producer of the "Boot error" message, then perhaps that
> partition needs some boot code installed to it (such as Syslinux).
>

Indeed it seems that the partition's bootsector produces the error.

> You might be able to determine which partition is being invoked:
>
>  dd if=/dev/sda8 of=bootsect.bin count=1
>  strings bootsect.bin | grep "Boot error"
>
> (Repeat for each other suspect partition.)
>

[keshav_pr at keshav-laptop ~]$ sudo dd if=/dev/sda8 of=bootsect.bin count=1
Password:
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
512 bytes (512 B) copied, 5.8319e-05 s, 8.8 MB/s
[keshav_pr at keshav-laptop ~]$ sudo strings bootsect.bin | grep "Boot error"
Boot error

> I'd suggest using the debug-build of chain.c32 to dump what it thinks
> the partition table is, but I'm not sure you are actually loading
> Syslinux.
>
> Also, this might seem a silly question, but: Do you have a USB storage
> device plugged into the computer somewhere, perhaps BIOS might be
> booting it, or confusing matters?

No USB disk was plugged into when the error occured although I do use
an external USB HDD sometimes (again GPT - usually /dev/sdb).

>
> If you can track down the partition that "says" "Boot error", that might
> be a start towards understanding.
>

It is /dev/sda8 , /boot in Archlinux

> - Shao Miller
>
> _______________________________________________
> Syslinux mailing list
> Submissions to Syslinux at zytor.com
> Unsubscribe or set options at:
> http://www.zytor.com/mailman/listinfo/syslinux
> Please do not send private replies to mailing list traffic.
>
>

Do you have any idea what led to this?

- Keshav