# GRUB will not load.  Toshiba Satellite M30 - Centrino M

## frozenJim

Fresh install from 2005.1-r1 Universal CD on a Toshiba Satellite M30.  Dual-Booting with XP.

I have installed Gentoo many times but still, a new problem is a big problem  :Smile: 

After completing the final installation of GRUB, I rebooted.  Grub doesn't actually load, I just see the word GRUB in the top corner of my screen.

I have read (literally) hundreds of posts on GRUB problems and spent 12 hours rebooting and chrooting.  I have tried at least a couple of dozen fixes that I found.  But still, no matter what I do, I get the word GRUB in the top left corner of my screen.

Most recently, I have deleted my /dev/hda1 (reiserfs) partition, recreated it using ext2, marked it as active, created the filesystem using mke2fs /dev/hda1, chrooted into my system, re-emerged GRUB, and rebuilt my grub.conf.  Rebooting gets me the same result: the word GRUB in the top corner of the screen.

I have tried using the grub-install --force-lba.  I have tried using grub-install --recheck.

I have removed grub.conf entirely - just to get an error from grub.  But guess what?  I just get the word GRUB in the top left corner of my screen.

At this point, I would be happy with AN ERROR even!  But nope, I have never seen any errors, just the word GRUB in the top left corner of my screen - no matter what I do.

Please help.  My boss (my wife) is getting angry that I'm "playing" when I should be working.

My fdisk /dev/hda:

```

/dev/hda1   *   83   Linux

/dev/hda2      7   HPFS/NTFS

/dev/hda3      82   Linux wap / Solaris

/dev/hda4      5   Extended

/dev/hda5      83   Linux

/dev/hda6      83   Linux

/dev/hda7      83   Linux

/dev/hda8      83   Linux

/dev/hda9      83   Linux
```

My fstab:

```

/dev/hda1     /boot             ext2      noauto, noatime   1 2

/dev/hda2     /windows   ntfs      defaults ,user    0 0

/dev/hda3     none      swap      sw      0 0

#/dev/hda4  Extended Partition

/dev/hda5    /usr      reiserfs   noatime, notail   0 1

/dev/hda6    /opt      reiserfs   noatime, notail   0 1

/dev/hda7    /var      reiserfs   noatime, notail   0 1

/dev/hda8    /home      reiserfs   noatime, notail   0 1

proc      /proc         proc      defaults      0 0

shm      /dev/shm      tmpfs   nodev,nosuid,noexec 0 0
```

grub.conf (I have removed the Windows part for now... I just need to boot):

```
default 0

timeout 10

splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Gentoo

root (hd0,0)

kernel /bzImage root=/dev/hdb9 vga=791
```

----------

## jpl888

I used to have a similar kind of problem with LILO on older versions of Linux.

Basically if you did a standard partition copy using Norton Ghost, the new copy wouldn't boot. You would just get a "LI" or "LILO" prompt at best and that was all.

If you then did a phorensic copy it would work perfectly, so to give you a vague idea it must be a MBR or partition problem.

You are dual booting, so what filesystems have you where?

----------

## jomen

Would you care to read the 101-st hint?

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/grub-error-guide.xml#doc_chap11

And also - maybe I just dont get it right - but your /etc/fstab looks as if it is missing /

(/bin /etc /lib /sbin /tmp)

-edit-

in your grub.conf it reads: kernel /bzImage root=/dev/hdb9 vga=791

is'nt  /dev/hdb9 really supposed to be /dev/hda9 ?  - you just posted fdisk from /dev/hda

neighter one does show up in fstab...

----------

## frozenJim

Yeah, sorry.  I had to type the values into the message while looking at my other computer (after 12 hours of typing and retyping these values over and over).  They are typos.  By the end of the day I couldn't even type my own name correctly.  :Embarassed: 

But listen, even if I delete grub.conf - or fill the file with garbage - it makes no difference.  The process never makes it that far.  fstab is never read and the kernel is never looked at.  I should be getting an error message for all of the things that we have mentioned here, but only if GRUB were loaded.  

It appears that GRUB isn't even loading.

I turn on the computer and less than an second after the bios loads I get the word GRUB in the top left corner of the screen.

I deleted the /dev/hda1 partition entirely and rebooted.  I STILL get the word GRUB in the top left corner of the screen immediately after the bios loads.

Perhaps I am missing something about how the MBR works - because once I delete the partition entirely how does the word GRUB even exist?  WHERE is the word GRUB coming from if the partition is deleted?

Say, where IS the MBR?  Maybe it isn't on (hd0,0) precisely... is there some "magic" area that I can rebuild?  (Still, having run grub-install many times with no error message must mean that GRUB can find the MBR?)

----------

## jomen

(hd0,0) is /dev/hda1 - the MBR is on the "beginning" of the whole disk - it gets loaded (if this disc is set in BIOS to boot from) as the very first thing...this is where grub is installed and that is why you still see it even after you delete _all_ your partitions.

If you want to overwrite the MBR of /dev/hda - use this:

but this is not necessary - when you install grub - it writes to the same location

```
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
```

note the "/dev/hda" - the whole disk - not one specific pertition on that disk

and make sure you install grub to /dev/hda (MBR) - not /dev/hda1 or something like this

This is also described in the Grub-Error-Guide I referenced - next chapter.

 *Quote:*   

> (Still, having run grub-install many times with no error message must mean that GRUB can find the MBR?)

 

grub _is_ there - it gets written there when you install grub to /dev/hda, unless you want it to install in the MBR of one specific partition - say /dev/hda2 - then you would need another bootloader in /dev/hda which would let you access the grub installed on MBR of /dev/hda2

-edit-

I just found this document:

http://linuxgazette.net/issue63/okopnik.html

where they have put this warning regarding "dd to your MBR" in:

 *Quote:*   

> Note: The following advice will completely wipe your Master Boot Record,
> 
>     which contains all your partition information. DO NOT DO THIS unless you
> 
>     know that this is exactly the result you want - it will leave your HD in
> ...

 

This is not completely true, because it leaves all your partitions and data as they are - you just have no easy way to access them again - but there is no need to overwrite your MBR!Last edited by jomen on Fri Feb 03, 2006 2:55 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## frozenJim

Well, I deleted the MBR using jomen's idea:

```
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
```

Then I rebooted and the GRUB text in the top left corner of the screen is gone!  The laptop waited a few seconds and then decided to boot from the LiveCD.  So THAT is good.

Then I ran fdisk and got a pretty big surprise:  I didn't realize that it would also destroy my entire partitioning schema (although in retrospect, where ELSE would the partition info go?).

Not what I had in mind AT ALL.  

So I'll rebuild the laptop - which will take at least two days - and see if I get the same problem.  

grrrrrrr.....  :Evil or Very Mad: 

----------

## jomen

...too bad - my edit came too late obviously - and I said it was not necessary...

Have you written down your partitioning data - they are _NOT_ gone - just the info about their locations on HD are gone with the wipeout of the MBR

If you just recreate the partitions with fdisk as and where they were - all will be as it was before - all your data is still there!

There are tools to do this job too - parted/qtparted is one of them - you would need a LiveCD like knoppix with this program on it

----------

## frozenJim

I'm kind of glad that I wiped the partition table.  It occured to me that I could recover it but I decided to start fresh anyhow.  I don't know what "magic" the Toshiba installation CD worked when it installed XP.  And I don't actually WANT XP on my machine anyhow.

So, it's a fresh start!  (currently I have chrooted and am finalizing the setup, I shall reboot - while crossing my fingers - and see if it boots.)   :Shocked: 

----------

## jomen

OK. - and good luck then! ( luck does not have anything to do with it though  :Wink:  )

About the "magic" of your install-CD - if in fdisk you see no partitions not created by you - there are none - WYSIWYG

But if you don't need windows anyway - you get to use some more space.

----------

## frozenJim

OK, reinstalled EVERYTHING after deleting my MBR and partitions. 

I did NOT install Windows.  Only Gentoo.

Rebooted....

It just says GRUB in the top left corner!!!!!!

I can't even think of anything else to try.  I have never found a PC that I couldn't get Gentoo running on... but I've never had one that GRUB wouldn't load on either.  ' :Sad: '

----------

[edit]

I read somewhere that perhaps the Toshiba Satellite M30 (some of them) cannot boot from the beginning of the drive because of a failure to load grub stage-two(?).  Well I don't know what THAT means, but here's what I tried:

Booted LiveCD

Created /dev/hda9 (ext2,bootable)

Removed bootable flag from /dev/hda1

mounted /dev/hda1 on /old_boot

mounted /dev/hda9 on /new_boot

cp -R /old_boot/* /new_boot

mounted /dev/hda3 /mnt/gentoo

nano /mnt/gentoo/etc/fstab  (updated to show /dev/hda9 for /boot)

nano /new_boot/grub/grub.conf (updated to show (hd0, :Cool:  for both root and splashimage) <--smiley is an 8

removed all three mounted drives and rebooted.

No change.  Big "GRUB" in the top left corner of my screen.

----------

## jomen

I'm confused:

 *Quote:*   

> Created /dev/hda9 (ext2,bootable) 

 

then you copied the contents from hda1 (old boot) to hda2 (new boot)

then mounted hda3 (your / (?))

but you did not mount /dev/hda9 nor any other to /boot 

(which would then be available under /mnt/gentoo/boot)

From what I understand - /dev/hda9 is supposed to be your /boot partition?

maybe you should post your current partition-layout and which partition is supposed to be mounted where...

```
fdisk -l

cat /etc/fstab

ls -al /boot

ls -al /boot/grub

cat /boot/grub/grub.conf
```

A quicker way would be, if you had a LiveCD like knoppix - which has grub installed and which you could use boot your kernel using this grubs command-line - do you have one such thing?

----------

## frozenJim

Sorry, another typo.

In short, all I did was delete /dev/hda1 and replace it with the new /dev/hda9.

I do have a bootable Knoppix DVD.  Are you suggesting that I use this rather than chrooting from my LiveCD?

How do I boot my kernel from the grub command line?

----------

## jomen

 *Quote:*   

> Are you suggesting that I use this rather than chrooting from my LiveCD?

 

I was suggesting to put in this CD - wait till the splash screen comes up - then hit "c" (for command-line) before it boots up.

now you can type in the commands to grub:

root (hd0,TAB  --> that means hit TAB instead of filling it in yourself - grub then presents you with a list of partitions it is seeing

root in this context meaning - where grub is - that would be your /boot partition (/dev/hda9)

kernel (hd0,TAB --> same thing - this way you can actually search for your kernel

you still have to fill in the correct values - but this way you can check if they are really correct

boot

or you could just tell grub to use _your_ grub.conf this way

it would still help - to get the picture - to see the output of those commands I asked for  :Smile: 

----------

## frozenJim

Sure.

Since my Gentoo LiveCD was already booted, I just typed "grub" at the prompt.

then

```
 

root (hd0,8)

kernel (hd0,8)/bzImage

```

Then I rebooted.  Same big GRUB.

But perhaps there are more steps?  I'd love to try it out.  But past experience tells me that when grub fails you get an ERROR message.  I don't think grub is even loading.

I put in a bug with savanah.gnu.org.  I don't see anything similar there.

----------

## jomen

...but you literally wiped your disk - then you reinstalled - the "GRUB" you are seeing is from this new installation

why would you have to delete hda1 and replace it...after this

and - no - it is not possible to do this - apply the suggestions I gave to your already running system.

This has to be done from "outside" (Knoppix...) - since you believe that your grub is not working.

The point is to use the TAB to see what grub is seeing when trying to boot your machine and avoid any errors you might have in the config-file

I really don't have any picture of what is going on - and that is why I (for instance) cant explain what to give at the prompt.

I'm poking around here - the things I asked for would enable me to be specific.

and while you are at it - the output of "mount" would help too

----------

## chunderbunny

Just for information, when you get the grub command prompt it means that grub has loaded, but it can't find a config file. You can normally boot by issuing 

```
root (hd0,0)

kernel /name-of-your-kernel

boot
```

The two most common causes of this are:

1. A missing /boot/boot symlink. Basically you should have /boot/boot point to /boot

2. Not having /dev/hda1 mounted on /boot when you install and configure grub.

----------

## jomen

There is very probably no bug at all.

chunderbunny has a good point here - and I was just trying to make sure the same thing by asking for the output of some commands (was not sure whether your /boot actually ended up being at /dev/hda1)

Cheers

----------

## frozenJim

 *chunderbunny wrote:*   

> Just for information, when you get the grub command prompt it means that grub has loaded, but it can't find a config file. You can normally boot by issuing

 

If we're still talking about the grub prompt then we are totally missing the point.

THERE IS NO GRUB PROMPT.  I don't get that far.  I see the word GRUB in capital letters in the top left corner of the screen.  Here it freezes.  If I press any key 15 times... the keyboard buffer fills and I just hear beeps.

Again, I am NOT AT THE GRUB PROMPT.  I use grub regularly and am comfortable using the manual options if grub doesn't work due to incorrect configruation.  But none of that is relevant now because grub will not load.. I don't mean that grub won't load my kernel... no, I mean that grub, itself, is not running.  It freezes before doing anything.

Lots of times I have incorrectly set my fstab or the pointer to my kernel, this is easily remedied from the grub prompt at boot time - IF GRUB IS RUNNING.  But this is not the case.  Grub is not running... it is broken.

No grub.  No command line.

Here are my wits -->   <--here is the end of my wits.  AUGH!!!

I have heard that getting grub to load on some Toshiba Satellite M30's is difficult, I'm looking for the answer to that problem.  What must I do to make grub run on an M30?

----------

## jomen

No grub. No command line. But the word GRUB.

I (and I believe chunderbunny also) got that!

That is why I was asking about "mount" and all the others... 

and he was pointing out the two most common causes of this happening - this may sound as if he missed the point, but that does not matter as the possible solutions appear worthy to be checked.

One last suggestion - you really should use the Knoppix-CD because with it it might easily be possible to even use the internet whithout much effort - as well as to have a nice graphical environment to cut+paste in, have multiple terminals open - all in all more convenient to do some troubleshooting - it will work just as well and the same way as your Gentoo LiveCD

----------

## frozenJim

Yeah, good idea.

I'm doing a third fresh install, just in case I made the same mystery mistake twice.  Once I'm installed, I'll boot with my Knoppix DVD and do some more precise copying and pasting.

But does anything really matter besided /dev/hda1 being the /boot drive?  All the rest doesn't come into play until AFTER grub is loaded.  So if I installed grub succesfully onto /dev/hda1 and this drive is the only drive marked with a * in fstab, then grub should load.  Period.  I would welcome an error.

Even if I forget to put my kernel on the boot drive - or if my grub.conf or fstab were incorrect - i would get the grub prompt and an error message from grub IF grub were loaded.  Wouldn't you think?

After emerging grub, I have tried grub-install (no errors) as well as manually installation using grub (no errors).  Neither method makes any difference.  Nothing I have done has ever lead me to more than the big GRUB (which is not the grub prompt) which is why I believe that the problem is in the way a Satellite M30 handles it's boot loading - or something equally frustrating.

Troubleshooting anything past /dev/hda1 seems kind of like checking the air pressure in your tires when the car won't start.

But I won't bet my life on any of that.   :Smile: 

----------

## jomen

 *Quote:*   

> Troubleshooting anything past /dev/hda1 seems kind of like checking the air pressure in your tires when the car won't start. 

 

Yes - you are right!

...some of the things I have thought about concidering this...(no offense - but I think something might have slipped your attention right here)

you (want to) have quite a few partitions set up there - not really difficult but you need to take care that:

/ is mounted first

then create the directories which will be the mount-points for all the other partitions

mount each partition to the corresponding directory

only after verifying ("mount") that all partitions are mounted with the correct options to the place you want them to be at - install the base system

then - before installing grub - adjust  /etc/mtab in the chroot like described...

verify with "mount" that every partition is mounted where it should be

then install grub

then check if the files are where you wanted them to be

then edit the config-file to match your setup

the purpouse of the commands I asked for where just for checking exactly this...

...strictly speaking - grub gets installed in the MBR of /dev/hda

/dev/hda1 - or another partition you choose - should be mounted under /boot - and this partition should contain the files that grub needs as well as your kernel

If you are willing to do this a third time - I will be here to do whatever I can - or just watch and be (hopefully not...) amazed as you where about it not working as expected   :Wink: 

----------

## frozenJim

Here is a peek at my (unfinished) HOWTO for installing onto an M30 (a specific M30 with Centrino M and NVidia).  While it is unfinished, it is the guide that I am following as I install.  As I find errors in my installation, I update my guide until the final version is ready for gentoo-wiki and forums.gentoo.org.

When I can do an install 100% from this guide, I will publish it.  For now though, it will give you an exact look at what I am doing.  If there is an error, it is right here.

Can YOU see why grub won't load?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Installing Gentoo Linux (Universal) on a Toshiba Satellite M30 (Model# PSM33C-YSJ00E)

1. Introduction

The Toshiba Satellite M30 uses some special components.  Most importantly, it uses the 82801DB Pro/100 VE (MOB) Ethernet Controller.  There is no driver available for this network adapter on the liveCD so using the Universal CD is the easiest solution.

This document is based on my installation which is, in turn, based on the very detailed GENTOO HANDBOOK  {TODO: link to handbook}.

{TODO: lspci output}

{TODO; lsmod output}

2. Boot from LiveCD

I'm not going to explain how to find and burn a LiveCD.  You already know how.  But remember, if you want more in-depth information, just look up the GENTOO HANDBOOK {TODO: link to handbook}.

3. Preparing the disks

3.1. Create Partitions

* fdisk /dev/hda

= /dev/hda1	/boot	+32M		83-Linux (primary,bootable)

= /dev/hda2	swap	+500M		82-Linux Swap / Solaris (primary)

= /dev/hda3	/	+7000M	83-Linux (primary)

= /dev/hda4	<extended partition>

= /dev/hda5	/opt	+7000M	83-Linux

= /dev/hda6	/usr	+10000M	83-Linux

= /dev/hda7	/var	+3000M	83-Linux

= /dev/hda8	/home	+20000M	83-Linux

3.2. Creat Filesystems

* mke2fs /dev/hda1	/boot

* mkswap /dev/hda2	<swap>

* swapon /dev/hda2	<swap>

* mkreiserfs /dev/hda3	/

* 				<extended partition>

* mkreiserfs /dev/hda5	/opt

* mkreiserfs /dev/hda6	/usr

* mkreiserfs /dev/hda7	/var

* mkreiserfs /dev/hda8	/home

3.3. Mount Drives

* mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/gentoo

* mkdir /mnt/gentoo/boot

* mkdir /mnt/gentoo/opt

* mkdir /mnt/gentoo/usr

* mkdir /mnt/gentoo/var

* mkdir /mnt/gentoo/home

* mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/gentoo/boot

* mount /dev/hda5 /mnt/gentoo/opt

* mount /dev/hda6 /mnt/gentoo/usr

* mount /dev/hda7 /mnt/gentoo/var

* mount /dev/hda8 /mnt/gentoo/home

Just to be sure, have a peek in your mtab file and make sure you didn't make any spelling mistakes.

* cat /etc/mtab

4. Installing the Gentoo Installation Files

4.1. Stage3 Tarball

4.1.1. Check Date

Use the date command to check the date.  If it's wrong, set it right.

* date

4.1.2. Extract Stage3 Tarball

The stage3 tarball is located in /mnt/cdrom/stages.  For us, there is only one to choose from.  Later versions may have slightly different names, but there should still probably be only one.

* cd /mnt/gentoo

* tar xvjpf /mnt/cdrom/stages/stage3-x86-2005.1-r1.tar.bz2

4.1.3. Extract Portage

Snapshots are in /mnt/cdrom/snapshots.  Again, on the 2005.1-r1 Universal CD there is only one snapshot.  In any case, have a peek and make sure that you are using the latest snapshot.

* tar xvjf /mnt/cdrom/snapshots/portage-20050709.tar.bz2 -C /mnt/gentoo/usr

4.1.4. Copy Source Code Archives

Now copy all source code from the Universal Installation CD

* mkdir /mnt/gentoo/usr/portage/distfiles

* cp /mnt/cdrom/distfiles/* /mnt/gentoo/usr/portage/distfiles

4.2. Configure Compile Options

You can do what you like, but these flags work.

* nano -w /mnt/gentoo/etc/make.conf

= CFLAGS="-O2 -march=pentium4 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer"

= CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu"

5. Chroot

* mount -t proc none /mnt/gentoo/proc

* mount -o bind /dev /mnt/gentoo/dev

* chroot /mnt/gentoo /bin/bash

* env-update

* source /etc/profile

6. Configuration

6.1. Update Portage Cache

* 	emerge --metadata

6.2. Configuring the USE variable

Because our Satellite isn't fully functional yet, and because I don't know if you want to use KDE or Gnome etc.  We won't go into a fancy USE setting.  In fact, the USE= should be used sparingly - just for the things that are universal to ALL compiles.

If you want to specify USE flags, do it in /etc/portage/package.use on a package by package basis.

Having said that, there are a few "universal" variables that we can set. 

* nano -w /etc/make.conf

= USE="alsa dbus hal ivman kde kdeenablefinal mmx"

I use KDE, so I also include "kde" and "kdeenablefinal".  You may omit these two if you will not be using KDE.

6.3. Timezone

Find your timezone in /usr/share/zoneinfo and copy it into your /etc directory:

* cp /usr/share/zoneinfo/Canada/Eastern /etc/localtime

6.4. Emerge Sources

Emerge the gentoo-sources and then check to make sure that your "/usr/src/linux" symlink was created:

* USE="-doc symlink" emerge gentoo-sources

* ls -l /usr/src/linux

6.5. Configure Kernel

Here are the settings to pay attention to.  I'm not telling you to REMOVE any of the default settings - just make sure that these are turned on.

You will notice that I haven't done a complete kernel config: things like the soundcard and such will come later.  For now, we just want a bootable kernel - in particular we need the network driver installed.

{TODO: emerge pciutils}

* cd /usr/src/linux

* make menuconfig

Processor type and features --->

Subarchitecture Type (PC-compatible)  --->

Pentium-4/Celeron(P4-based)/Pentium-4 M/Xeon)

<*> Toshiba Laptop support

note: no laptopsupport

Bus options (PCI, PCMCIA, EISA, MCA, ISA)  --->

PCCARD (PCMCIA/CardBus) support  --->

<*> PCCard (PCMCIA/CardBus) support

<M>   16-bit PCMCIA support

[*]   32-bit CardBus support

--- PC-card bridges {TODO: which bridge? use lspci}

<M> CardBus yenta-compatible bridge support (NEW)

<*> Cirrus PD6729 compatible bridge support (NEW)

<*> i82092 compatible bridge support (NEW)

<*> i82365 compatible bridge support (NEW)

<*> Databook TCIC host bridge support (NEW)

		note: no pcmcia support

Device Drivers

Networking support --->

Ethernet (10 or 100Mbit)

[*] Eisa, VLB, PCI and on board controllers

<*> EtherExpressPro/100 support (eepro100, original Becker driver)

<*> PPP (Point-to-point protocol) support

<*> PPP support for async serial ports

<*> PPP support for sync tty ports

ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support --->

[*] Generic PCI bus-master DMA support

[*]   Use PCI DMA by default when available

File systems --->

<*> Ext2 extended attributes

<*> Reiserfs support (you may need other file systems ie. if you used ext2)

DOS/FAT/NT Filesystems --->

<*> MSDOS fs support

<*> VFAT (Windows-95) fs support

<*> NTFS file system support

Pseudo filesystems

[*] /proc file system support

[*] Virtual memory file system support (former shm fs)

Network File Systems --->

<*> SMB file system support (to mount Windows shares etc.)

<*> CIFS support (advanced network filesystem for Samba, Windows ...)

Save your changes and then compile your kernel.

* make && make modules_install

* cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/bzImage

6.6. Setup fstab

* nano -w /etc/fstab

/dev/hda1	/boot	ext2	noauto,noatime	1 2

/dev/hda2	none	swap	sw		0 0

/dev/hda3	/	reiserfs	noatime,notail	0 1

#dev/hda4	<extended partition>

/dev/hda5	/opt	reiserfs	noatime,notail	0 0

/dev/hda5	/usr	reiserfs	noatime,notail	0 0

/dev/hda5	/var	reiserfs	noatime,notail	0 0

/dev/hda5	/home	reiserfs	noatime,notail	0 0

6.7. Network Information

A notebook is usually meant to be portable so DHCP is the only way to go.  So I won't worry about setting up anything but the default DHCP.

* #nano -w /etc/conf.d/hostname

= HOSTNAME="spore"

* nano -w /etc/conf.d/domainname

= DNSDOMAIN="flower"

* rc-update add domainname default

* rc-update add net.eth0 default

7. System Information

7.0.1. Root Password

* passwd

8. Install System Tools

8.1. Optional Tools

You don't have to install any of these tools.  I want to so I'll walk through the steps to install a system logger (syslog-ng), a cron daemon (vixie-cron) and a file indexer (slocate):

* emerge syslog-ng

* rc-update add syslog-ng default

* emerge vixie-cron

* rc-update add vixie-cron default

* emerge slocate

8.2. File System Tools

We need to install the right file-system tools to go with our chosen file system.  In this setup I have chosen to use reiserfs exclusively.  You should make sure to emerge the right tools for whatever file system(s) you are using (xfsprogs for XFS, reiserfsprogs for ReiserFS, jfsutils for JFS)

	# emerge reiserfsprogs

Step 9.e. - Networking Tools

Install a DHCP Client

You do not NEED a DHCP Client if you are not using DHCP.  But know what?  It's a laptop - one day you'll need DHCP.  In fact I strongly recommend that you use ONLY DHCP on your laptop for just this reason.

	# emerge dhcpcd

OPtional: Installing a PPoE Client

I don't know much about this - I always run through a router so ppoe has never been an issue.  But If you need ppoe then emerge it:

	# USE="-X" emerge rp-pppoe

note: later, when X has been installed, you should re-emerge rp-pppoe in order to get the graphical user interface.

Step 10. Configuring the Bootloader

We're going to use GRUB.  And we are NOT going to use framebuffer because it messes up our (soon to be installed) NVIDIA drivers.

	# emerge grub

	# nano -w /boot/grub/grub.conf

Here is what goes into your grub.conf.  It gives you 10 seconds to decide which O/S to boot and after that it defaults to Gentoo:

default 0

timeout 10

splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Gentoo Linux

root (hd0,0)

kernel /boot/bzImage root=/dev/hda3

Setting up GRUB using grub-install

This is standard stuff so I'll just paste from the Gentoo Handbook:

-------------------

To install GRUB you will need to issue the grub-install command. However, grub-install won't work off-the-shelf since we are inside a chrooted environment. We need to create /etc/mtab which lists all mounted filesystems. Fortunately, there is an easy way to accomplish this - just copy over /proc/mounts to /etc/mtab, excluding the rootfs line if you haven't created a separate boot partition. The following command will work in both cases: 

Code Listing 5: Creating /etc/mtab

  # grep -v rootfs /proc/mounts > /etc/mtab

   Now we can install GRUB using grub-install: 

Code Listing 6: Running grub-install

  # grub-install /dev/hda

------------------------

Step 10.d. - Rebooting the System

We have to exit the chrooted environment now and do all of the regular cleanup.  Then we can cross our fingers and reboot.

	# exit

	# cd /

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/boot	

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/opt

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/var

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/usr

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/home

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/proc

	# umount /mnt/gentoo/dev

	# umount /mnt/gentoo

	# reboot

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