Your message dated Sat, 16 Aug 2025 15:55:37 -0400 (EDT)
with message-id <[email protected]>
and subject line Bug#1110934: Removed package(s) from unstable
has caused the Debian Bug report #261136,
regarding grub: disk geometry incorrectly recognized
to be marked as done.
This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
Bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.
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--
261136: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=261136
Debian Bug Tracking System
Contact [email protected] with problems
--- Begin Message ---
Package: grub
Version: 0.95+cvs20040624-4
Severity: normal
In this configuration lilo works perfectly,
but grub does not work correctly.
---------------------------------------------------
Hardware:
Gigabyte motherboard (Aladdin V chipset)
with onboard IDE controller
(BIOS from year 2000)
AMD K6-2 CPU
2 disks
IBM-DJNA-371800 (18 GB drive) = /dev/hda
MAXTOR 6L080L4 (80 GB drive) = /dev/hdb
DVD-ROM on /dev/hdc
Floppy 1.44 MB
---------------------------------------------------
In BIOS I set the boot order to
D,A,SCSI
and using /boot/grub/device.map
===============================
(fd0) /dev/fd0
(hd0) /dev/hdb
(hd1) /dev/hda
===============================
I put grub (0.95+cvs20040624-4)
in the MBR of /dev/hdb.
Debian partitions are /dev/hdb* and Debian
correctly boots from them.
But when grub boots and I go to command line
=====================================================================
grub> geometry (hd1)
drive 0x81: C/H/S = 1023/128/63, The number of sectors = 8257536, LBA
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 1,
Error 18: Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS
=====================================================================
Also, when chainloader is called for /dev/hda partitions,
I cannot boot OS on /dev/hda*, and Error 18 also appears
(geometry (hd0) for /dev/hdb works fine, though).
"geometry (hd1)" does not cause error when
called in grub shell.
=====================================================================
# grub --batch --device-map /boot/grub/device.map
grub> geometry (hd1)
drive 0x81: C/H/S = 4370/128/63, The number of sectors = 35239680,
/dev/hda
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 1, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
=====================================================================
This is the geometry also reported by "sfdisk".
I tried to go to BIOS, and changed Auto (for disk mode detection)
to do manual drive geometry autodetection for /dev/hda
and it offers the following values.
SIZE CYLS HEAD PRECOMP LANDZ MODE
--------------------------------------------
18039 2193 255 0 34959 LBA (default)
18043 34960 16 65535 34959 NORMAL
18043 4370 128 65535 34959 LARGE
--------------------------------------------
So it seems both "sfdisk" and "grub" shell from OS
think of disk in terms of "LARGE" and not "LBA"
configuration (although LBA is default when set to Auto,
I assume).
I experimented, a bit more, and forcefully changed in BIOS CMOS
configuration from BIOS Auto to BIOS User defined as
suggested by LARGE configuration.
Oddly enough, when grub booted in this LARGE configuration, I tried
geometry command for (hd1) on grub boot loader command line, and
Error 18 did not appear any more.
Now, disk correctly showed all partitions, but still with
incorrect number of CYLINDERS and HEADS, while total number
of sectors was close to expected.
=====================================================================
grub> geometry (hd1)
drive 0x81: C/H/S = 1023/240/63, The number of sectors = 35229600, LBA
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 1, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 4, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
=====================================================================
What is happenning?
(same problem in older grub 0.93)
Is this a BUGGY BIOS !?
The same system has worked in the same configuration perfectly,
using lilo for years (including the same type of chainloading).
I found one other report on the Web with similar error
(no resolution), where reported disk incorrectly gave
geometry
1023/64/63
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.0
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i586)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.6-1-386
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Apologies; this wasn't sent as part of the dak rm action. I'm doing
this by hand. Since this was manual, this opens the chance for me taking
action by mistake.
I got the list of bugs via UDD, and am closing via -close on BCC. I spot
checked about 10 of the bugs, and they're all src:grub. The COUNT
matches the tracker page, so I'm sending this.
If I have closed a bug that's not about bin:grub or src:grub, please do
re-open the bug.
paultag
We believe that the bug you reported is now fixed; the following
package(s) have been removed from unstable:
grub | 0.97-84 | source
grub-legacy | 0.97-84 | amd64, i386
------------------- Reason -------------------
ROM; dead upstream, replaced by grub2
----------------------------------------------
Note that the package(s) have simply been removed from the tag
database and may (or may not) still be in the pool; this is not a bug.
The package(s) will be physically removed automatically when no suite
references them (and in the case of source, when no binary references
it). Please also remember that the changes have been done on the
master archive and will not propagate to any mirrors until the next
dinstall run at the earliest.
Packages are usually not removed from testing by hand. Testing tracks
unstable and will automatically remove packages which were removed
from unstable when removing them from testing causes no dependency
problems. The release team can force a removal from testing if it is
really needed, please contact them if this should be the case.
We try to close bugs which have been reported against this package
automatically. But please check all old bugs, if they were closed
correctly or should have been re-assigned to another package.
Thank you for reporting the bug, which will now be closed. If you
have further comments please address them to [email protected].
The full log for this bug can be viewed at https://bugs.debian.org/1110934
This message was generated automatically; if you believe that there is
a problem with it please contact the archive administrators by mailing
[email protected].
Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Paul Tagliamonte (the ftpmaster behind the curtain)
--- End Message ---
