Re: finished installing 10.3 to USB; will boot once when installer triggers restart; will not boot if computer is cold booted
I think I have diagnosed the problem, but I don't know how to fix it yet.
The configuration files under /boot/grub show that root is found as
hd3,gpt2. I read Grub hd numbers start at 0, so hd3 would be the
fourth hard drive. But when Grub boots successfully this one time, the
USB drive is at /dev/sdc, the third hard drive.
I could edit the files in /boot, but the comments say don't do that.
And I haven't found a reference to hd3 in the files under /etc.
Alan
On 3/14/20, Alan Tu <8libra@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, I don't know how to fix this. I used an ISO image burned to one
> USB to install Debian to a second USB. I did this twice, with just one
> difference:
>
> 1) At the end of the install, both USB are connected to the computer.
> When the text installer prompts me, I remove the installation USB,
> then press Enter. The new Debian system boots.
> 2) At the end of the install, both USB are connected to the computer.
> When the text installer prompts me, I remove the installation USB,
> then press Enter. But this time while the BIOS is posting, I remove
> the second USB and let my computer boot into Windows. I then
> completely power off the machine. I then re-attach the second USB with
> the installation. Computer boots to Windows. The second USB doesn't
> boot.
>
> I should add I am blind and cannot see the messages that a potential
> bootloader might output.
>
> I ran this contrived test because the bootable USB drives I installed
> on only booted once. (While trying these scenarios, I'm getting quite
> familiar with all the numeric menu choices in the text installer.)
>
> When the installer boots, it is attached to /dev/sdc. (I have two
> built-in hard drives.) During the install, the target USB drive is at
> /dev/sdd. But when I'm booting the system with only the installation
> target USB attached, that probably is not /dev/sdd at that point. It
> would probably be /dev/sdc, if the kernel knows about such things at
> this point. I'm not sure if this is my problem.
>
> I have read about Grub refering to hard disks by number, like hd0. But
> I just don't know what to do.
>
> I don't want to modify my original Windows boot drive with a
> bootloader. All I want is to boot into Debian when I insert the USB.
> But I'm really stumped.
>
> Alan
>
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