Re: Possibly erroneous "device not present" message during boot

To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Possibly erroneous "device not present" message during boot
From: Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net>
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:33:40 -0500
Message-id: <[🔎] badcf7f8-bd4d-badf-a277-d35691e87c1e@cloud85.net>
In-reply-to: <[🔎] 14042017180324.46dd1d9d8f95@desktop.copernicus.org.uk>
References: <[🔎] 5da70b28-660f-0003-0233-72f929998e4e@cloud85.net> <[🔎] roj1sd-tfo.ln1@anthive.com> <[🔎] 8de620c3-7e11-903c-83e8-9399ac154a52@cloud85.net> <[🔎] 14042017180324.46dd1d9d8f95@desktop.copernicus.org.uk>

On 04/14/2017 12:24 PM, Brian wrote:

On Wed 12 Apr 2017 at 10:14:59 -0500, Richard Owlett wrote:

On 04/12/2017 07:39 AM, songbird wrote:


- the bios may not be set correctly to find the device.


I do not see how the bios might be involved.
Grub2 has been installed to the MBR of /dev/sda .
The only known reference to Grub2 is in the instance of Debian residing on
/dev/sda1 .


Everything GRUB knows about devices comes from what the BIOS tells it.
They are more than just good friends. :)

It appears from 'ls' at a GRUB prompt that your GRUB does not know about
your SD card. Booting takes place but GRUB takes its time to think about
what it should do about not finding something it has been told to search
for. In the end, it decides to go ahead, but in some cases it wouldn't.
That would dispel your present mood of happiness.

While we are it it: your update-grub stanza does not contain a line with
set root=" in it. Could this possibly be a copy and paste error? I ask
because the line is present on Jessie and testing when the device is a
USB stick.

Just to eliminate any source of copy errors, here is the full contentsof grub.cfg created just prior to my most recent post(https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2017/04/msg00468.html). It refersto the 2 new installs I mentioned in that post.




<begin paste>
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
  set have_grubenv=true
  load_env
fi
if [ "${next_entry}" ] ; then
   set default="${next_entry}"
   set next_entry=
   save_env next_entry
   set boot_once=true
else
   set default="0"
fi

if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
  menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
  menuentry_id_option=""
fi

export menuentry_id_option

if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
  set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
  save_env saved_entry
  set prev_saved_entry=
  save_env prev_saved_entry
  set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
  if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
    saved_entry="${chosen}"
    save_env saved_entry
  fi
}
function load_video {
  if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
    insmod all_video
  else
    insmod efi_gop
    insmod efi_uga
    insmod ieee1275_fb
    insmod vbe
    insmod vga
    insmod video_bochs
    insmod video_cirrus
  fi
}

if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
   font=unicode
else
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1--hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos18fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

else

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

fi
    font="/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi

if loadfont $font ; then
  set gfxmode=auto
  load_video
  insmod gfxterm
  set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
  set lang=en_US
  insmod gettext
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ] ; then
  set timeout=-1
else
  if [ x$feature_timeout_style = xy ] ; then
    set timeout_style=menu
    set timeout=5
  # Fallback normal timeout code in case the timeout_style feature is
  # unavailable.
  else
    set timeout=5
  fi
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1--hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos18fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

else

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

fi
insmod png
if background_image /usr/share/images/desktop-base/lines-grub.png; then
  set color_normal=white/black
  set color_highlight=black/white
else
  set menu_color_normal=cyan/blue
  set menu_color_highlight=white/blue
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
function gfxmode {
	set gfxpayload="${1}"
}
set linux_gfx_mode=
export linux_gfx_mode

menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux' --class debian --class gnu-linux --classgnu --class os $menuentry_id_option'gnulinux-simple-8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077' {

	load_video
	insmod gzio
	if [ x$grub_platform = xxen ]; then insmod xzio; insmod lzopio; fi
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='hd0,msdos1'
	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1--hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos18fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

	else

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

	fi
	echo	'Loading Linux 3.16.0-4-686-pae ...'

linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-4-686-paeroot=UUID=8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077 ro quiet

	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-4-686-pae
}

submenu 'Advanced options for Debian GNU/Linux' $menuentry_id_option'gnulinux-advanced-8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077' {menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.16.0-4-686-pae' --classdebian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option'gnulinux-3.16.0-4-686-pae-advanced-8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077' {

		load_video
		insmod gzio
		if [ x$grub_platform = xxen ]; then insmod xzio; insmod lzopio; fi
		insmod part_msdos
		insmod ext2
		set root='hd0,msdos1'
		if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1--hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos18fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

		else

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

		fi
		echo	'Loading Linux 3.16.0-4-686-pae ...'

linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-4-686-paeroot=UUID=8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077 ro quiet

		echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
		initrd	/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-4-686-pae
	}

menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.16.0-4-686-pae (recoverymode)' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os$menuentry_id_option'gnulinux-3.16.0-4-686-pae-recovery-8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077' {

		load_video
		insmod gzio
		if [ x$grub_platform = xxen ]; then insmod xzio; insmod lzopio; fi
		insmod part_msdos
		insmod ext2
		set root='hd0,msdos1'
		if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1--hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos18fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

		else

search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077

		fi
		echo	'Loading Linux 3.16.0-4-686-pae ...'

linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-4-686-paeroot=UUID=8fe2965b-01ed-4227-9155-bc3e47ddf077 ro single

		echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
		initrd	/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-4-686-pae
	}
}

### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux (8.6) (on /dev/mmcblk0p1)' --class gnu-linux--class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option'osprober-gnulinux-simple-e57b2c64-74ec-4184-af71-d807e07f07dd' {

	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then