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OS/2 - Technical => Setup & Installation => Topic started by: Raiko on 2009.06.28, 14:44:18

Title: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.28, 14:44:18
After disconnecting and reconnecting a disk, the XP installation which
is on C, now shows up in boot manager as D.
I have not done anything to the partitions and LVM shows correct letters
for all the partitions.
Quite some time ago I had exactly the same problem, but I cannot
remember what the solution was.
Ideas anyone?
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Blonde Guy on 2009.06.28, 17:38:13
Why do you think the XP installation is on C:? Did you assign it to be C: using LVM? eCS really doesn't care what drive XP thinks it is on. If you never assigned drive letters with LVM, then the letters assigned depend on the order of drive-related statements in Config.Sys.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.28, 18:35:57
Yes I have assigned C: using LVM, but still it shows D: on BM.
I have replaced disks and installed various OS on this system
before and it has worked just fine. The only tools I ever use are
LVM and DFSee.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: ivan on 2009.06.28, 20:45:29
Does it matter what drive letter appears in boot manager?

I would have thought the important thing is does it boot.  If not then you need to start asking why.

I have boot manager on all my machines and not one of them shows a drive letter - only the name I've given to what is booting - Warp, WSEB, Maintenance and so on.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.28, 21:21:56
I have always had drive letters displayed in boot manager and if it points to D:
for an OS that is installed on C: it will not boot. (I have a D: partition that holds
some programs, but no OS.)
Perhaps you are using a different BM? I'm using the one that came with eCSRC5.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: RobertM on 2009.06.28, 21:23:32
Yes I have assigned C: using LVM, but still it shows D: on BM.
I have replaced disks and installed various OS on this system
before and it has worked just fine. The only tools I ever use are
LVM and DFSee.

Go back into BootManager config (via LVM etc) and reconfigure the boot device(s) by removing all choices and repopulating.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.28, 23:51:32
Tried that but still BM shows C: as D:
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: ivan on 2009.06.29, 00:59:46
I'm using boot manager that came with ACP, I don't have eCS so I don't know if it is any different but I suspect not.

Open LVM and look at the physical view.  It should show you your disks and how they are divided up.  As you know it gives each volume and if you click on a volume it gives the information at the bottom of the window.  You should be able to see your XP volume because it will be either NTFS or FAT32.  It should show as C if not then there is your problem - fix it.

If that doesn't work open the boot manager menu and go to 'remove volume from boot manager' it should show what you have which I suspect should be something like 'C: XP' plus any others you boot.  If it shows 'D: XP' plus the others go to 'add volume to boot manager' and see if your 'C: XP' is there.  If it is then add it and see if it will boot - if it does remove the incorrect entry - problem solved.

You may have to 'remove boot manager' this will clear the tables, then 'install boot manager' and add all the volumes you want to be able to boot from.

First of all you have to be able to see your XP volume and be certain it is set to C:.

If your XP volume does not show up in LVM then you have a much more serious problem that needs to be fixed but try the above first.

Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.29, 13:33:21
Thks for suggestions, but I have already tried removing and putting back BM, and removed and added
the bootable volumes. LVM shows all partitions intact with the correct letters.
One thing I just noticed is that C: is marked active and does not change to bootable when I add it to BM.
BM is also marked active while the eCS installations are marked bootable.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Andi on 2009.06.29, 14:15:16
Did you change the boot order in BIOS (SCSI before ATA or similar)? I suppose you have more than one drive in your system, right? Or swapped drives from primary to secondary IDE channel? Or changed Master Slave?


Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.29, 16:11:35
I have 2 SATA disks, no SCSI, and it all worked fine until I replaced one disk
for testing a SSD disk. Later I removed the SSD and put back the SATA disk
and then the problem started.
The disks are in the same order as before, and BIOS lists them as before.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: ivan on 2009.06.29, 18:17:33
For everything to work as planed, boot manager should be 'startable' all other boot volumes should be 'bootable'.

The fact that C: is marked 'active' says that windows strikes again.

Now in the boot manager drop down menu you should have - install boot manager (greyed out) followed by set/change BM options, add volume, remove volume, remove BM and set boot manager active (again greyed out).  If the 'set boot manager active' is not greyed out then click on it to set BM active - reason, the BM partition is a primary one and if it isn't active it bumps all your drive letters along one. 

Once BM is active then it should show as 'startable' at the bottom of the window under 'status' with all of your other boot volumes showing as 'bootable'.

One other thing don't forget to go into 'tools' and 'commit changes'.

Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.29, 22:16:42
BM is active and works as it should with the eCS volumes.
No matter what I do, C: also remains active, but at least BM is started when I
switch on the PC.
Probably this is something that DFSee can fix so I'll contact the author and hope
that he can find a solution.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.30, 00:48:11
Just for trying, I once again disconnected disk 1 and 2, put them back
and now BM shows correct letters and things work as normal.
Would be nice to know why this happened, but at least the system is
working fine now.
Thanks to you all for the interest and suggestions.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Andi on 2009.06.30, 12:58:10
Just for trying, I once again disconnected disk 1 and 2, put them back
and now BM shows correct letters and things work as normal.
Would be nice to know why this happened, but at least the system is
working fine now.
Thanks to you all for the interest and suggestions.
Do you have accidently installed 2 Bootmanagers? Maybe one on each disk? (And the wrong one boots...)

I would check such things with the DFSee boot CD.

If not, I only can imagine your bios changes boot order (drive enumeration) by themself when it does not find what it expects.
Title: Re: Boot manager problem
Post by: Raiko on 2009.06.30, 22:32:11
Only one BM is installed. Guess you have a point that bios got "confused".
In any case things now work as they used to and I'm happy for that.