Bug#540125: grub-pc: upgrade renders system unbootable

[Michal Suchanek]

2009/8/26 Michal Suchanek <hramrach at centrum.cz>:
> 2009/8/26 Robert Millan <rmh at aybabtu.com>:
>> On Thu, Aug 06, 2009 at 10:24:57AM +1000, Jayen wrote:
>>> Package: grub-pc
>>> Version: 1.96+20090725-1
>>> Severity: critical
>>> Justification: breaks the whole system
>>>
>>>
>>> I know On i386-pc (and amd64), the grub package never updates the installed
>>> version of GRUB automatically.  However, this has rendered the system
>>> unbootable for me twice now.  I know I'm running something unstable, but users
>>> should NOT be expected to know how to fix an unbootable system.  There should
>>> at least be a debconf question of whether to run grub-install.
>>>
>>> The error I'm getting is "Unknown command: initrd" similar to #513592 and
>>> #497791 (and probably others).
>>
>> What happens if you comment out the "search" commands?  (all of them)
>>
>> And if you add "insmod linux" at the beginning of grub.cfg?
>>
>
> Neither helps.
>
> "You have to load kernel first."
>
> I tried loading the kernel by hand which sort of works but then I do
> not get the 'boot' command so I cannot start it.
>
> With grub rescue CD I managed to do this so I suspect there is
> something deficient in the on-disk installation of grub.
>

With a newer grub (1.96+20090808-1)  I can at least load the kernel
manually as I could with the rescue CD. The menu still fails to boot
with the same message, though.

Thanks

Michal