Bug#561766: grub2: 1.98~20091210-1 still has issues with "the symbol "grub_printf_" not found"

[Felix Zielcke]

reassign 561766 grub-pc
forcemerge 554790 561766 
thanks
Am Sonntag, den 20.12.2009, 13:08 -0500 schrieb Simon Raven:
> 2009/12/20 Felix Zielcke <fzielcke at z-51.de>:
> > Unfortunately you reported this against the grub2 dummy package
> instead
> > of the correct grub-pc.
> > What does `echo GET grub-pc/install_devices | debconf-communicate'
> say?
> > Probable the postinst ran grub-install on the disk which you don't
> boot
> > from.
> 
> 0 /dev/hda
> 
> I only boot from one. And yes at the time it was correct. I haven't
> booted the ubuntu in weeks, and even then I made sure the debian
> partition was the last one I installed to the MBR.

If /dev/hda doestn't exist at all because it's now sda then the postinst
should have failed.
You can change the value with `sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc'

> > And so this is probable just a duplicate of #554790
> 
> I see the issue, and I noticed that - in practice, understanding it in
> theory, but not having thought it out thoroughly - is that due to the
> hd to ds change, the core.img wasn't synced therefore causes this (and
> other potential) issue(s). I imagine you're running this new version?

Yes. If the device is wrong then all modules in /boot/grub get still
updated but not the core.img which usually is between MBR and first
partition.
And core.img contains the GRUB kernel.
The same problems would happen with the Linux kernel modules, if you use
one which was compiled from a different version.
But they store the version for which kernel they were compiled and then
the kernel directly refuses to load them and tells you that the version
is wrong.
But if you override that check you would probable see also unknown
symbol foo errors.

-- 
Felix Zielcke
Proud Debian Maintainer and GNU GRUB developer