Bug#637556: grub-legacy: cannot setup because grub-install hangs

[Jonathan Nieder]

Package: grub-legacy
Version: 0.97-65
Severity: important

Hi,

Trying to test grub-legacy to test Bug#637407.  So following the
instructions from README.Debian, I run

	grub-install --root-directory=/boot '(hd0)'

as root.  Unfortunately there is no output and it just sits there.
Using top and pstree, I learn it is hanging running the command

	grub --batch --device-map=/boot/boot/grub/device.map

at near 100% CPU.  After an hour and a half of that:

	 3207 root      20   0  5200  256  200 R 93.8  0.0  92:11.73 grub               

I stopped it and filed this bug.  Reproducible.  Known problem?
Hints?

Platform is an amd64 kvm guest.  Parameters:

	qemu-kvm -m 1024 \
		-net nic,model=virtio -net user \
		-enable-kvm \
		-drive file="$HOME/admin/amd64-install.qemu",if=virtio,boot=on

Most installed packages are from experimental if available, otherwise
sid.

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/device.map
(hd0)	/dev/disk/by-id/ata-QEMU_HARDDISK_QM00001
*********************** END /boot/grub/device.map

*********************** BEGIN /proc/mounts
/dev/disk/by-uuid/41697b85-ebf3-4d1c-993e-71b9e8163a64 / btrfs rw,relatime 0 0
/dev/vda1 /boot ext4 rw,relatime,user_xattr,acl,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
*********************** END /proc/mounts