Error messages reported by GRUB

page 52 GRUB Manual
Chapter 14: Error messages reported by GRUB

14.3 Errors reported by the Stage 2
The general way that the Stage 2 handles errors is to abort the operation in question, print
an error string, then (if possible) either continue based on the fact that an error occurred
or wait for the user to deal with the error.
The following is a comprehensive list of error messages for the Stage 2 (error numbers
for the Stage 1.5 are listed before the colon in each description):
1 : Filename must be either an absolute filename or blocklist
This error is returned if a file name is requested which doesn’t fit the syn-
tax/rules listed in the Chapter 11 [Filesystem], page 31.
2 : Bad file or directory type
This error is returned if a file requested is not a regular file, but something like
a symbolic link, directory, or FIFO.
3 : Bad or corrupt data while decompressing file
This error is returned if the run-length decompression code gets an internal
error. This is usually from a corrupt file.
4 : Bad or incompatible header in compressed file
This error is returned if the file header for a supposedly compressed file is bad.
5 : Partition table invalid or corrupt
This error is returned if the sanity checks on the integrity of the partition table
fail. This is a bad sign.
6 : Mismatched or corrupt version of stage1/stage2
This error is returned if the install command points to incompatible or corrupt
versions of the stage1 or stage2. It can’t detect corruption in general, but this
is a sanity check on the version numbers, which should be correct.
7 : Loading below 1MB is not supported
This error is returned if the lowest address in a kernel is below the 1MB bound-
ary. The Linux zImage format is a special case and can be handled since it has
a fixed loading address and maximum size.
8 : Kernel must be loaded before booting
This error is returned if GRUB is told to execute the boot sequence without
having a kernel to start.
9 : Unknown boot failure
This error is returned if the boot attempt did not succeed for reasons which are
unknown.
10 : Unsupported Multiboot features requested
This error is returned when the Multiboot features word in the Multiboot header
requires a feature that is not recognized. The point of this is that the kernel
requires special handling which GRUB is probably unable to provide.
11 : Unrecognized device string
This error is returned if a device string was expected, and the string encountered
didn’t fit the syntax/rules listed in the Chapter 11 [Filesystem], page 31.
12 : Invalid device requested
This error is returned if a device string is recognizable but does not fall under
the other device errors.
13 : Invalid or unsupported executable format
This error is returned if the kernel image being loaded is not recognized as
Multiboot or one of the supported native formats (Linux zImage or bzImage,
FreeBSD, or NetBSD).
14 : Filesystem compatibility error, cannot read whole file
Some of the filesystem reading code in GRUB has limits on the length of the
files it can read. This error is returned when the user runs into such a limit.
15 : File not found
This error is returned if the specified file name cannot be found, but everything
else (like the disk/partition info) is OK.
在指定的文件名不存在的时候，返回此错误。不过，其他的各种情况都正常，包括磁盘和分区表信息。
一般情况是，grub的写法，比如以下红色部分写错了。
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-27-386 root=/dev/hda1 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-27-386
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
16 : Inconsistent filesystem structure
This error is returned by the filesystem code to denote an internal error caused
by the sanity checks of the filesystem structure on disk not matching what it
expects. This is usually caused by a corrupt filesystem or bugs in the code
handling it in GRUB.
17 : Cannot mount selected partition
This error is returned if the partition requested exists, but the filesystem type
cannot be recognized by GRUB.
18 : Selected cylinder exceeds maximum supported by BIOS
This error is returned when a read is attempted at a linear block address beyond
the end of the BIOS translated area. This generally happens if your disk is
larger than the BIOS can handle (512MB for (E)IDE disks on older machines
or larger than 8GB in general).
19 : Linux kernel must be loaded before initrd
This error is returned if the initrd command is used before loading a Linux
kernel.
20 : Multiboot kernel must be loaded before modules
This error is returned if the module load command is used before loading a
Multiboot kernel. It only makes sense in this case anyway, as GRUB has no
idea how to communicate the presence of such modules to a non-Multiboot-
aware kernel.
21 : Selected disk does not exist
This error is returned if the device part of a device- or full file name refers to a
disk or BIOS device that is not present or not recognized by the BIOS in the
system.
22 : No such partition
This error is returned if a partition is requested in the device part of a device-
or full file name which isn’t on the selected disk.
23 : Error while parsing number
This error is returned if GRUB was expecting to read a number and encountered
bad data.
24 : Attempt to access block outside partition
This error is returned if a linear block address is outside of the disk partition.
This generally happens because of a corrupt filesystem on the disk or a bug in
the code handling it in GRUB (it’s a great debugging tool).
25 : Disk read error
This error is returned if there is a disk read error when trying to probe or read
data from a particular disk.
26 : Too many symbolic links
This error is returned if the link count is beyond the maximum (currently 5),
possibly the symbolic links are looped.
27 : Unrecognized command
This error is returned if an unrecognized command is entered on the command-
line or in a boot sequence section of a configuration file and that entry is selected.
28 : Selected item cannot fit into memory
This error is returned if a kernel, module, or raw file load command is either
trying to load its data such that it won’t fit into memory or it is simply too big.
29 : Disk write error
This error is returned if there is a disk write error when trying to write to a
particular disk. This would generally only occur during an install of set active
partition command.
30 : Invalid argument
This error is returned if an argument specified to a command is invalid.
31 : File is not sector aligned
This error may occur only when you access a ReiserFS partition by block-lists
(e.g. the command install). In this case, you should mount the partition with
the ‘-o notail’ option.
32 : Must be authenticated
This error is returned if you try to run a locked entry. You should enter a
correct password before running such an entry.
33 : Serial device not configured
This error is returned if you try to change your terminal to a serial one before
initializing any serial device.
34 : No spare sectors on the disk
This error is returned if a disk doesn’t have enough spare space. This happens
when you try to embed Stage 1.5 into the unused sectors after the MBR, but
the first partition starts right after the MBR or they are used by EZ-BIOS.