On Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:42:25 -0500, Filippo Cattaneo
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Years of Debian esperience, new to SL, 3rd  attempt
> at installing 5.4. I specify that grub should be installed
> in the root partition, in my case /dev/hda4.
> I use GAG as pure boot selector, each OS has its own
> bootloader >on-partition.
> Due to history, /dev/hda4 is the second primary, right after hda1
> on the disk.
>
> I decline to rearrange partition order, and also decline
> to add other OS's >to the SL grub boot menu as proffered
by installer.
>
>On 1st boot I consistently find no bootloader on /dev/hda4.
>
> Other OS's boot fine.
>
> Booted rescue twice, chrooted to root partition,
> I see the fileysytem where it should be
> - i.e. the system seemingly doesn't get confused
> by partitions not being in order.
>
>Attempted this:
>          grub-install /dev/hda4
>
>I repeatedly get this message:
>          error reading stage 1
>
>I failed to find references to this on the list.
>Is this a known problem?
>Did I miss something in the archives?
>
>TIA!
>========================
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=======================

Solved for the time being...
- Booted with System Rescue CD 1.3.3, not the latest, uses Linux-2.6.31.6
, 
and that kernel calls all HDs "sd<x>".
- Mounted /dev/sda4 just to check (should not matter!).
- Installed bootloader from the shell (not from the grub prompt):
     grub-install --recheck /dev/sda4

For the 1st time grub installed AND at reboot the bootloader was able to 

find kernel and initrd.

I suspect it was an issue with the older SL and Debian kernels not being 

able to read the partition table correctly at each step of the grub 
installation process.  I.e. maybe yes for find from the grub prompt but 

definitely not for installing.

This would imply the older Debian kernels would be accessing the same 
partition table in different ways, one where "find" from the grub prompt 

works, one where "setup" fails.

Is this conceivable?

All partitioning tools report the partition is fine, albeit with partitio
ns 
not in normal order. Even the SL installer offered to reorder partitions 

but did not complain when I declined.