[GRLUG] error: invalid arch independent ELF magic

[Michael Mol]

On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 2:34 PM, Eric Beversluis
<ebever at researchintegration.org> wrote:
> On Wed, 2011-08-31 at 13:32 -0400, Michael Mol wrote:
>> On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:25 PM, Eric Beversluis
>> <ebever at researchintegration.org> wrote:
>> > I'm getting more insight into why the Linux desktop isn't going to take
>> > off like some people hope. I'm into my third day of trying to get Ubuntu
>> > to work on my new Lenovo Thinkpad x120e.
>> >
>> > First day was spend figuring out that the computer didn't like the USB2
>> > cable to my DVD drive. Then when I finally got 10.04 installed, I
>> > couldn't get anything but 1080x768 resolution, even tho the computer is
>> > 1360x768. After two days of bootlessly (no pun intended) trying to find
>> > an answer--there are none out that that address this resolution problem
>> > on this system and 10.04--I decided to try Ubuntu 11.04.
>> >
>> > The install seemed to go fine. I told it to reformat sda1, which is
>> > where I mount root, but not to reformat sda3, where I mount /home. The
>> > resolution on the installation screens looked lovely. (This problem
>> > solved?)
>> >
>> > But when the installation completed and I tried to boot 11.04 I got this
>> > strange screen:
>> >   "Error: invalid arch independent ELF magic"
>> >   "grub rescue>"
>> >
>> > Again, searching around doesn't seem to help. Lots of detailed
>> > instructions that (a) do not clearly apply to this situation (many
>> > dealing with dual-boot situations); and (b) go well beyond the level of
>> > technical understanding that I have or want to develop.
>> >
>> > By the way, the 'live' version opens beautifully.
>> >
>> > (When I Google 'ELF magic' it seems to be all about Santa Claus. I wish
>> > Santa would give me a Linux distro that "just works.")
>>
>> http://askubuntu.com/questions/37692/grub-invalid-arch-independent-elf-magic-after-natty-install-on-ssd
>>
>> Sounds like you might need to either install grub-efi (if the laptop
>> has EFI. I don't know; EFI is relatively new to consumer systems), or
>> re-install grub to the boot sector.
>>
>>
>> (also, to find that link, I dropped "invalid arch independent ELF
>> magic" (without the quotes) into DuckDuckGo)
>> -
>
> Thanks. I had looked at that page, but it looked like it was for a
> different kind of situation, so I wasn't sure it applied.
>
> My live CD mounts /dev/sda1 at /media/43e21...
> So I tried 'sudo grub-install /media/r2e21*'
>
> This generated this error, "cannot stat `aufs'.
> Searching on this error led to this page:
>     bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/703009
>
> which is an interminable list of "try this..no it doesn't work" and
> complaints that this but was known well before 11.04 was released but
> hasn't been fixed.
>
> Re grub-efi: My bios if "UEFI Bios". But if the live version works OK,
> does that imply that I don't need grub-efi? Looking around, that seems
> to involve a whole new set of complications.

The live CD is going to use something like isolinux, which is a
different beast from typical booting. I really don't know anything
about EFI or UEFI, though.

I'd take Ben's advice and ask on the ubuntu-michigan mailing list;
there are active devs there, and I imagine they've got a vested
interest in getting things so they Just Work for you. (That's Ubuntu's
marketable reputation, after all)

-- 
:wq

-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.