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I execute 

sudo kexec -l /sbin/grub.exe
sudo kexec -e

and get black screen with some phrases. The font is squeezed vertically and I see also one copy of the same phrases on the right. There are phrases (I could confuse numbers) 

"... root is (0x80.0)
"Processing the preset menu ...
Launching GRUB ..."

It doesn't hang up because if I wait for 10-20 seconds, one more phrase appears "If hangup, use 'geometry --lba1sector (120)' at the beginning of preset menu."

I tried to insert that string in menu.lst. No effect. Also I tried --reset-vga option of kexec and tried its --append='...' option to pass the same content of menu.lst to grun4dos as its parameter. The same result.

I didn't make changes in MBR or partition boot sector especially for grub4dos. I have menu.lst and grldr on C: drive and one string in boot.ini there. In this way I can load Ubuntu through grub4dos.

That was for grub4dos 0.4.5. With grub4dos 0.4.4 I can reach some menu, font is squeezed and input is disabled.

kexec is configured in the way to make quick restart by means of it when I press Shut Down -> Restart. This way it is working fine.

Any suggestions how to solve this issue? Maybe Ubuntu should do first some tasks it does usually before normal restart and then start kexec. But how to check this? I am new to Linux.

Here they say a 32-bit load segment should be added to boot/i386/pc/lnxboot.S, which is absent in Ubuntu.

Update: The following commands could restart Ubuntu

sudo kexec -l /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-39-generic --initrd=/boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-39-generic --command-line="$( cat /proc/cmdline )"
sudo kexec -e

but it hang up then after several seconds. This was also noticed several times after Shut Down -> Restart. Maybe there is a bug of kexec or there is a more proper way to use it.

Update2: Analogical result loading freedos image

kexec -l grub.exe --initrd=DOS.IMG --command-line="--config-file=map (rd) (fd0); map --hook; chainloader (fd0)+1; rootnoverify (fd0)"

Update3: Analogical results with grub4dos versions 0.4.3, 0.4.2, 0.4.1

Update4: My kexec version is 2.0.6. Ubuntu is 14.04. In /boot I find 3.13.0-39 in some filename (kernel version?).

Update5: In Knoppix 5.1.1 LiveCD grub4dos loaded normally and loaded Ubuntu then, though it got frozen then. And Knoppix 5.1.1 (LiveCD or normal) doesn't have suspending. Anyway it's some progress.

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1 Answer 1

Reset to default
-1

Why do you need grub4dos to boot your machine?

I would use Super Grub2 Disk that can do the same thing much easier.

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  • I need to boot any OS or software with suspend support and then get to software capable to start another OS on my HDD, avoiding BIOS POSTs. This is not only to save time but also to avoid some conflicts with BIOS. I tried 3 variants of Super Grub2 Disk. The same result. I'm afraid the problem is in kexec and/or Ubuntu. They might need to make some deinitializations.
    – user3791863
    Nov 23, 2014 at 7:44
  • If kexec + grub4dos is working fine on your hardware, can you tell me what versions of kexec, grub4dos and Linux do you have?
    – user3791863
    Nov 23, 2014 at 14:44
  • this is no answer, it should have been a comment
    – Janus Troelsen
    Mar 23, 2015 at 17:55

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