XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Tue, 04 Dec 2018 07:56:39 -0500, Paul wrote:

> It sounds like, for some reason, with HDD3 alone, you're booting
> from HDD3. (Since you clean installed Windows 10, GRUB is no longer
> on HDD3.)

Hi Paul,
Yes. You are correct.  You know the situation better than I do!

HDD3 is supposed to be my boot disk, so it is connected to SATA1.
HDD3 has a clean install of Win10 1809 booted from the ISO optical disc.
Grub2 & Ubuntu 18.04 should be wiped clean off that HDD3 (AFAIK).

> Then, when you connect HDD1 and HDD2 before the boot process begins,
> your computer is booting via HDD2. Using popup boot function key,
> you should be able to tell it to boot from HDD3, while the
> other two disks are present.

Ah. This is a good idea!
I just looked, first using the "Escape" boot key.

Trial and error shows the first disk in the list below to be HDD3:
 <http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9539818grub0...
o WDC WD10EZEX
o Toshiba HDWD110
o WDC WD10EFRX
And where I have no idea what this is, given the DVD drive is empty:
o hp DVD-RAM

> To start, it's a matter of entering the BIOS, while
> all three hard drives are connected, and specifying HDD3
> as the boot device. Then the GRUB on HDD2 can't do anything.

Ah. Another good suggestion (why doesn't SATA1 do its job?).
Let me reboot to try this, as I am doing what you suggest in series.

Then I used the F10 key to boot to the BIOS as you suggested.

The funny thing is that the "good" HDD3 disk (which is attached to SATA1)
does seem to be the first in the BIOS boot-order list also.

In fact, the list seems to be the same (not surprisingly in hindsight):
 <http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1696675grub0...
o WDC WD10EZEX
o Toshiba HDWD110
o WDC WD10EFRX

Otherwise I get "inaccessible boot device".
 <http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=3246150grub0...

In addition, trial & error shows that HDD3 is sda1 to Grub:
  <http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1139725grub0...
o Ubuntu
o Advanced options for Ubuntu
o Memory test
o Windows 10 (on /dev/sda1)
o Windows 10 (on /dev/sdb1)
o Windows 10 (on /dev/sdc1)

Where I'm not yet sure which disk is sdb1 or sdc1:
 <http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=4411450grub0...

Hmmmm... the grub on HDD2 (or HDD1) is doing "something" it shouldn't be
doing, which means, yet again, I don't understand how Grub is found.

Certainly when I boot to Ubuntu, it's the *old* ubuntu, so that Ubuntu
can't be on HDD3.

> When you install Ubuntu 18.04 on HDD3 soon, you can temporarily
> disconnect HDD1 and HDD2, just for the sake of a lack of hair
> loss.

Yes. I agree.
I learned this the hard way already to "simplify" boot installs.
I will likely install Ubuntu 18.10 shortly, after I get grub figured out.

> GRUB will take over HDD3. After installation, power down,
> connect HDD1 and HDD2, enter the BIOS, verify HDD3 is the
> boot device, and boot. The now-working GRUB on HDD3 will be...
> just fine.

Yes. I agree.
That's how I *expected* it to work! 

Right now, the only good Windows is on HDD3 but there's a good Ubuntu and a
dominant Grub on either HDD2 or HDD1 (I'm not sure which drive it is yet).

> Your Inaccessible Boot Device, could have been caused by the
> BIOS losing settings during the power outage. Using a multimeter,
> clip the black lead onto chassis, touch the red lead to the
> top of the CR2032 coin cell, and see if it's at least 3V.

The PC keeps time, which should indicate a good battery, where I don't see
any indication of a bad battery, but I do keep the machine running 24/7 so
I will check the voltage later.

> Replace the CR2032 coin cell if it is flat. Verify the SATA
> port settings are correct for the Win10 on HDD3 (or it will
> go "Inaccessible Boot Volume" as well).

I'm not sure what you mean by "verify the SATA port settings", where I can
only tell you that the HDD3 is on the motherboard SATA1 for sure.

> If you lost BIOS power, the SATA ports could revert to a different
> setting than the Windows 10 on HDD2 was using. You need to boot
> Windows 10 HDD2 in Safe Mode, to allow the drivers to re-load
> for the new SATA settings.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm... maybe. I will check the battery as, I guess the two days
without power might have done it. But I can also power down the machine
when not using it, which will check it almost the same.

> Right now, one copy of Windows 10 could be using ATA IDE on the
> SATA port, the second Windows 10 could be using the AHCI on SATA.
> Since Hot Plug is obviously working, you're probably AHCI in the
> BIOS now, which is how you installed Windows 10 on HDD3. You need
> to work on the Windows 10 on HDD2 until you get the right
> driver to load so it's AHCI too. Safe Mode can be achieved more
> than one way, and a BCDEDIT to put the boot menu there is my
> preferred method. However, the presence of GRUB and chainloading,
> may actually result in Win10 HDD2 no longer presenting the boot menu
> (since chainloading "jumps past" that boot menu and jumps
> straight into the OS loading stage).

That's a bit confusing, where I didn't think, until now, to look at the
"AHCI" settings in BIOS. Let me boot back to BIOS to check... and, since
this is getting long, I'll respond to the rest after reading the quoted
articles first.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
 * Origin: SpaceSST BBS Usenet <mccarragher.org> Fidonet Gateway (255:255/999)