Fixing GRUB Rescue Error on Linux Without Installation Media
Grub rescue occurs due to a problem with the GRUB file, either due to damage or loss of the GRUB file. One of the cases of GRUB rescue is like what happened to me a few days ago. At that time I deleted one of the Linux distributions installed on my computer because of the need for hard disk space.
Because the GRUB (boot loader) that I used previously was the GRUB file from the distro that I deleted, the computer automatically lost the boot loader and GRUB rescue appeared when turned on, I knew that would happen.
Humans must learn from experience, not only from our own experience, but also from the experiences of others, and it would be noble if we would share our experiences and knowledge with others, even if only a little. In this post, I will share a little of my experience on how to fix GRUB rescue errors on Linux.
Steps to Fix GRUB Rescue Error Without Installation Media
First, turn on your computer as usual until the GRUB rescue error appears. Then type “ls” (without the quotes) and press enter. All existing partitions will appear as shown in the image below.
ls
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| Command “ls” to see all available partitions |
One of the visible partitions is a partition “/” which is where the GRUB files are located. Type command “ls(hd0,msdos2)/”,“ls(hd0,msdos3)/” and so on as in the image below to find which partition “/” (root) . Partition “/” (root) is indicated by the appearance of the words “lost + found…” like the picture when you enter the command above. Like a meaningful picture “(hd0, msdos3)” is partition “/” (root)
ls (hd0,msdos2)/ ls (hd0,msdos3)/ ls (hd0,msdos5)/
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| Search the contents of files on each partition to find the root partition |
Type the following command. In section “(hd0,msdos3)” replace with partition location “/” root on your device.
set prefix=(hd0,msdos3)/boot/grub set root=(hd0,msdos3) insmod normal normal
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| Fix GRUB |
After the command “normal”, the computer will restart automatically. Then go to the desktop and open a terminal, type the following command to update GRUB. If you are not using root user or super user, add “sudo” at the beginning of the command
sudo grub-install /dev/sda sudo update-grub
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| Install and Update GRUB |
After successfully repairing GRUB, then restart the computer to see if the apk has been successfully repaired properly. Congratulations, you have successfully fixed the GRUB rescue error.



