Bug#499824: grub: Since about after kernel 2.6.18, takes long to load on laptops

Alex nuorama at gmail.com
Mon Sep 22 18:51:22 UTC 2008


Package: grub
Version: 0.97-47
Severity: normal

Grub takes many seconds to load. 5+ seconds until the "loading grub" message, 
other 10+ until the menu appears. After that, it takes other 
10+ seconds until the kernel messages begin to scroll. The time for loading 
the kernel (after showing the menu) seems to depend on whether 
the machine was suspended to disk or not (longer with suspend to disk), the 
ones before the menu seem to be the constant. In all these 
times the hdd activity led is lighted up, and the disk makes periodic head 
moving noises (though quieter than when scanning directories).
Also, this seems to be much more obvious on laptops, on the desktop the times 
seem longer than a while ago, but still not so evident.

Will give grub2 a try.


-- Package-specific info:

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/device.map
(hd0)	/dev/sda
*********************** END /boot/grub/device.map

*********************** BEGIN /proc/mounts
/dev/sda5 / reiserfs rw,notail 0 0
/dev/sda7 /home reiserfs rw,noatime,notail 0 0
/dev/sda2 /mnt/winD fuseblk 
rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,user_id=0,group_id=0,allow_other,blksize=4096 0 0
*********************** END /proc/mounts

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/menu.lst
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default		0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default 
entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout		5

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###
### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###
### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###

#
# examples
#
# title		Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root		(hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader	+1
#
# title		Linux
# root		(hd0,1)
# kernel	/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/sda5 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,4)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=vga=791

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(single-user) single
# altoptions=(single-user mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot optipn  grub-legacy-doc               
<none>     (no description available)
pn  mdadm                         <none>     (no description available)
pn  multiboot-doc                 <none>     (no description available)
on
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-1-amd64
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.26-1-amd64 root=/dev/sda5 ro vga=791
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.26-1-amd64

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-1-amd64 (single-user mode)
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.26-1-amd64 root=/dev/sda5 ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.26-1-amd64

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-6-amd64
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-6-amd64 root=/dev/sda5 ro vga=791
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-6-amd64

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-6-amd64 (single-user mode)
root		(hd0,4)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-6-amd64 root=/dev/sda5 ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-6-amd64

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title		Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda2
title		Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root		(hd0,1)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader	+1


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title		Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root		(hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader	+1

*********************** END /boot/grub/menu.lst

-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (650, 'testing'), (600, 'unstable'), (200, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.26-1-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages grub depends on:
ii  grub-common             1.96+20080724-10 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 

grub recommends no packages.

Versions of packages grub suggests:
pn  grub-legacy-doc               <none>     (no description available)
pn  mdadm                         <none>     (no description available)
pn  multiboot-doc                 <none>     (no description available)

-- no debconf information





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