grub documentation

[avr]

I am reporting not a bug, but an omission from the documentation; at
least I have not been able to operate/boot with grub; even after
having read all the docs.

The system I run is taken from Debian:
  grub-doc_0.91-2_all.deb
  grub_0.91-2_i386.deb
from which I got the HTML documentation files.


In reading the docs (which are well written, by and large), I found
they describe quite adequately the "how it works" aspects, but not the
"how to make it work" (= how it has to run on a system, or how to use it).  
For example,in describing how to make a boot floppy, this is done easily 
from theinfo given, and the system does start, but hangs after reporting that
grub has been loaded (only the 2 files mentioned were put on the floppy).  

There is a (rather incomplete) description of the configuration file,
and all the applicable commands are listed, but not which commands are
required for a given system, and, more seriously, not when and if the
configuration file is read.  

I presume that the docs can be made much more useful and direct by
including a fuller description of the config file, when it is read,
how to install it on the boot floppy [if it belongs there for a
floppy-boot], and what is needed in that file if the system does an
auto-boot from the hard disk.  It might be useful to give simple
examples of these config files for one or two cases, e.g. the
auto-boot from hard disk, and the emergency bootup from the floppy.

For your info, the reason why I tried grub; no need to reply, but
please add to the documentation!

Although Debian systems have Lilo for a bootup, I tried grub because
of a problem with one of the systems [a Compaq Presario with a broken
(?) BIOS (Phoenix); although it boots to a floppy, it cannot boot to
the hard disk directly, and resetting the SETUP does not work either
-- in contrast with all other systems with AMD and other BIOS chips,
and apparently you cannot buy a chip from anywhere except Compaq which
went out; no documentation on the motherboard with the system, and the
BIOS date, with all other info, is not retrievable from the system:
you only see a bloody 'Compaq', no messages!].  Lilo apparently cannot
bypass this BIOS, and I was hoping that grub, which is more universal,
could boot the system.

A. van Roggen
address@hidden