Grub2 fails to install to the MBR of /dev/sdb

[Greg Woods]

On Fri, 2012-01-13 at 14:18 -0500, Lester M Petrie wrote:

> #grub2-install /dev/sdb
> /sbin/grub2-setup: warn: Your embedding area is unusually small. 
> core.img won't fit in it..
> /sbin/grub2-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible.  GRUB can only be 
> installed in this setup by using blocklists.  However, blocklists are 
> UNRELIABLE and their use is discouraged..

I have a similar issue, but the final few lines say that embedding is
required when the root parition is an LVM device (as mine is).

I've got a workstation that works, and the first partition starts at
block 2048. The laptop where I get the error starts at 63. So I suspect
that I am screwed and will not be able to modify my grub2 configuration
until I repartition the disk and leave more room at the beginning. 

I have tried modifying /etc/default/grub and running grub2-mkconfig
-o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg and this has no effect, so I suspect that I am
not really running grub2 or that there is a fixed embedded configuration
that I can't change. Running grub2-install produces the error about the
small embedding area.

What does your disk partitioning look like?

--Greg