Stops booting with "Error 18: selected cylinder exeeds maximum support by BIOS"

This is not a kernel bug:

http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/GRUB#Error_18

It may not be a kernel bug, but I don't see how it's not a bug in the linux-image *package*. One of them boots, the other doesn't, same disk, same partition, same GRUB.

Seems to have been a hardware problem, sorry for beeing rude. The machine needed a restart and looking at the BIOS the hard-drive data seemed quite odd, surely enough an autodetect failed... After a bit fidling with the cables not only did could BIOS see the HDD again and the new kernel booted without a problem. Not sure what exactly was wrong, but as long as it works...

Ubuntu 9.04 stoppped booting with this GRUB message, after update to most recent amd64 kernel. Selecting an alternative (older) kernel from the boot option brings my system up. Clearly, this is highly likely kernel releated !

Look really like a kernel regression. THIS BUG IS SERIOUS !
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uname -a
Linux quicksilver 2.6.28-11-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP Fri Apr 17 01:58:03 UTC 2009 x86_64 GNU/Linux

It seems unlikely that a bug initially filed in October 2006 can have as
its sole cause a regression in the 9.04 kernel!

In your case, it's probably just that installing the new kernel image
package happened to put the kernel files above the BIOS limit. I expect
that a workaround would be to create a small /boot partition at the
start of your disk. (Unfortunately the installer has a hard time knowing
when this is going to be the case.)

Agreed to Colin Watsan + SOLVED.

DIAGNOSIS: selecting an older kernel was indeed working - but only every now and then. Tip: A "Starting ..." will appear when the boot will work and a void disc with a simple cursor "_" on the screen when fails.

SOLUTION (linux way):
- Upgraded BIOS of my Gigabyte board. Was: GA-MA786M-S2H F3 (Version was F3), downloaded from gigabyte version F10 and used the Q-FLASH tool (BIOS menu: F8). This can be done from DOS with the bios exe.

HOWTO without DOS:
NOTE that the Q-FLASH Bios tool option will requiere the extracted bios file on the first boot medium. Use a USB stick.

TIP1: If you do not have a bootable floppy, as me, use a bootable USB Stick. One way to make one bootable: use the ubuntu "System/Administrator/USB Startup Disk Creator" tool to extract the ubuntu*.iso on it. This creates a liveUSB drive which is bootable.

TIP2: Gigabyte has only .exe files as a download option. These are self-extracting windows executables. To extract the file use a windows machine and run it to extract it (should work with wine too). Extract them on the USB stick (or simpler a bootable floppy) and go on with the Q-FLASH option of the BIOS.

TIP3: In the BIOS Setting place the "USB-FDD" as the first boot device. Also in the boot hdd priority.

TIP4: Use "Del" to enter the BIOS menu. It is the "Entf" key for germans.