Grub problems after installation, as always.

[Orwan]

Every time I install a Linux distro, Grub fails one way or another. Kubuntu 13.04 was no different. This time the installation crashed with the following message: Executing 'grub-install /dev/sda' failed. I'm not surprised it failed, since sda has a dynamic NTFS partition, and is not the boot HD. On my system, sda is where I have my games, sdb is Windows 7, sdc is storage and linux partitions, so I'm surprised the installation tried to install it on sda.

To make matters worse, I recently had to install a new DVD-drive, which I am unable to boot from. It works perfectly inside any operating system, but BIOS doesn't detect it. Can anyone understand why? To make things even worse, my SanDisk usb stick has some kind of U3 system that prevents me from booting from it. I have another, tiny, USB stick that works fine (but can't fit an ISO on it). All the recommended ways of making the SanDisk stick bootable has not worked for me.

By using the Kubuntu boot helper or wassisname, I was able to get into the Kubuntu Live environment and start the installation. I tried to fix the problem with the grub-install /dev/sdb command, but all that happened was that I booted the computer into a Grub command line... The only thing I can think of is if I made a typo or something, like typing /dev/hdb instead of /dev/sdb or something, but that would probably give me an error message, right?

[vinnywright]

blowing off steam are we..........

Every time I install a Linux distro, Grub fails one way or another. Kubuntu 13.04 was no different. This time the installation crashed with the following message: Executing 'grub-install /dev/sda' failed. I'm not surprised it failed, since sda has a dynamic NTFS partition, and is not the boot HD. On my system, sda is where I have my games, sdb is Windows 7, sdc is storage and linux partitions, so I'm surprised the installation tried to install it on sda.

the installer defaults to the primary drive (sda) IF you boot from a diferent drive you can chose to install grub to it during the partitioning part of the install , that is where you chose guided, side by side,or maual installation .

To make matters worse, I recently had to install a new DVD-drive, which I am unable to boot from. It works perfectly inside any operating system, but BIOS doesn't detect it. Can anyone understand why?

to my knolage if the BIOS dose not see it then no OS can use it ,,,,,, but I may be wrong.
what kind of box and DVD drive , a desktop and installed in case ,,,,a laptop,,,,,USB-DVD-drive,,?

To make things even worse, my SanDisk usb stick has some kind of U3 system that prevents me from booting from it. I have another, tiny, USB stick that works fine (but can't fit an ISO on it). All the recommended ways of making the SanDisk stick bootable has not worked for me.

the SanDisk U3 system is a vertual CD drive ,,,, the U3-tool can change the size of this virtual CD drive and install a linux live-cd image (.iso) to it and most boxes will boot this ,,,,,,,I have one .

By using the Kubuntu boot helper or wassisname,

yes ........wassisname,,,,,,,,,what are you talking about?

I was able to get into the Kubuntu Live environment and start the installation. I tried to fix the problem with the grub-install /dev/sdb command, but all that happened was that I booted the computer into a Grub command line... The only thing I can think of is if I made a typo or something, like typing /dev/hdb instead of /dev/sdb or something, but that would probably give me an error message, right?

sounds like you just started the live environment .... the "grub-install" comand installed grub to the target drive but you did not tell it where to install the config to so it defalted to,,,,,,the live environment ,,,,,,,you wanted the configs in the kubuntu instalations partition in /boot/grub .........I have never had to do this so I wont try to give you the exact comand string ,,,,but there are posts hear on how to do this ,,,,,,,,,one would kneed the partition your Kubuntu is in to give you the corect comand !!

VINNY

[Orwan]

blowing off steam are we..........

It is a bit frustrated when nothing goes your way :P

the installer defaults to the primary drive (sda) IF you boot from a different drive you can chose to install grub to it during the partitioning part of the install , that is where you chose guided, side by side,or manual installation .

I chose manual installation, and pointed "/", "home" and "swap" to the proper partition, but I don't remember seeing an option to decide where to put GRUB.

to my knolage if the BIOS dose not see it then no OS can use it ,,,,,, but I may be wrong.
what kind of box and DVD drive , a desktop and installed in case ,,,,a laptop,,,,,USB-DVD-drive,,?

It's a desktop PC, with a fairly newly installed Samsung DVD-drive.

the SanDisk U3 system is a vertual CD drive ,,,, the U3-tool can change the size of this virtual CD drive and install a linux live-cd image (.iso) to it and most boxes will boot this ,,,,,,,I have one .

The first thing I did when I got the SanDisk stick, I reformatted it, not knowing it had some kind of virtual CD crap. So I install the software that was on the stick and then... use that to put the ISO on it?

yes ........wassisname,,,,,,,,,what are you talking about?

Wubi CD Boot Helper.

sounds like you just started the live environment .... the "grub-install" comand installed grub to the target drive but you did not tell it where to install the config to so it defalted to,,,,,,the live environment ,,,,,,,you wanted the configs in the kubuntu instalations partition in /boot/grub .........I have never had to do this so I wont try to give you the exact comand string ,,,,but there are posts hear on how to do this ,,,,,,,,,one would kneed the partition your Kubuntu is in to give you the corect comand !!

I think I'll try switching my disks around physically, so my SSD is sda, my Linux is sdb (now it's on sdc2-5), and then the rest after that. If I can figure out how to boot from my SanDisk, I can figure out the DVD drive later.

[claydoh]

Sandisk does make a U3 removal tool that gets rid of the proprietary formatting, but it is windows-only. There is a linux tool to handle these partitions http://u3-tool.sourceforge.net/ It is available in the repos. I think I have used it before, but I cannot remember for sure.

There is an option in the the Kubuntu installer when doing manual partitioning to set grub's location, it is at the very bottom.

[Orwan]

Sandisk does make a U3 removal tool that gets rid of the proprietary formatting, but it is windows-only. There is a linux tool to handle these partitions http://u3-tool.sourceforge.net/ It is available in the repos. I think I have used it before, but I cannot remember for sure.

That was the first thing I tried, but unfortunately the remove tool doesn't recognise my Sandisk stick. It just says to insert a U3 device. I've only tried it in Windows 7. Is this hidden partition so hidden that you can't see it with any partitioning software or anything?

There is an option in the the Kubuntu installer when doing manual partitioning to set grub's location, it is at the very bottom.

I must have missed this. It's been so long since last time I installed *ubuntu that I can't remember what I did that time. Not only that, but my SATA devices were completely different then. I shall try again when I have time, but I think perhaps I will switch the SATA cables around so that it makes more sense (OS-disks first) to avoid problems in the future.

[claydoh]

The partitioning is not "normal" and proprietary, so outside of the official tool and the open-source u3-tool, I am not aware of anything that is capable of removing it.

I dowonder if it is a Win7 issue....
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/de...-for-windows-7
It might be worth trying this on a win XP machine.

[Orwan]

After switching my SATA cables to a more logical order (Os discs first, the rest later, and DVD-drive not on the absolute last SATA), everything worked, including booting from a DVD and installing GRUB to the default location.

What has not worked yet, however, is the SanDisk stick. Can't get it to work as a boot device. I don't have access to a Windows Vista/XP machine atm to test if the remove tool works better there.

[oshunluvr]

You can boot directly to a USB disk from GRUB.

http://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthr...light=boot+usb

Oh, sorry - I just realized your issue was still the U3 thingy. I managed to wipe mine OK, but it was awhile ago. I really don't remember what I did

[SteveRiley]

Kiss U3 goodbye.

1. Obtain a list of currently mounted drive partitions:

ls -al /dev/sd*

2. Insert your USB drive

3. Run the above command again. You should see only a new line, /dev/sdX, which represents the USB drive. You'll probably also see at least one more line, /dev/sdXN, which represents a partition on the drive.

4. Completely erase everything on the USB:

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sd[i]X[/i] bs=16M

Make sure you get the X right!

5. Wait until it finishes. Then clear I/O buffers just to be sure:

sudo sync

6. Remove and re-insert the drive. The partition should be gone. If not, there's another way. Let me know what you find out.

[SteveRiley]

Uh, hmm... What do you see if you run

ls -al /dev/sr*

both before and after you insert the U3 drive?

[claydoh]

That didn't work for me when I encountered mine, a couple years or more ago. Thank goodness they killed that abomination off.

[SteveRiley]

The package u3-tool from the repository is the alternate method for when dd can't see the partition.

[Orwan]

Before:

~$ ls -al /dev/sr*
brw-rw----+ 1 root cdrom 11, 0 mai   11 12:55 /dev/sr0

After:

~$ ls -al /dev/sr*
brw-rw----+ 1 root cdrom 11, 0 mai   11 12:55 /dev/sr0

/dev/sde (and /dev/sde1) appeared when I inserted the USB stick using the ls -al /dev/sd* line.

The dd command is taking a while doing its magic...

Edit: I think maybe it's not working. After I entered my password, it just changed to a new line and no message.

[SteveRiley]

dd won't display any progress at all. Did it ever eventually finish, or just sit there forever?

[oshunluvr]

I recall that I used dd to fix mine. I just wiped the entire thing and re-formatted it.