[MULTI BOOT] Kubuntu 22.04 install destroys grub2 again

[ineuw]

I installed Kubuntu 22.04, adding it to my multiboot system which already has Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1 and Windows 11. Every OS is on it's own 120GB drive and the boot is on sda.

This installation failure is always the case with Kubuntu. The install changes the boot order in the BIOS, and the attached photo is the result. The software damage is so bad that I can't boot unless the BIOS is reset and reconfigured. Otherwise, I can't call up the list of drives to boot from. It was Linux Mint Cinnamon's advanced boot option of rebuilding the grub which saved the day. Below is the link to the Boot Summary report of Boot repair.
http://sprunge.us/tko1zT

[Schwarzer Kater]

If you only have one single EFI partition for all systems, a reason for this could be that both Kubuntu and Linux Mint install to /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu , don't they?
And if you installed Kubuntu first and Linux Mint afterwards, probably Linux Mint would have overwritten Kubuntu's files and partially firmware entries.

Linux Mint possibly does this for compatibility reasons (as does Zorin OS) - but e.g. KDE neon installs to /boot/efi/EFI/neon and TUXEDO OS 2 to /boot/efi/EFI/tuxedo.
So in this case the culprit could be really Linux Mint here…

PS: And if you use legacy BIOS with MBR, then the last OS takes this over anyhow - and unfortunately *Ubuntu has had problems with legacy BIOS/MBR on certain older computers for some years now (I am quite sure they will never fix it).

PPS: I recommend using a seperate EFI partition on each drive to be more flexible and avoid some problems, but also see this post https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...252#post670252 and the whole thread about problems with bootloader installation.

[jlittle]

Do you know about GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER? If not, I suggest editing /etc/default/grub to have the line

 GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

and running sudo update-grub. The os prober used to run as a normal part of an install, but that was deemed to be a security risk so it's disabled by default now.

If the firmware set up can't see a list of drives to boot from, and has to be reset, then that's a buggy firmware (all too common).

I suggest that when doing the install of any Linux distro, you do it from a live environment and after the install runs you install efibootmgr and use it to review the boot variables and the boot order, to see what's happened and maybe fix it. My desktop has a Gigabyte motherboard whose firmware loses its mind if booted from some USB sticks, generating many corrupt boot entries.

[oshunluvr]

Another solution for the future: Do installations without GRUB. With *buntu based distros that use Ubiquity (like Kubuntu) you can launch the installer with the -b option that will then skip the bootloader installation.

[ineuw]

Thanks for the help and the explanation. I am not new to this. I view this as a bug. Grub or Kubuntu should have cooperated with each other smoothly. There has to be an end to testing on users. I am testing Linux installations for those who want to switch from Windows. Attached is the boot repair report which shows the order of my installation.

The first photo which is missing, showed Kubuntu rebooting itself into grub > after installation. Even though it recognized the /dev/sda as the boot drive before installation.

The posted photo was by booting Linux Mint to rescue Grub, which I succeeded on the third try. I repaired Grub through Linux Mint Recovery Options.

This is a new mb where Windows 11 was the installed 1st on an M2 SSD, to avoid any grub overwrite. It occupies the SATA 3 socket.

Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1 English is my default and the 1st Linux installation needed to testing Gtk.

Kubuntu 22.04 English is needed to work with and test Qt.

To be installed / reinstalled

Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1 in French, drive not yet installed

Removing the M2 drive and reinstalling Windows 11 on a 2.5" SATA SSD. drive not yet installed.

Creating portable Linux installations on USB3.2 keys or external USB drives for my community, which is the only method that I can think of, to offer privacy on public computers.

I am removing the internal drive of one of the public workstations, and dedicate it to USB 3+ external drives. I've been testing them since last summer.