[NBLUG/talk] Installation problem

Michael Dooley mdooley at sonic.net
Tue Oct 8 10:34:37 PDT 2013


On 10/07/2013 10:13 PM, Alan Bloom wrote:

> Thanks again Michael.
>
>> Feel like going on with this so late in the evening?
>
> Actually I need to get to bed pretty soon.  (I'm definitely not a Unix
> guru going to bed so soon. Plus I don't have a beard.  :=)
>
> Is there a source where I can study up on grub and how to install/use
> it?  I can then tackle that tomorrow.
>
> Alan

Here are some URLs that are fairly good in explaining what to do to 
recover a working grub.

I Googled "ubuntu 12.04 restore grub" and got these. You can find more 
I'm sure.

http://askubuntu.com/questions/88384/how-can-i-repair-grub-how-to-get-ubuntu-back-after-installing-windows

http://howtoubuntu.org/how-to-repair-restore-reinstall-grub-2-with-a-ubuntu-live-cd#.UlQ-w3jftnA

http://www.howtogeek.com/114884/how-to-repair-grub2-when-ubuntu-wont-boot/

These directions involve using commands in the ubuntu terminal. 
Hopefully that won't prove to be daunting.

> On 10/7/2013 10:07 PM, Michael Dooley wrote:
>> On 10/07/2013 02:36 PM, Alan Bloom wrote:
>>
>>>> Sounds as if grub might have been installed on your thumb drive. Are
>>>> you
>>>> also offered the opportunity to boot to windows in grub or do you just
>>>> boot into Ubuntu?
>>>
>>> No, if I boot without the thumb drive I only get Windows and if I boot
>>> with the thumb drive I get the "Unetbootin" screen.  If I leave that at
>>> the default it boots up Ubuntu.  I can tell it must have booted from the
>>> thumb drive because there is no logon screen.
>>>
>>>  From Ubuntu I can see the Windows files and directories in one
>>> partition and the Ubuntu files and directories in the other.
>>>
>>> At least this time I was able to get the computer to turn off by
>>> shutting down the normal way.
>>>
>>> If in the Unetbootin screen I select "Boot from first hard drive" I get
>>> some kind of command-line screen.  If I type "exit" the computer hangs
>>> up with this on the screen:
>>>
>>> http://n1al.net/music/boot_hd.png
>>>
>>> Alan
>>
>> The fact that your machine boots directly to Windows without the thumb
>> drive seems to suggest that grub was not installed to the master boot
>> record on your (only?) hard drive.
>>
>> However, when in the unetbootin (flash drive) menu and selecting "Boot
>> from first hard drive" and then getting a busybox screen suggests
>> something else - what, I'm not sure.
>>
>> My gut feeling is that grub was not installed to your hard drive but
>> somewhere else. And according to most recent message, removing the thumb
>> drive renders Ubuntu useless so therefore, you are not actually booting
>> into your hard drive install.
>>
>> You need to (1) install grub to your hard drive, presumably sda. And
>> then you need to (2) update grub so that it detects both your Windows
>> partition and your Ubuntu partition. Feel like going on with this so
>> late in the evening?
>>

-- 
Michael


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