Ubuntu installation problems - boot loader

Inquisitor · 10 Jul 2006 at 23:21

This is my first time attempting to install any Linux distro, so any help would be very much appreciated

When trying to install a boot loader to the MRB as part of the Ubuntu 6.06 installation, I get he following errors, for GRUB and LILO respectively:

LILO installation error
Running "sbin/lilo" failed with error code "1".

Unable to install GRUB in (hd0)
Executing 'grub-install (hd0)' failed.

This is a fatal error.

I've tried them several times, but get the same message every time.

Would it be possible to skip installing a boot loader altogether, considering Windows is installed on one disc (a RAID array to be precise), with Ubuntu being installed on a separate disc (IDE)?

Thanks.

kiwi · 11 Jul 2006 at 10:42

silly question, are you running it as sudo?

Una · 11 Jul 2006 at 10:53

Sounds to me like you messed something up at the hard disk setup step...

kiwi said:
silly question, are you running it as sudo?

Eh? He's running the installer so ofc its as root. I think your best bet is to install the bootloaded to the master boot sector of your boot partition (Hard disk). Then use something like boot manager (partician magic one) or some other 3rd party bootloader. As far as I know the windows boot loader wont be able to do it.

You could also skip installing to the MBR in the install and boot it using a floppy/cd. Then you could edit your lilo/grub config when booted into your install and it may work that way.

Inquisitor · 11 Jul 2006 at 11:09

Thanks for the replies.

If it's of any use to know, I followed Mpemba Effect's guide (here ) in setting up the partitions for linux, only it was on a separate disc that I use for storage. Since Windows and Ubuntu have been installed to separate discs, would it not be possible to change the OS that loads on boot simply by changing the disc boot order in the BIOS?

Installing it to a floppy would be a bit inconvenient to me as there's no space left in my computer for a floppy drive

How would I install a 3rd party boot loader, wouldn't this require going back into Windows? My computer is still sitting on the Ubuntu installation menu at the moment, as I'm afraid that if I do anything wrong it'll roll over and die

Una · 11 Jul 2006 at 11:17

Inquisitor said:
Thanks for the replies.

Since Windows and Ubuntu have been installed to separate discs, would it not be possible to change the OS that loads on boot simply by changing the disc boot order in the BIOS?

Yeah, thats the best idea really, so long as you install lilo/grub to the MBR of the correct disk. I thought that was the problem you were having though.

Remember to toggle the partician you want to boot as bootable in the partician step. I recomend letting the ubuntu installer partician the disk automatically (just make sure you select the correct disk!

), as it makes good use of the space you have available and sets up the correct flags.

Inquisitor said:
How would I install a 3rd party boot loader, wouldn't this require going back into Windows? My computer is still sitting on the Ubuntu installation menu at the moment, as I'm afraid that if I do anything wrong it'll roll over and die

Eek yeah, if you did that you would have to go back into windows

If you skip installing a boot loader at this time you should be able to boot it with the CD and mount your root partician. Then run lilo once you are booted inside your chosen enviroment. It will give you more flexibility (and complexity

) than the ubuntu install will do.

Inquisitor · 11 Jul 2006 at 11:38

Una said:
Yeah, thats the best idea really, so long as you install lilo/grub to the MBR of the correct disk. I thought that was the problem you were having though.

Remember to toggle the partician you want to boot as bootable in the partician step. I recomend letting the ubuntu installer partician the disk automatically (just make sure you select the correct disk! ), as it makes good use of the space you have available and sets up the correct flags.

I chose to edit the partition table manually as there is already an NTFS partition on the IDE disc full of things that I really don't want to lose, and I wasn't sure what the installer would do to this. Is it safe to let the installer set things up itself?

Una said:
Eek yeah, if you did that you would have to go back into windows

If you skip installing a boot loader at this time you should be able to boot it with the CD and mount your root partician. Then run lilo once you are booted inside your chosen enviroment. It will give you more flexibility (and complexity ) than the ubuntu install will do.

Ok, I'll probably try this. Do you know of any guides? As I've said this is my first attempt at using Linux, so I'm not that familiar with how it works

Una · 11 Jul 2006 at 11:49

Inquisitor said:
I chose to edit the partition table manually as there is already an NTFS partition on the IDE disc full of things that I really don't want to lose, and I wasn't sure what the installer would do to this. Is it safe to let the installer set things up itself?

As far as I remember in ubuntu dapper latest version, you select the disk you want. Go to manually edit partition table, then delete the ext3/swap ones you have just made, and you will be left with just NTFS partition and free space. Then you can select the free space, and select auto allocate the free space.
That should do it. It will give you an option before you write changes to disk so you can check. I would try this first really.

Not sure about guides I don't run Ubuntu my self (Arch linux here). I think there may be a recovery option on the ubuntu cd?

EDIT: At the cd boot menu you can type rescue.

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper

Mpemba Effect's guide is old now, the new installer gives you the option to install it in unallocated space.

Inquisitor · 11 Jul 2006 at 12:00

Ok, I'll let the installer handle the partitions and see if that works

Una · 11 Jul 2006 at 12:04

Its worth a shot.. Both boot loader error msgs are very little to go on. So I can't really help with what the problem is there. As always I hope you made backups when doing this sort of stuff

Inquisitor · 11 Jul 2006 at 12:14

Bah, didn't work

I'll just have to try booting from the CD.

I can't make a backup either, as I have a total of around 200GB on my discs, so I have nowhere else for it to go

leezer3 · 11 Jul 2006 at 14:08

The RAID array is almost certainly the cause of the problems here. I suspect the installer is attempting to install into the MBR of the first BIOS drive, & this is causing problems. The first step is to find out what partition Ubuntu has actually been installed on- When you know this unplug the RAID array & boot up with any LiveCD . You then want to setup GRUB manually from the command line like this:

Code:

sudo grub
root (hd0,0)  (Replace with the HDD & partition where Ubuntu is installed)
setup hd0  (Replace with the HDD number where Grub is installed)

Then switch the primary boot drive to the IDE- With any luck Grub should have detected the Windows partition & should be able to chainload it (It shouldn't need drivers for this).

-Leezer-

Inquisitor · 11 Jul 2006 at 16:26

Got it working now

I just ran the installer in the Live CD environment and then used the partitions that had been made previously.