Grub Broken

[Mike Loubet]

Hi there,

I upgraded to 11.04 from 10.10. On reboot, the OS wasn't booting and wasn't loading GRUB at all. Reinstalled GRUB using LiveCD, then all I was getting was the grub-rescue command line. Booted using this:

set root=(hdX,Y)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sdXY ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot

I switched to KDE at this point (by installing plasma-desktop and KDE packages, not fresh install). After doing

sudo update-grub

and reinstalling GRUB2 a few times, I can still only boot from the command line, even though the command shows that the kernels are present and menu.lst has been updated:

mike@Sysem76:~$ sudo update-grub
[sudo] password for mike: 
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... none found, skipping ...
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-9-generic
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic
Found GRUB 2: /boot/grub/core.img
Found kernel: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done

Why can't I just boot normally?

(Kubuntu 11.04 64 bit)

[cipherboy_loc]

Are you using Grub Legacy? Also, post /boot/grub/grub.cfg and /boot/grub/menu.lst (which ever you have).


Cipherboy

[wilee-nilee]

Are you using Grub Legacy? Also, post /boot/grub/grub.cfg and /boot/grub/menu.lst (which ever you have).


Cipherboy

Good eye.

So from a booted live Ubuntu cd, thumbdrive, or Ubnutu installation lets see the bootscript read out; in my signature just click on it and follow the instructions. Come back to the thread and click on the (#) in the reply panel this makes code tags paste all the text in between.

[Mike Loubet]

Thanks for the replies

Looking at the package list, I have grub (legacy version) and grub-common. Here's the output:

               Boot Info Script 0.55    dated February 15th, 2010                    

============================= Boot Info Summary: ==============================

 => Grub 2 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda and looks at sector 126092033 
    of the same hard drive for core.img, but core.img can not be found at this 
    location.

sda1: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       ext4
    Boot sector type:  Unknown
    Boot sector info:  
    Operating System:  Ubuntu 11.04
    Boot files/dirs:   /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab 
                       /boot/grub/core.img

sda2: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       Extended Partition
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  

sda5: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       swap
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  

=========================== Drive/Partition Info: =============================

Drive: sda ___________________ _____________________________________________________

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders, total 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Partition  Boot         Start           End          Size  Id System

/dev/sda1    *              1   145,009,765   145,009,765  83 Linux
/dev/sda2         145,009,766   156,301,487    11,291,722   5 Extended
/dev/sda5         145,009,767   156,301,487    11,291,721  83 Linux


blkid -c /dev/null: ____________________________________________________________

Device           UUID                                   TYPE       LABEL                         

/dev/sda1        552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632   ext4                                     
/dev/sda2: PTTYPE="dos" 
/dev/sda5        5abbcc52-f627-41eb-956f-3f811627ebed   swap                                     
/dev/sda: PTTYPE="dos" 

============================ "mount | grep ^/dev  output: ===========================

Device           Mount_Point              Type       Options

/dev/sda1        /                        ext4       (rw,noatime,discard,commit=600,commit=600,commit=0,commit=600,commit=0,commit=600)


=========================== sda1/boot/grub/menu.lst: ===========================

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default		0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout		3

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title		Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root		(hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader	+1
#
# title		Linux
# root		(hd0,1)
# kernel	/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## specify if running in Xen domU or have grub detect automatically
## update-grub will ignore non-xen kernels when running in domU and vice versa
## e.g. indomU=detect
##      indomU=true
##      indomU=false
# indomU=detect

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Ubuntu 11.04, kernel 2.6.38-9-generic
uuid		552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-9-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro quiet splash 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-9-generic

title		Ubuntu 11.04, kernel 2.6.38-9-generic (recovery mode)
uuid		552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-9-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro  single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-9-generic

title		Ubuntu 11.04, kernel 2.6.38-8-generic
uuid		552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro quiet splash 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic

title		Ubuntu 11.04, kernel 2.6.38-8-generic (recovery mode)
uuid		552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro  single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic

title		Chainload into GRUB 2
root		552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
kernel		/boot/grub/core.img

title		Ubuntu 11.04, memtest86+
uuid		552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
kernel		/boot/memtest86+.bin

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

=========================== sda1/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================

#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
  set have_grubenv=true
  load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
  set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
  save_env saved_entry
  set prev_saved_entry=
  save_env prev_saved_entry
  set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
  if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
    saved_entry="${chosen}"
    save_env saved_entry
  fi
}

function recordfail {
  set recordfail=1
  if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}

function load_video {
  insmod vbe
  insmod vga
  insmod video_bochs
  insmod video_cirrus
}

insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
  set gfxmode=auto
  load_video
  insmod gfxterm
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=en_GB
insmod gettext
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
  set timeout=-1
else
  set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
if background_color 0,71,115; then
  clear
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then
  if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
    if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
      if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
        set linux_gfx_mode=keep
      else
        set linux_gfx_mode=text
      fi
    else
      set linux_gfx_mode=text
    fi
  else
    set linux_gfx_mode=keep
  fi
else
  set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-9-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	recordfail
	set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-9-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro   quiet splash vt.handoff=7
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-9-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-9-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	recordfail
	set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	echo	'Loading Linux 2.6.38-9-generic ...'
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-9-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro single 
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-9-generic
}
submenu "Previous Linux versions" {
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	recordfail
	set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro   quiet splash vt.handoff=7
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	recordfail
	set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	echo	'Loading Linux 2.6.38-8-generic ...'
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro single 
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-28-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	recordfail
	set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-28-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro   quiet splash vt.handoff=7
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-28-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-28-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	recordfail
	set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	echo	'Loading Linux 2.6.35-28-generic ...'
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-28-generic root=UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632 ro single 
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-28-generic
}
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	linux16	/boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632
	linux16	/boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
if [ "x${timeout}" != "x-1" ]; then
  if keystatus; then
    if keystatus --shift; then
      set timeout=-1
    else
      set timeout=0
    fi
  else
    if sleep --interruptible 3 ; then
      set timeout=0
    fi
  fi
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries.  Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment.  Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f  $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
  source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###

=============================== sda1/etc/fstab: ===============================

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier
# for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name
# devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc	/proc	proc	nodev,noexec,nosuid	0	0
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=552496e2-92cc-4e0f-87c0-322edc0cb632	/	ext4 noatime,discard,	errors=remount-ro	0	1	# /dev/sda1
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=5abbcc52-f627-41eb-956f-3f811627ebed	none	swap	sw	0	0	# /dev/sda5

=================== sda1: Location of files loaded by Grub: ===================


  64.5GB: boot/grub/core.img
  34.5GB: boot/grub/grub.cfg
  23.5GB: boot/grub/menu.lst
  37.0GB: boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
  37.1GB: boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-9-generic
  23.3GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic
  36.4GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-9-generic
  37.1GB: initrd.img
  37.0GB: initrd.img.old
  36.4GB: vmlinuz
  23.3GB: vmlinuz.old
=========================== Unknown MBRs/Boot Sectors/etc =======================

Unknown BootLoader  on sda1

00000000  eb 63 90 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |.c..............|
00000010  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
*
00000050  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 80 19 06 84 07  |................|
00000060  00 00 00 00 ff fa 90 90  f6 c2 80 74 05 f6 c2 70  |...........t...p|
00000070  74 02 b2 80 ea 79 7c 00  00 31 c0 8e d8 8e d0 bc  |t....y|..1......|
00000080  00 20 fb a0 64 7c 3c ff  74 02 88 c2 52 bb 17 04  |. ..d|<.t...R...|
00000090  80 27 03 74 06 be 88 7d  e8 17 01 be 05 7c b4 41  |.'.t...}.....|.A|
000000a0  bb aa 55 cd 13 5a 52 72  3d 81 fb 55 aa 75 37 83  |..U..ZRr=..U.u7.|
000000b0  e1 01 74 32 31 c0 89 44  04 40 88 44 ff 89 44 02  |..t21..D.@.D..D.|
000000c0  c7 04 10 00 66 8b 1e 5c  7c 66 89 5c 08 66 8b 1e  |....f..\|f.\.f..|
000000d0  60 7c 66 89 5c 0c c7 44  06 00 70 b4 42 cd 13 72  |`|f.\..D..p.B..r|
000000e0  05 bb 00 70 eb 76 b4 08  cd 13 73 0d f6 c2 80 0f  |...p.v....s.....|
000000f0  84 d0 00 be 93 7d e9 82  00 66 0f b6 c6 88 64 ff  |.....}...f....d.|
00000100  40 66 89 44 04 0f b6 d1  c1 e2 02 88 e8 88 f4 40  |@f.D...........@|
00000110  89 44 08 0f b6 c2 c0 e8  02 66 89 04 66 a1 60 7c  |.D.......f..f.`||
00000120  66 09 c0 75 4e 66 a1 5c  7c 66 31 d2 66 f7 34 88  |f..uNf.\|f1.f.4.|
00000130  d1 31 d2 66 f7 74 04 3b  44 08 7d 37 fe c1 88 c5  |.1.f.t.;D.}7....|
00000140  30 c0 c1 e8 02 08 c1 88  d0 5a 88 c6 bb 00 70 8e  |0........Z....p.|
00000150  c3 31 db b8 01 02 cd 13  72 1e 8c c3 60 1e b9 00  |.1......r...`...|
00000160  01 8e db 31 f6 bf 00 80  8e c6 fc f3 a5 1f 61 ff  |...1..........a.|
00000170  26 5a 7c be 8e 7d eb 03  be 9d 7d e8 34 00 be a2  |&Z|..}....}.4...|
00000180  7d e8 2e 00 cd 18 eb fe  47 52 55 42 20 00 47 65  |}.......GRUB .Ge|
00000190  6f 6d 00 48 61 72 64 20  44 69 73 6b 00 52 65 61  |om.Hard Disk.Rea|
000001a0  64 00 20 45 72 72 6f 72  0d 0a 00 bb 01 00 b4 0e  |d. Error........|
000001b0  cd 10 ac 3c 00 75 f4 c3  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |...<.u..........|
000001c0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
*
000001f0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa  |..............U.|
00000200

[cipherboy_loc]

I would recommend updating to Grub2 and seeing if that fixes your issues. Also, is grub-common for grub2? Or did it also exist for Grub-Legacy (and thus was updated with Grub2)?


Cipherboy

[wilee-nilee]

@Mike Loubet you need to purge all of the grubs and install one or the other. Your set up will not work with both in the same OS.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1581099

Notice that the thread has two methods one from inside the OS and one chrooting from a live cd,. If you use a live cd use only one the same as the install. Personally I find grub2 much easier to deal with.

[Mike Loubet]

@Cipherboy - I really don't know. I had thought I had Grub2 installed. Although, when I purged, grub-efi-amd64 had appeared... It may have been from when I was trying different options when I couldn't get the OS to boot normally.

@wilee-nilee - I am now at step 4, and get the option to install GRUB on two devices. When this option came up when doing the update to 11.04, I installed on both, but I would like to consult before choosing the device:

Package configuration                                                           
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
 ┌──────────────────────────┤ Configuring grub-pc ├──────────────────────────┐  
 │ The grub-pc package is being upgraded. This menu allows you to select     │  
 │ which devices you'd like grub-install to be automatically run for, if     │  
 │ any.                                                                      │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │ Running grub-install automatically is recommended in most situations, to  │  
 │ prevent the installed GRUB core image from getting out of sync with GRUB  │  
 │ modules or grub.cfg.                                                      │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │ If you're unsure which drive is designated as boot drive by your BIOS,    │  
 │ it is often a good idea to install GRUB to all of them.                   │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │ Note: it is possible to install GRUB to partition boot records as well,   │  
 │ and some appropriate partitions are offered here. However, this forces    │  
 │ GRUB to use the blocklist mechanism, which makes it less reliable, and    │  
 │ therefore is not recommended.                                             │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │ GRUB install devices:                                                     │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │    [ ] /dev/sda (80026 MB; INTEL_SSDSA2CW080G3)                           │  
 │    [ ] - /dev/sda1 (74244 MB; /)                                          │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │                                                                           │  
 │                                  <Ok>                                     │  
 │                                                                           │  
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[wilee-nilee]

sda is where it goes the mbr.

[Mike Loubet]

When i select SDA, I get this:

"You chose not to install GRUB to any devices. If you continue, the boot │
│ loader may not be properly configured, and when this computer next │
│ starts up it will use whatever was previously in the boot sector. If │
│ there is an earlier version of GRUB 2 in the boot sector, it may be │
│ unable to load modules or handle the current configuration file. │
│ │
│ If you are already using a different boot loader and want to carry on │
│ doing so, or if this is a special environment where you do not need a │
│ boot loader, then you should continue anyway. Otherwise, you should │
│ install GRUB somewhere. │
│ "

[wilee-nilee]

When i select SDA, I get this:

"You chose not to install GRUB to any devices. If you continue, the boot │
│ loader may not be properly configured, and when this computer next │
│ starts up it will use whatever was previously in the boot sector. If │
│ there is an earlier version of GRUB 2 in the boot sector, it may be │
│ unable to load modules or handle the current configuration file. │
│ │
│ If you are already using a different boot loader and want to carry on │
│ doing so, or if this is a special environment where you do not need a │
│ boot loader, then you should continue anyway. Otherwise, you should │
│ install GRUB somewhere. │
│ "

Did you hit the tab to actually mark the sda install...if so, your okay. Reboot if you don't get the grub menu, run the bootscript again, and post it.