Can't install grub. OS not bootable.

[darkod]

Remove Flexnet?

The message says the software stores something there and grub is avoiding it. My guess is overwriting doesn't work as long as Flexnet is not removed too. There is not much point in security protection that you can easily overwrite.

Try removing Flexnet, then reinstalling grub2.

[wagoner]

darknod, if the bios is protecting the MBR somehow, that might explain the problem. I spent some time in the bios screen trying to change the boot order to /dev/sdb, but I didn't see anything about protecting the MBR. Also, I attempted to remove flexnet with dd, and that didn't work.

I opened up the box and switched the hard drives around, so that the slave is now the master. /dev/sdb is now /dev/sda. I didn't reinstall anything, but lubuntu boots and runs fine. Is this ok?

Also, I performed the hard drive self diagnostics using smartmontools. Can anyone interpret these results for me?

Is this drive bad? Keep in mind that this was /dev/sda in my previous posts, but it is now /dev/sdb because it has been switched.

fred@beershelf:~$ sudo smartctl --attributes --log=selftest /dev/sdb
[sudo] password for fred: 
smartctl 5.43 2012-06-30 r3573 [i686-linux-3.5.0-21-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-12 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 10
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x000f   055   051   006    Pre-fail  Always       -       87704485
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0003   098   097   000    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   020    Old_age   Always       -       0
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   100   100   036    Pre-fail  Always       -       17
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x000f   089   060   030    Pre-fail  Always       -       889151690
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   053   053   000    Old_age   Always       -       41674
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0013   100   100   097    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   020    Old_age   Always       -       190
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   034   040   000    Old_age   Always       -       34
195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered  0x001a   055   051   000    Old_age   Always       -       87704485
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0012   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       11
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0010   100   100   000    Old_age   Offline      -       11
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x003e   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0000   100   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
202 Data_Address_Mark_Errs  0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Short offline       Completed without error       00%         1         -

The raw read errors rate is pretty high, so I assume that is bad.

And here is the other drive with lubuntu installed and working. It says read failure on the extended offline test. What do you think?

fred@beershelf:~$ sudo smartctl --attributes --log=selftest /dev/sda
smartctl 5.43 2012-06-30 r3573 [i686-linux-3.5.0-21-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-12 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   234   234   063    Pre-fail  Always       -       5836
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       225
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   242   242   063    Pre-fail  Always       -       29
  6 Read_Channel_Margin     0x0001   253   253   100    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
  8 Seek_Time_Performance   0x0027   249   228   187    Pre-fail  Always       -       32938
  9 Power_On_Minutes        0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       232h+01m
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x002b   253   252   157    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x002b   253   252   223    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   250   250   000    Old_age   Always       -       1338
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
194 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       54
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0008   252   252   000    Old_age   Offline      -       1
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0008   252   252   000    Old_age   Offline      -       1
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0008   252   252   000    Old_age   Offline      -       1
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0008   199   199   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
201 Soft_Read_Error_Rate    0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       2
202 Data_Address_Mark_Errs  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
203 Run_Out_Cancel          0x000b   253   252   180    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
204 Soft_ECC_Correction     0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
205 Thermal_Asperity_Rate   0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
207 Spin_High_Current       0x002a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
208 Spin_Buzz               0x002a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
209 Offline_Seek_Performnce 0x0024   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
 99 Unknown_Attribute       0x0004   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
100 Unknown_Attribute       0x0004   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
101 Unknown_Attribute       0x0004   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       40%       217         8253448
# 2  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       40%       217         8253448
# 3  Short offline       Completed without error       00%         1         -

Please have a look at the smartmontools results.

[oldfred]

I do not know details of tests, but just look at what it reports as the overall. Or green is good and anything else is time for a new drive.