Loading Operating System ... Read Error

[bmaster001]

Hi,

I have a computer with the following disks:

/dev/sda: SSD disk where I want to install Ubuntu 12.10
/dev/sdb: SSD disk with Windows 7
/dev/sdc: "normal" disk with data

I created a usb boot disk with the ubuntu iso, and installed ubuntu to /dev/sda. Grub was also installed to /dev/sda. Now when I reboot after the installation, I only get the message "Loading Operating System ... Read Error", white letters on black background, right after the bios info. No sign of grub. I guess it's a bios error. With the help of the dutch Ubuntu forums, I tried several things yet:

- when I leave the usb stick inserted while booting from harddisk, it works.
- that brought me to this topic: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1903015. The solution there was to upgrade the bios, so I tried that, but it didn't help
- I recreated the installation stick in different ways (different tools, from within windows or ubuntu): no succes
- I tried to re-install grub with rescatux or from within ubuntu: no luck
- In the bios I changed from AHCI to IDE mode: grub works now, but I can't boot windows anymore because that was installed in ahci mode
- I tried boot-repair (http://paste.ubuntu.com/5601888/) which gave me a slightly different error: "error: no such device: 71eeb5f0-bcc6-49a8-b9a4-1fee266b58ec" followed by a "grub rescue" prompt
- boot-repair says "The boot files of [The OS now in use - Ubuntu 12.10] are far from the start of the disk". So I tried reinstalling ubuntu: first a /boot partition and then a root and swap partition. That gave me the original error again.

I'm running out of ideas now An option would be to leave the stick inserted at all times, but I would prefer a "real" solution. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

PS: If I forgot any important details, just let me know.. I've been messing around with this for a week now, so I could have forgotten something
PPS: I'm' not using a UEFI bios. This is the url for my motherboard drivers: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...?pid=4015#bios. I'm using bios version "FD".


Thanks,
Tom

[bmaster001]

I know it's not polite to bump your own thread, but I see lots of replies from very smart people in other topics... Is my problem so exotic or difficult that nobody has any ideas?

[bmaster001]

Come on guys, someone? please? I really want to start using linux again, but this problem drives me crazy

[oldfred]

Normally Boot-Repair just works. And Ubuntu works with AHCI on.
The issues with large drives has been where the boot files are beyond 100GB on drive. Your 120GB SSD with swap is not all that large.
I do have this in my notes and see that Boot-Repair added the ata boot parameter.
Out of disk error add to grub install disk-module=ata or use Boot-Repair ATA Disk support

But it looks like grub installed in an embedded mode. i just do not know if with the ATA setting if that is how it installs. But I would not think you need that.

Both your flash drive which says gpt in one place and errors in another and your sdc1 seems to have mounting issues. I might run chkdsk from Windows on sdc1. Grub has to search system even though it knows where it is booting from, so perhaps not being able to search sdc1 is causing issues.


Do SSD need customization?
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1981478
Arch suggests gpt for SSD. Only if installing Windows on older system may you want MBR as Windows only boots from gpt with UEFI.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Solid_State_Drives
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2003022
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/ssd

[bmaster001]

Thanks for the reply!

I ran chkdisk, but it didn't find any problems on sdc1.
The boot-repair log I linked to, is from a couple of days ago, and since then I tried reinstalling ubuntu a few times. Maybe it's more helpful if I try a fresh install again, and run boot-repair again? If so, I have some questions:

1) Do I really need the swap space? (I have 8 GB RAM)
2) Is it ok if I create one one big root-partition on the ssd disk? So no seperate /boot partition and things like that?
3) Can you tell me what options you would suggest in boot-repair?
4) what's the best way to start boot-repair: I can boot to my ubuntu using the supergrub cd and run from there? Or is there a better way?
5) Would you suggest upgrading my bios to uefi?

There's a lot of info in the links you post... but most info is for finetuning ubuntu/linux for use with ssd disks. I think I have to make it boot first , before I can start finetuning...

[oldfred]

You many never use swap with 8GB of RAM, but I still suggest some. Maybe 2GB. Some have said system may boot flaster as it does not have to search for swap, timeout and then work. Also if you want to hibernate swap has to be the size of RAM in GiB or larger than 8GB by 10 or 20%.

Since SSD is only 120GB I would think it should work. My SSD is 60GB but I split it in two so I have two / (root) partitions for different installs. All my data is on rotating drives. And I have an operating system on every drive.

Changing to UEFI now is a huge complications. Windows only boots with UEFI from gpt partitioned drives, so you would have to totally erase & reformat drives. I use gpt for all my new Ubuntu drives, but only have BIOS and do not use them to Boot Windows. In fact my old XP will not even read gpt partitioned drives, so I had to stop using XP. It was more due to the SSD needed the AHCI setting in BIOS to support trim and my XP does not have AHCI drivers.

Are you able to boot with Supergrub? If so reinstall grub from inside your install.

#to get grub2 to remember where to reinstall on updates:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc
sudo dp#Enter thru first pages,spacebar to choose/unchoose drive, enter to accept, do not choose partitions


I only run Boot-Repair for BootInfo reports, so I am not sure what options your system may need.

[bmaster001]

I can indeed boot with supergrub. I tried reinstalling grub with:

sudo grub-install –boot-directory=/boot /dev/sda

and then another time with

sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc

but in both cases the error stays the same

[oldfred]

Grub does not use boot flag. But a few BIOS have to have a boot flag on a primary partition, assumes Windows?
Do you have a boot flag on a primary partition? Error may be from BIOS.

[bmaster001]

I just retried installing ubuntu using 2GB swap space, and one large partition for root mountpoint.
There's a bootflag on /dev/sda1 (see screenshot), and one on /dev/sdb1 (the Windows system reserved partition).

[oldfred]

And you still get same errors?

And either Supergrub or an entry from flash drive will boot, but MBR will not? Very Strange.

I would make sure system is in AHCI mode and remove the ATA option.