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Thread: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

  1. #1
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    Aug 2014
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    Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Hi,
    I know this question is asked many times, but I can't solve it with the given answers
    (and if I try too much without knowing what I'm doing I will make it worse )
    I hope you guys can help me now I post my own grub-repair log.

    I have windows 8.1 installed, and want to dualboot it with elementeryos,
    I created a, logical partition (50gb), then install elementeryOS from my usb, I selected "install alongside"
    so far no problems, a installation without any problems.
    but when I reboot my laptop I'm not seeing the grub2 bootloader.
    with grub boot repair liveCD I can't install it.

    here is the log from the ubuntu-repair-cd: http://paste.ubuntu.com/9938930/
    and here a screenshot of my partitions (gparted): http://i.imgur.com/ZedKvyS.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    7,383

    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    The boot repair output shows you are using the Legacy MBR BIOS rather than UEFI/GPT. You have 2 windows partitions at the beginning of the drive. The first might be your boot partition and the second much larger probably contains the windows system files. The reason you can't boot Elementary is because you have windows boot code in the master boot record of your hard drive. A default windows installation is incapable of recognizing much less booting a Linux operating system. Your options are to either obtain some third party software to install on windows which will enable booting Linux, or install the Grub bootloader to the master boot record of the drive which you can do with the boot repair medium.

  3. #3
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    Aug 2014
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    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Thank you yancek!
    with the ubuntu boot-repair cd I could only install grub2 to sda5.
    and what you said is right:
    sda1 = windows boot
    sda2 = windows8.1 installation + data
    sda3 = elementeryOS (sda5 = elementeryOS sda6 = swap partition)

    so I have to install Grub to my sda1 I guess? but I can't do that with boot-repair .
    is there another tool that might work?

  4. #4
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    Kubuntu

    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Moved to Other OS sub-forum.

    You install to sda, or the MBR of sda which is not any partition. Partitions are sda1, sda2 etc.
    And you never install grub to a NTFS partition as that breaks Windows.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    Xubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    No, you do not put grub into sda1, nor into any partition, you need it in the root of a disk, in your case /dev/sda. See if you can do that with Boot-Repair.

    Is your ElementaryOS based on Ubuntu 12.04 as it appears from your pastebin link? It may be better to use 14.04 as it seems to work much better with Win 8.1, or it does with UEFI, though that may not be so when using legacy BIOS and MBR.

  6. #6
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    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Quote Originally Posted by oldfred View Post
    Moved to Other OS sub-forum.

    You install to sda, or the MBR of sda which is not any partition. Partitions are sda1, sda2 etc.
    And you never install grub to a NTFS partition as that breaks Windows.
    thanks for moving.
    I tried dualbooting win8.1 with official ubuntu, but that had the exact same result.

    I think my laptop is using the windowsbootloader, but it should use the grub2 bootloader,
    but I can't install my grub2 with ubuntu-boot-repair.
    If I look in the ubuntu pastebin I see that grub2 is installed on sda5.
    How can I get sda5 as my bootloader?


    edit:
    thanks for the advice , I will try it again with the latest ubuntu version: 14.04.

  7. #7
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    Jun 2014
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    7,383

    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Your windows installation seems to be using Legacy MBR to boot rather than the UEFI/GPT standard with windows 8. In that case, you need to install Grub2 to /dev/sda which will put it on the master boot record. The link below explains several method including using the boot repair. Almost all the Grub files will be on your partition which is sda5 but you need some of the code in the mbr which your boot repair output specifically indicates is windows code.

    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Gr..._Broken_System

  8. #8
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    Aug 2014
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    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Quote Originally Posted by yancek View Post
    Your windows installation seems to be using Legacy MBR to boot rather than the UEFI/GPT standard with windows 8. In that case, you need to install Grub2 to /dev/sda which will put it on the master boot record. The link below explains several method including using the boot repair. Almost all the Grub files will be on your partition which is sda5 but you need some of the code in the mbr which your boot repair output specifically indicates is windows code.

    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Gr..._Broken_System
    I tried to install elementeryOS again, and now I could choose where I want to install the bootloader.
    here you can see my 4 options (where my mouse is) : http://i.imgur.com/nPRwiH5.jpg
    this is how I installed it: http://i.imgur.com/yhSyN2o.jpg
    but still no grub bootloader.

    I also tried to add it manually to my mbr bootloader with easyBCD, but that didn't work.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Kubuntu

    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    Grub2 does not recommend installing to a partition boot sector. It is designed to boot from MBR if using BIOS. Again the MBR is sda, boot sector of the drive sda, not sda5 or any other partition's boot sector.
    EasyBCD is a a work around for Windows as Windows will only boot Windows. It requires grub to be installed to a partition boot sector and then you set BCD to load grub4dos to chain load to grub2 in partition boot sector.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
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    14

    Re: Dualboot with win8.1, no grub2

    I installed ubuntu 14.04 , it installed correctly, on the same partitions as elementaryOS, the bootloader on SDA
    and it booted with grub!
    but my pc booted directly to ubuntu, no dualboot screen.
    It's more than with elementaryOS, but still no dualboot

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