9.10 - After updating to .15 Wubi Grub drops to sh:grub>

[Ammond]

I suppose this is a current problem. I've been happily using Ubuntu 9.10 on a Vista laptop. I used WUBI to put in on. After the update to .15 this AM I cannot reboot 9.10. After selecting Ubuntu at the boot prompt the usual menu does not appear. What appears is sh:grub>. Some of the usual commands are available. Others are not. It does not seem to be aware of what WUBI has done in the past. And it does not backup the existing GRUB configuration for later recovery.

I think this is a problem originating in WUBI. It uses nonstandard boot procedure to locate itself on a Windows volume. After the update I suppose GRUB isn't aware of what WUBI has done and deletes the existing configuration and attempts to use a different method.

Is there any way for a WUBI installed 9.10 Linux installation to survive a version update?

Thanks!

Mike Morgan

[darkod]

I'm not sure. This exact issue has already been reported on this forum when upgrading wubi to 31-15.
I guess it goes down to the fact that wubi IS NOT an ubuntu installation. It is just one way to try ubuntu inside windows until you decide to install it properly as dual boot, or not install it at all.
It seems this particular update somehow can't manage to succeed inside windows. That's why, as soon as you have decided that you like Ubuntu enough, a proper install is recommended.

PS. I hope this "problem" will not make you doubt Ubuntu. I have both 64bit and 32bit on my desktop and netbook, and I have updated both versions, they are running just fine. This is some hiccup with the fact that you have to design wubi to work inside windows. I don't think Microsoft helped with that. :)

[Ammond]

I don't doubt Ubuntu. I really like it. Alot!

I'm a long time ******* user who looks at distros from time to time. Ubuntu got me happily engaged with Linux again because I could actually PRINT to my printer without any extra work. :D

I also have 9.10 installed on a 300 Gb external USB drive at home. I use the bios boot selector ( F8 ) to boot it. I use it everyday. I hope I don't have an issue with it. I need that one.

I suppose I need to study dual booting VISTA with 9.10. Got a pointer or two? ;)

Mike

[darkod]

Nothing special to point out. If you are comfortable with manual partitioning that is always the best way to go, you have control over the size of the partitions that will be created.
If you prefer to let ubuntu make the choices and use Side-by-Side option, if your current drive is taken by Vista in full, it will have to make unpartitioned space for Ubuntu, in other words shrink vista.
In that case, i prefer to split the process in few steps:
1. Remove wubi with add/remove programs like any other windows app. That will free the space dedicated to wubi.
2. Defragment in windows.
3. Boot with ubuntu cd, select Try Ubuntu and use Gparted to shrink vista to what ever you need for it.
4. Boot vista few times to let it settle after the shrink, windows is picky about that.
5. When you are confident vista is fine, boot with ubuntu cd again, select Install Ubuntu and now you can use Side-by-Side option or even Use Largest Continuous Free Space. Alternatively use Manual Partitioning to create partitions you want (if you want separate /home for example, you have to go this way).

That's it mostly. It all depends on your partition setup, the more complex it is, the more attention it will need. And a good backup before starting anything of course. :)

[pdjsyc]

Hi, I have the same problem on two different machines. I have also already reported it yesterday on this forum. After some investigation I can see that after automatic update of linux-common and grub from kernel 2.6.31.14 to 2.6.31.15 old kernel is removed but new is not installed. Grub during updated therefore removes ubuntu from the list. In my case i have only Memtest and Windows in Grub. You can check that files removed were from /boot and from /lib/modules Any help other than reinstalling? I have already reinstalled on one machine and it is working for two weeks without update.

[jejones3141]

I'm having this problem as well. Curiously, from the prompt I get, when I tell it cat /boot/grub/grub.* (conf?), all I see is a bunch of '\0' bytes.

[theegyptianwarrior]

Try this:

sh:grub>set root=(loop0)
sh:grub>linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=/dev/sda2* loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro
sh:grub>initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic*
sh:grub>boot

*Substitute your sda partition that contains ubuntu and your linux version

[bigsmitty64]

This is the same problem I'm having. And it happened to me WITHOUT wubi. I did a full install, and got this same thing sh:grub> thats it. So I unistalled, and tried with wubi, to no avail. Is there a fix for this without doing a full install? It doesn't make sense that there wouldn't be a workaround for this , even in wubi.

[mldkfa]

Try this:

sh:grub>set root=(loop0)
sh:grub>linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=/dev/sda2* loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro
sh:grub>initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic*
sh:grub>boot

*Substitute your sda partition that contains ubuntu and your linux version

This worked for me!!! I just change /dev/sda2 to /dev/sda1 (I had only winxp as a primary partition. It got me into ubuntu but now my desktop doesn't show up properly (I'm using netbook version of 9.10). However, I can now launch programs (using alt-f2) and I'm using this to now move ubuntu to a real partition.

Thanks!!!

[meierfra.]

To permanently fix the "sh>grub" problem see:

http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/bootinfoscript/index.php?title=Boot_Problems:Wubi_9.10

[lisham]

Thanks meierfra, it works perfectly :)

[Tubista]

Great! Thank`s!

[akshay2000]

To permanently fix the "sh>grub" problem see:

http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/bootinfoscript/index.php?title=Boot_Problems:Wubi_9.10

I've seen reports of this to work with Ubuntu 10.10. But, it just fails to work for me, don't know why! Any help, please?