11.04 grub bootloader failed installation

[sdalezman]

Hey I am a Linux noob and I am currently trying to install 11.04 on my Sony Z series. When I tried to install, I decided to go ahead and erase Windows 7 thinking it would be an easy install and because I was sick of windows. The installer crashes because the bootloader failed to install. This is the error that I receive "grub-install/dev/sda" failed this is a fatal error." But it also tells me "Installation has finished. You can continue testing Ubuntu now..." and allows me to restart or continue testing even though the installation failed. I know other people have had this problem, but I can't seem to find a solution that works. Thanks in advance for all the help!

[Quackers]

Welcome to UF
Please boot from the Ubuntu Live cd/usb and select "try ubuntu" then when the desktop is loaded make sure you have an internet connection and go to the site below and download the boot script. This will give you a zip file which should be extracted in the same directory as it was downloaded. This produces a folder which contains the script and a changelog file.
You then need to cd to that directory in the terminal (for example
cd Downloads/boot_info_script060 if you downloaded it to your Downloads folder). You don't need to do that if you downloaded it to your home folder.
Then enter

sudo bash boot_info_script.sh

This will produce a results.txt file in the same directory as the downloaded boot script. Please copy the contents of that file and paste them in your next post between CODE tags. For CODE tags click on New Reply (not quick reply)and then click on the # symbol in the toolbar.
This will give a full overview of your current system.
Thanks.

http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/

[sdalezman]

Boot Info Script 0.60 from 17 May 2011


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

=> Syslinux MBR (4.04 and higher) is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.
=> No boot loader is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdb.
=> No boot loader is installed in the MBR of
/dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0.

sda1: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: vfat
Boot sector type: SYSLINUX 4.04 2011-04-18
Boot sector info: Syslinux looks at sector 2010 of /dev/sda1 for its
second stage. SYSLINUX is installed in the directory.
The integrity check of the ADV area failed. No errors
found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /syslinux/syslinux.cfg
/boot/grub/core.img /ldlinux.sys

sdb1: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system:
Boot sector type: Unknown
Boot sector info:
Mounting failed: mount: unknown filesystem type ''

sdb2: __________________________________________________ ________________________

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

isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume01: __________________________________________________ _____

File system:
Boot sector type: Unknown
Boot sector info:
Mounting failed: mount: unknown filesystem type ''
mount: unknown filesystem type ''

isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume02: __________________________________________________ _____

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

isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume05: __________________________________________________ _____

File system:
Boot sector type: Unknown
Boot sector info:
Mounting failed: mount: unknown filesystem type ''
mount: unknown filesystem type ''
mount: unknown filesystem type ''

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

Drive: sda __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/sda: 4022 MB, 4022337024 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 489 cylinders, total 7856127 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Partition Boot Start Sector End Sector # of Sectors Id System

/dev/sda1 * 38 7,839,719 7,839,682 b W95 FAT32


Drive: sdb __________________________________________________ ___________________

Partition Boot Start Sector End Sector # of Sectors Id System

/dev/sdb1 512 242,369,023 242,368,512 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 242,369,534 250,081,791 7,712,258 5 Extended
Invalid MBR Signature found.
EBR refers to a location outside the hard drive.

/dev/sdb1 ends after the last sector of /dev/sdb
/dev/sdb2 ends after the last sector of /dev/sdb

Drive: isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0 __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0: 128.0 GB, 128041877504 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 15566 cylinders, total 250081792 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Partition Boot Start Sector End Sector # of Sectors Id System

/dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume01 512 242,369,023 242,368,512 83 Linux
/dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume02 242,369,534 250,081,791 7,712,258 5 Extended
/dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume05 242,369,536 250,081,791 7,712,256 82 Linux swap / Solaris


"blkid" output: __________________________________________________ ______________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0p1 ce8c565b-170c-4578-a5d6-a77732542821 ext4
/dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0p5 df7a3486-8af3-411b-91f1-5052a024cdb5 swap
/dev/sda1 08A0-510D vfat PENDRIVE
/dev/sdb isw_raid_member
/dev/sdc isw_raid_member

========================= "ls -R /dev/mapper/" output: =========================

/dev/mapper:
control
isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0
isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0p1
isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume0p5

================================ Mount points: =================================

Device Mount_Point Type Options

/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)
/dev/sda1 /cdrom vfat (rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=cp437, iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro)


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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

if loadfont /boot/grub/font.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=auto
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod gfxterm
terminal_output gfxterm
fi

set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray

menuentry "Try Ubuntu without installing" {
set gfxpayload=keep
linux /casper/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
initrd /casper/initrd.lz
}
menuentry "Install Ubuntu" {
set gfxpayload=keep
linux /casper/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity quiet splash --
initrd /casper/initrd.lz
}
menuentry "Check disc for defects" {
set gfxpayload=keep
linux /casper/vmlinuz boot=casper integrity-check quiet splash --
initrd /casper/initrd.lz
}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

========================= sda1/syslinux/syslinux.cfg: ==========================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# D-I config version 2.0
include menu.cfg
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
timeout 50

# If you would like to use the new menu and be presented with the option to install or run from USB at startup, remove # from the following line. This line was commented out (by request of many) to allow the old menu to be presented and to enable booting straight into the Live Environment!
# ui gfxboot bootlogo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

GiB - GB File Fragment(s)

?? = ?? boot/grub/core.img 1
?? = ?? boot/grub/grub.cfg 1

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

GiB - GB File Fragment(s)

?? = ?? ldlinux.sys 1
?? = ?? syslinux/gfxboot.c32 1
?? = ?? syslinux/syslinux.cfg 1
?? = ?? syslinux/vesamenu.c32 1

============== sda1: Version of COM32(R) files used by Syslinux: ===============

syslinux/gfxboot.c32 : COM32R module (v4.xx)
syslinux/vesamenu.c32 : COM32R module (v4.xx)

======================== Unknown MBRs/Boot Sectors/etc: ========================

Unknown BootLoader on sdb1


Unknown BootLoader on sdb2


Unknown BootLoader on isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume01


Unknown BootLoader on isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume02


Unknown BootLoader on isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume05



=============================== StdErr Messages: ===============================

boot_info_script.sh: line 1579: [: 2.73495e+09: integer expression expected
hexdump: /dev/sdb1: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/sdb1: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/sdb2: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/sdb2: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume01: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume01: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume02: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume02: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume05: No such file or directory
hexdump: /dev/mapper/isw_bcfhiaddee_Volume05: No such file or directory

[Quackers]

I'm trying to make sense out of your system?
It seems that your system is using Intel raid, but you have only one hard drive! Is that correct? Have you taken a drive out?

[sdalezman]

So I think I have only one drive (at least I bought it thinking it was one 128 GB SSD), but when it boots it says that there is a device in port 0 and 2 each with 59.6 GB. I have not taken any drive out.

[Quackers]

If you go into your bios is there a raid array shown? Or alternatively press ctrl + I during boot to display any Intel raid settings.

[sdalezman]

So it seems like there is an raid array, it says RAID(0) and in the BIOS I saw that I have 2 hard drives each with 64 GB

[Quackers]

I suggest you have a think about this :-)
I had a similar situation (but without SSD's) and I already had Windows installed in the raid array.
After much thought (and a long story that need not be detailed here) I decided to delete the raid array and re-install Windows and Ubuntu.
That means that you will then have 2 separate hard drives of 64GB each. They will not be in raid so input/output will be slower (in theory).
In practice I notice absolutely no difference whatsoever.

It certainly simplifies things as far as installing of operating systems is concerned.

Be aware though that if you delete the raid array in bios you will lose everything on the drives, which probably isn't a problem at the moment for you.
You can then install Ubuntu normally to what will then be /dev/sda

[sdalezman]

What will deleting the RAID array exactly do? What it then be easier to install ubuntu on one hard drive and windows 7 on the other? What if I wanted Ubuntu on both (do you suggest I not do that)?

[Quackers]

RAID0 is supposed to speed up the reading/writing process to hard drives. It is also called "striped" and it means that half of the data is written to one disc and half is simultaneously written to the other disc, thereby speeding things up. In practice it doesn't quite do that, but that's a long story.
The downside of RAID0 is that if one drive fails you lose everything, as only half the original data is left and is therefore unreadable.

Deleting the raid array means that raid is no longer active and your two drives become totally separate again.
You can have as many operating systems as you want on each disc.
I currently have 2 on one disc and 4 on the other.
I have noticed no difference in speed at all.

[sdalezman]

Thank you so much for all your help! :D I have successfully installed ubuntu (first time i have installed a linux os). Now it is time to figure out why i received an error message saying my hardware isn't compatible with unity one

[Quackers]

Well done :-)
The error message is because you won't have 3D graphics drivers installed yet.
Run Additional Drivers and see if drivers are found for your graphics card.

[sdalezman]

I went to System -> Additional Driver and it says my Nvidia accelerated graphics driver is activated but not currently in use. This is what it says regarding that drive:
3D-accelerated proprietary graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. Required if you want to run Unity.

This driver is required to fully utilise the 3D potential of NVIDIA graphics cards, as well as provide 2D acceleration of newer cards.

You need to install this driver if you wish to use the Unity desktop, enable desktop effects, or run software that requires 3D acceleration, such as some games.

It only gives me the option to remove the driver, should I do that and then reinstall the driver? Or how do I make it that the graphics driver become to being in use?

[Quackers]

What graphics card are you running please?

[sdalezman]

nVidia GeForce GT 330M

[Quackers]

I think the nvidia-current (recommended) driver is the correct one for that card - if you want a proprietary driver. You should de-activate any other driver before activating the nvidia-current. You need to reboot after activating it.