PDA

View Full Version : [ubuntu] GRUB2 not installing to external hard drive



1beerbaron
August 10th, 2011, 12:55 AM
I tried doing a search and couldn't find anything relatively recent on the topic so here is my question.

I am fairly new to the linux world and am in the process of trying out a couple different distributions. I am doing this by installing them to an external hard drive. This allows me to test them out without affecting my main system in any way. I have already tried openSUSE and it installed with no problems. I am trying to install Ubuntu, however when the installation tries to install GRUB2 it fails asking me for a different location to install it to.

When installing I unhook all drives from the computer except for the dvd drive, usb drive I'm installing from, and the external hard drive I am trying to install Ubuntu to. I'm not sure what else may be of use.

Thanks in advance.

zealibib slaughter
August 10th, 2011, 01:01 AM
you need to specify your partitions manually (advanced mode). There you can specify where to install grub.

1beerbaron
August 10th, 2011, 01:04 AM
I did that and it still comes back with that error.

Basher101
August 10th, 2011, 01:07 AM
I got your solution, must make screens..

Basher101
August 10th, 2011, 01:11 AM
So, you start the installer and choose the something else.
Then you need to specify the Drive for the Bootloader like on screen 2.
Then you click on your hard drive /dev/sda at the bottom and select /dev/sdb for the bootloader (assuming ONLY your hard drive and USB drive are connected). That should install the bootloader to your usb drive.

1beerbaron
August 10th, 2011, 02:26 AM
That's what I'm doing. I even unhooked my internal hard drive so that the only one attached is the external. So there is only one hard drive for it to choose in the first place.

YesWeCan
August 10th, 2011, 11:43 AM
You are trying all the right things. Work-around time.
Try installing grub to the root partition on the external drive, eg: sdc1
boot live cd
sudo mount /dev/sdc1
sudo grub-install --force --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sdc

then make the root partition active (bootable) in the MBR partition table
sudo sfdisk /dev/sdc -A1

then try booting the external drive
once booted into Ubuntu, try
sudo fdisk -l to check the disk name, I'll assume it is still sdc
sudo grub-install /dev/sdc


See if that works.

Basher101
August 10th, 2011, 11:46 AM
must it not be /dev/sdb ? Unless he has other drives it should be sdb.

YesWeCan
August 10th, 2011, 11:50 AM
must it not be /dev/sdb ? Unless he has other drives it should be sdb.
Yes, it could be. I dont have much confidence in what a particular bios will name an external disk. But you are probably right and I should have chosen sdb1 as a better example. Actually, as the OP only has the external connected it may well be sda.

sudo fdisk -l can be used to see the disk and partition numbers.

Basher101
August 10th, 2011, 11:56 AM
Yes, it could be. I dont have much confidence in what a particular bios will name an external disk. But you are probably right and I should have chosen sdb1 as a better example. Actually, as the OP only has the external connected it may well be sda.

sudo fdisk -l can be used to see the disk and partition numbers.

exactly. I installed a backup live CD to a 4 gb usb stick and a whole installation on a 8 gb stick. I will mess around with my 8 gig stick at school tho >: )