HP Pavilion P7-1110 Dual Boot - No GRUB menu?

[csete]

Hello,

I just picked up a new HP P7-1110 with Windows 7 that I want to set up for dual-boot. I've partitioned and installed Ubuntu 11.04 on the machine with no problems. I installed GRUB to the MBR, but it appears that it isn't being loaded. When I reboot, I go direct to Win7. Is there something else I need to do to install GRUB properly on this machine? Do I need to put it in a different partition and, if so, are there things I should be concerned about when doing that?

Thanks so much for any input.
Craig

[Quackers]

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/

[csete]

Here you go. Looking forward to further directions.

Thanks,
Craig



Boot Inf Boot Info Script 0.60 from 17 May 2011


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

=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.

sda1: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD

sda2: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System: Windows 7
Boot files: /Windows/System32/winload.exe

sda3: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /boot/bcd

sda4: __________________________________________________ ________________________

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

sda5: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System: Ubuntu 11.04
Boot files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab

sda6: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: swap
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:

sda7: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files:

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

Drive: sda __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 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 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda2 206,848 105,064,447 104,857,600 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda3 1,929,029,632 1,953,521,663 24,492,032 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda4 105,066,494 1,929,029,631 1,823,963,138 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 105,066,496 205,064,191 99,997,696 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 1,905,029,120 1,929,029,631 24,000,512 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7 205,066,240 1,905,018,879 1,699,952,640 83 Linux


"blkid" output: __________________________________________________ ______________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 0CFC8212FC81F66C ntfs SYSTEM
/dev/sda2 EC1092291091FAB2 ntfs OS
/dev/sda3 2E1215581215267D ntfs HP_RECOVERY
/dev/sda5 f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 ext4
/dev/sda6 1a4ef0a8-5e84-4abe-8881-85b6d5cf75ff swap
/dev/sda7 cbd7b1a7-08af-4932-9d8f-9493bea8b993 ext4

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

Device Mount_Point Type Options

/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)
/dev/sr0 /cdrom iso9660 (ro,noatime)


=========================== sda5/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
set have_grubenv=true
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}

function load_video {
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
}

insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
if background_color 44,0,30; then
clear
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then
if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.38-8-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 ro single
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 0CFC8212FC81F66C
chainloader +1
}
menuentry "Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda3)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 2E1215581215267D
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=============================== sda5/etc/fstab: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier
# for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name
# devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /home was on /dev/sda7 during installation
UUID=cbd7b1a7-08af-4932-9d8f-9493bea8b993 /home ext4 defaults 0 2
# swap was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=1a4ef0a8-5e84-4abe-8881-85b6d5cf75ff none swap sw 0 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=================== sda5: Location of files loaded by Grub: ====================

GiB - GB File Fragment(s)

64.633674622 = 69.399879680 boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
51.777912140 = 55.596109824 boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic 2
94.232425690 = 101.181296640 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic 1
51.777912140 = 55.596109824 initrd.img 2
94.232425690 = 101.181296640 vmlinuz 1

========= Devices which don't seem to have a corresponding hard drive: =========

sdb sdc sdd sde

o Script 0.60 from 17 May 2011


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

=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.

sda1: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD

sda2: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System: Windows 7
Boot files: /Windows/System32/winload.exe

sda3: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /boot/bcd

sda4: __________________________________________________ ________________________

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

sda5: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System: Ubuntu 11.04
Boot files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab

sda6: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: swap
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:

sda7: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files:

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

Drive: sda __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 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 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda2 206,848 105,064,447 104,857,600 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda3 1,929,029,632 1,953,521,663 24,492,032 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda4 105,066,494 1,929,029,631 1,823,963,138 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 105,066,496 205,064,191 99,997,696 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 1,905,029,120 1,929,029,631 24,000,512 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7 205,066,240 1,905,018,879 1,699,952,640 83 Linux


"blkid" output: __________________________________________________ ______________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 0CFC8212FC81F66C ntfs SYSTEM
/dev/sda2 EC1092291091FAB2 ntfs OS
/dev/sda3 2E1215581215267D ntfs HP_RECOVERY
/dev/sda5 f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 ext4
/dev/sda6 1a4ef0a8-5e84-4abe-8881-85b6d5cf75ff swap
/dev/sda7 cbd7b1a7-08af-4932-9d8f-9493bea8b993 ext4

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

Device Mount_Point Type Options

/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)
/dev/sr0 /cdrom iso9660 (ro,noatime)


=========================== sda5/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
set have_grubenv=true
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}

function load_video {
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
}

insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
if background_color 44,0,30; then
clear
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then
if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.38-8-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 ro single
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 0CFC8212FC81F66C
chainloader +1
}
menuentry "Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda3)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(/dev/sda,msdos3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 2E1215581215267D
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=============================== sda5/etc/fstab: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier
# for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name
# devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=f95b5aac-8cb9-4423-957f-6cec30ccf7b4 / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /home was on /dev/sda7 during installation
UUID=cbd7b1a7-08af-4932-9d8f-9493bea8b993 /home ext4 defaults 0 2
# swap was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=1a4ef0a8-5e84-4abe-8881-85b6d5cf75ff none swap sw 0 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=================== sda5: Location of files loaded by Grub: ====================

GiB - GB File Fragment(s)

64.633674622 = 69.399879680 boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
51.777912140 = 55.596109824 boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic 2
94.232425690 = 101.181296640 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic 1
51.777912140 = 55.596109824 initrd.img 2
94.232425690 = 101.181296640 vmlinuz 1

========= Devices which don't seem to have a corresponding hard drive: =========

sdb sdc sdd sde

[csete]

Does anybody have any insights on what I can do to solve this?

Thanks again,
Craig

[mikewhatever]

All looks good, except Grub is not in the MBR:

=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.

[csete]

Any idea why the installer didn't set up the MBR? What do I need to invoke outside the installer to get GRUB installed in the MBR?

[Quackers]

Please boot from the live cd/usb and select "try Ubuntu" and when the desktop loads open up a terminal and copy/paste these commands in one at a time pressing enter after each one
sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt /dev/sda This should report "Finished. No errors".
If it does, reboot and you should go straight into Ubuntu. If Ubuntu loads please open a terminal again and run
sudo update-grub and watch the screen as grub.cfg is run. The Windows Loader should be recognised. If it is reboot and you should then get a grub menu giving you the choice of which operating system to boot.

[csete]

Unfortunately, that didn't get me there. I didn't get any errors from grub-install, but when I reboot, I end up at the grub prompt rather than within Ubuntu. Not sure if I did something wrong, but I did try twice with the same results.

It does appear I've managed to mess things up though. I can't seem to even boot to the Ubuntu CD anymore... I end up at the grub prompt even if I go through the BIOS boot loader and select the CD drive.

I noticed when I went through the BIOS menu it mentioned UEFI. Is there a chance that that is somehow causing issues.

Thanks again for any help,
Craig

[Quackers]

Yes, UEFI is a different thing.
Does your system use UEFI? I see no mention of it anywhere in the boot script.
If your live cd/usb is not booting when it was doing so previously it suggests that it is not first boot device or that there is a bios problem of some kind.

You could try turning off the machine for a few minutes, then try booting the cd/usb again, or setting your bios back to default settings, temporarily.

[csete]

Unfortunately, that didn't work. There are references to UEFI throughout the BIOS setup screens, so that appears to be the case. Rebooting and resetting BIOS defaults didn't help... I still end up booting to a GRUB prompt no matter what I choose.

Hopefully I've not "bricked" my computer at this point. I'm really unaware of UEFI and how that plays into things. I'm a software engineer, but generally not deep into the hardware aspect of things.

Thanks again,
Craig

[Quackers]

Setting the bios back to default has probably set it to boot from the hard drive. That appears to be what it's doing. Have you tried setting boot priority again to cd drive or usb flash drive, if that's what you are using?
Did UEFI appear to be in use according to your bios?

[csete]

I managed to get booted back into the Ubuntu Live CD. What do I try now? It definitely looks like UEFI is enabled in the BIOS. If I look at boot ordering in the BIOS, it appears that UEFI is ordered before "legacy" devices and that that can't be changed. I can change the order *within* that group, but I can't set "legacy" before UEFI.

What next? How do I deal with UEFI and GRUB?

Thanks,
Craig

[Quackers]

Glad you got the live session booting again.
Sadly I know almost nothing about UEFI systems and how they work, never having owned one.
There are a few threads around which discuss it. In fact I see a couple on this same page. I can only suggest that you use the search function and see what comes up. I'm sorry I can't be of any help because one day we'll all be using UEFI or something like it.
Best of luck! :-)

Actually post #2 here may give you some leads
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1857639

[csete]

Thanks for your help. I guess I will have to do a bit more spelunking now. If I manage to figure out a solution, I will try to remember to post it back to this thread.

[Quackers]

Thank you, that would be beneficial to lots of others in the future.

[csete]

Reading about UEFI, I think my head may explode. Does anyone have an idea how "stable" UEFI support is? I'm reading a lot about building various binaries, which makes me wonder.

[Quackers]

It may be an idea to ensure that you are in fact using UEFI. I don't know how you should do that, but if you can confirm it in some way at least you are then researching something you know that you need, though it does seem likely that UEFI is in use.
If your system is not using UEFI we should look elsewhere for your booting problem.

[csete]

I can definitely see EFI messages in DMESG output. So, it is there. One thing I still want to try to do is see if I can "disable" it... and just use plain BIOS. The other thing I'm planning to try is 11.10 to see if it "just works". After that, I will have to actually start to understand how the pieces fit together for UEFI.

[csete]

After trying a number of different things from throughout the web, I'm currently at my wits end. I have no idea what to do or how to fix my machine at this point. The closest I got was the ArchLinux instructions, but failed with "cannot find a device for / (is /dev mounted?)" when trying to do the "grub-mkconfig -o /boot/efi/efi/grub/grub.cfg".

I honestly have no idea what I'm doing with all of this and I'm worried I've cratered this machine to the point I won't even be able to return it. (I'm still hopeful the Firmware "recovery") function could get it back to factory defaults if necessary). I like the machine, but I'm beginning to believe that UEFI and Ubuntu are not stable enough for a UEFI newbie like me to deal with.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on what I can try? Any way to get this silly machine to boot into Linux? Any help appreciated.

Does anyone know what a reasonable grub.cfg file might look like in this case?

Thanks,
Craig

[oldfred]

While your BIOS may have a UEFI mode, all the new UEFI have a BIOS mode. Your system does not show a efi partition so you must be in BIOS & MBR mode. Windows 7 has to have efi partition, Windows boot partition and be in gpt not MBR to use UEFI.

Ubuntu/grub will boot from BIOS or UEFI. But dual booting with UEFI and grub have some issues that are difficult currently. But those do not seem to be your issues.

Your issues then may be more related to video or parameters in the grub menu that allow booting to continue. The newest i3, i5 & i7 systems need additional settings to work it seems, but I do not know all the details.

What video are you using? What is system specs?

[csete]

oldfred: thanks for jumping in to the conversation. I can use all of the help I can get :-)

I've looked at the "BIOS" settings screen and I'm not seeing anything that would allow me UEFI versus BIOS mode settings. How is that controlled?

This is a new HP machine with a Core I3 processor, so perhaps some of the extra parameters you mentioned might be necessary? Where would I find out more about that?

I've read that legacy GRUB is easier to deal with in this situation? Is that supported in 11.04 or 11.10? If so, how would I deal with it?

For reference, here is my partitions at the moment:



Model: ATA SAMSUNG HD103SJ (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 1000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 106MB 105MB primary fat16 boot
2 106MB 53.8GB 53.7GB primary ntfs
4 53.8GB 988GB 934GB extended
5 53.8GB 105GB 51.2GB logical ext4
7 105GB 975GB 870GB logical ext4
6 975GB 988GB 12.3GB logical linux-swap(v1)
3 988GB 1000GB 12.5GB primary ntfs




Warning: Unable to open /dev/sr0 read-write (Read-only file system). /dev/sr0
has been opened read-only.


Error: Can't have a partition outside the disk!



I've split my root and home directories across the EXT4 partitions. The smaller is the root partition. The FAT16 partition is the EFI partition which I pointed the installer to use when trying to install. Partition 2 is Windows 7 and partition 3 is the recovery partition.

Here is the output from efibootmgr:



** Warning ** : Boot000a is not EFI 1.10 compliant (lowercase hex in name)
** Warning ** : please recreate these using efibootmgr to remove this warning.
BootCurrent: 000A
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 0000,0009,0003,000A,0001,0002,0004,0005,0006,0007
Boot0000* ubuntu HD(1,800,32000,03e10800)File(\EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.e fi)
Boot0001* USB Floppy/CD Vendor(b6fef66f-1495-4584-a836-3492d1984a8d,0500000001)AMBO
Boot0002* USB Hard Drive Vendor(b6fef66f-1495-4584-a836-3492d1984a8d,0200000001)AMBO
Boot0003* ATAPI CD-ROM Drive Vendor(b6fef66f-1495-4584-a836-3492d1984a8d,0300000001)AMBO
Boot0004* Unknown Device BIOS(3,0,00)AMGOAMNOm.......+.h.p. . . . . . .D.V.D. .A. . .D.H.1.6.A.B.S.H.........................rN.D+.., .\.........AMBO
Boot0005* USB Floppy/CD Vendor(b6fef66f-1495-4584-a836-3492d1984a8d,0500000000)AMBO
Boot0006* Hard Drive BIOS(2,0,00)AMGOAMNO].......+.S.A.M.S.U.N.G. .H.D.1.0.3.S.J.........................rN.D+..,.\ .........AMBO
Boot0007* Realtek PXE B06 D00 BIOS(6,0,00)AMBO
Boot0009* GRUB2 HD(1,800,32000,4b6e0800)File(\EFI\grub\grub.efi)
Boot000a* UEFI: hp DVD A DH16ABSH ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(1f,2)03120a000400ffff0000CD-ROM(1,56e3a,400)AMBO



Any insights that you could provide would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Craig

[oldfred]

Your partition table is still MBR(msdos). Windows will only boot with UEFI and gpt partitions. So when installing Ubuntu did you use an UEFI mode and it put grub's files in the 100MB NTFS Windows hidden boot/recovery partition that is sda1 normally. It is now FAT16.

Your original boot script showed the standard MBR Windows install with the NTFS boot partition as sda1. That was MBR mode.

Not sure how system knows if BIOS or UEFI or if it just depends on if files are in a efi partition it uses them (UEFI), if not it boots from MBR (BIOS mode)??

I think you need to eliminate the FAT partition and restore the Windows boot/recovery 100MB boot/recovery. Do you have a backup of that? I understand in efi mode grub often just overwrites a windows efi loader and it is best for UEFI to install Ubuntu first then Windows (just the opposite of BIOS/MBR). Or you have to fully back up the Windows efi partition and copy the files back into the efi partition after grub. But you were not using efi in Windows, just the standard BIOS/MBR.

[csete]

I don't have a specific backup of that partition. I do have the recovery option, which I assume (hope) would reset all of this? I can run that since I don't have anything on this machine that I can't afford to lose at this point. Does that seem like my best next step? Assuming I can get back to a stable Windows 7 (only) boot, does it seem like I should be able to get this machine installed to use GRUB/Linux eventually? My other option is to recover the machine and then just return it... but I do like the machine otherwise.

Thanks again,
Craig

[oldfred]

If it is the vendor recovery then it should restore system to as purchased. Some require you to erase the Linux partitions as it cannot see them and gets confused. Some use just DVDs you created and I believe some use DVD to get started and then use vendor partition.

There is also a Microsoft Windows repairCD. You can recreate the NTFS 100MB partition copy back the bootmgr and a BCD and repair the BCD to be yours. See your first boot script. Depending on what was overwritten testdisk may recover some or all of it also.

Make your own Windows recoveryCD/repair:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/Create-a-system-repair-disc
http://forums.techarena.in/guides-tutorials/1114725.htm

Windows 7 repair USB, Also Vista if service pack installed
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-repair-windows-7-from-usb-flash-drive-repair-without-installation-dvd-disc/
http://www.webupd8.org/2010/10/create-bootable-windows-7-usb-drive.html

[csete]

I think I want to get back to a completely "clean" install. Here's what I'm thinking I will do:

Use gparted to remove all of the extra partitions that I created for Linux
Use gparted to resize the ntfs Win 7 partition back to the original full size
Use recovery to try to get back to an initial state

Assuming that works, I will backup all of the partitions that matter so I have a way back next time

Assuming I get back to a stable state for Win 7 booting, can I get some help to get things set up with Linux after that?

Thanks,
Craig

[csete]

The good news is that set of steps has the machine back to a point where it will boot Win 7 the way it did initially. What information do I need to collect and post here that would help get me set up correctly to dual-boot this machine with 11.10?

Thanks,
Craig

[oldfred]

If you are not using and special Windows software that has DRM or a virus checker that thinks grub is a virus in the MBR, I would use grub2 as the boot loader. It offers to boot Window also.

I like to partition in advance as then I have control over sizes. Best to shrink Windows with Windows MMC, but only create partitions with gparted from the Ubuntu liveCD. I like smaller system partitions - both Windows & Ubuntu and larger partition(s) for data. If sharing with Windows a NTFS partition is a good shared data partition.

For the Total space you want for Ubuntu:
Ubuntu's standard install is just / (root) & swap, but it is better to add another partition for /home:
1. 10-20 GB Mountpoint / primary or logical beginning ext4(or ext3)
2. all but 2 GB Mountpoint /home logical beginning ext4(or ext3)
3. 2 GB Mountpoint swap logical

Depending on how much memory you have you may not absolutely need swap but having some is still recommended. I do not hibernate (boots fast enough for me) but if hibernating then you need swap equal to RAM in GiB not GB. And if dual booting with windows a shared NTFS partition is also recommended. But you usually cannot create that as part of the install, just leave some space. Or partition in advance (recommended).
One advantage of partitioning in advance is that the installer will use the swap space to speed up the install. Thanks Herman for the tip.

If all you data is in a shared NTFS you may not need a separate /home, but if not make the / (root) partition somewhat larger as some data may stay in Ubuntu.

I have not seen any examples with the new version yet. But the install process is the same with minor screen differences.
Install 11.04
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installing
Ubuntu Install steps - then choose guide, close to what you want.
http://members.iinet.net/~herman546/index.html
Installs with good screenshots/examples:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~herman546/p22.html
Install with separate /home from aysiu
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installseparatehome

[csete]

Thanks. I guess my primary concern is that I originally tried an 11.04 installation where I didn't do anything EFI specific and it ended up not booting. That is what led me to thinking I needed to do EFI-specific things. I can certainly take another run at it with a "standard" Ubuntu installation if that makes the most sense, but I'm just wondering if it will work? Is there anything non-standard I would need to specify when going through the installer?

Thanks,
Craig

[oldfred]

In BIOS/MBR mode it is just like any dual boot boot with grub2.

Someday you may want to try UEFI. But grub is not real good yet with UEFI on some systems.

I just like having separate drives for each system as then it is cleaner.

[csete]

Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong the first time through? I'd love to avoid making the same mistakes the second time around.

[oldfred]

From original boot script install looked fine. And the instructions you had to reinstall grub2's boot loader to the MBR seemed as the best solution.

Do you have any thing locking MBR in BIOS? A few computers have that. Sometimes it just takes a reinstall or a full chroot.

Sometimes if system if installed correctly Supergrub bypasses MBR and boots a system so you can reinstall from inside the system.

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/wiki/Main_Page


You manual install Something else to reuse your existing partitions.

[csete]

Latest update...

I used MSFT MMC to shrink my Win 7 partition. I then used gparted to create the partitions (root, home and swap). I set the installer to install bootloader to /dev/sda. When I rebooted the machine, I ended up booting to Win 7. I tried to select each possible boot option from the "BIOS" screen (both UEFI options as well as "legacy") options and they all ended up booting into Windows 7. I never get a GRUB prompt or anything else.

Any thoughts on what I can try next? What information can I capture that would help make better sense of this?

Thanks again,
Craig

[csete]

Another question for the group. Is there a way until I figure out the issues with booting on this system to boot the installed system via CD? Is that what Super Grub 2 is all about?

[csete]

Supergrub 2 worked to boot into the system. Still hopeful people can help me get it to boot correctly without Supergrub, but at least now I can start to set the machine up the way I want it.

Thanks yet again for all of the help thus far and into the future!
Craig

[oldfred]

If you are in system does either of these correctly install grub2's boot loader to the MBR?

sudo grub-install /dev/sda

#to get grub to remember where to reinstall on updates:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc
#Enter thru first pages,spacebar to choose/unchoose drive, enter to accept, do not choose partitions
#To see what drive grub2 uses see this line - grub-pc/install_devices:
sudo debconf-show grub-pc

A run of boot script will tell you if it installed without having to reboot.

[csete]

sudo grub-install /dev/sda

Says installation completed successfully, however I still boot to Win 7 automatically.

The other commands fail because grub-pc is not installed. It appears that grub-efi is installed. Is this a case that the installer is confused and picked EFI instead of BIOS and I should swap to grub-pc?

[oldfred]

Repost boot script.

It may be just that, uninstall grub-efi and install grub-pc. But why did grub think efi was correct?

[csete]

I'm starting to feel a bit better... Don't think this is just me doing something stupid :-) I did nothing different during the install that I would not have done for many installs over the past couple of years. Something in the installer is assuming EFI. The laptop I'm posting this on is a dual-boot Win 7 laptop and had no troubles at all and this install would have been nearly identical.

Here's the boot script output:



Boot Info Script 0.60 from 17 May 2011


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

=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.

sda1: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD

sda2: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System: Windows 7
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD /Windows/System32/winload.exe

sda3: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /boot/bcd

sda4: __________________________________________________ ________________________

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

sda5: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System: Ubuntu 11.10
Boot files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab

sda6: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files:

sda7: __________________________________________________ ________________________

File system: swap
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:

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

Drive: sda __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 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 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda2 206,848 105,064,447 104,857,600 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda3 1,929,029,632 1,953,521,663 24,492,032 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda4 105,066,494 1,929,029,631 1,823,963,138 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 105,066,496 188,952,575 83,886,080 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 188,954,624 1,908,058,111 1,719,103,488 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 1,908,060,160 1,929,029,631 20,969,472 82 Linux swap / Solaris


"blkid" output: __________________________________________________ ______________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/sda1 60885E87885E5C1A ntfs SYSTEM
/dev/sda2 820C5F0D0C5EFB9B ntfs OS
/dev/sda3 2E1215581215267D ntfs HP_RECOVERY
/dev/sda5 cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d ext4
/dev/sda6 ff215029-0bd0-4a07-b8fb-ce43beb3db9b ext4
/dev/sda7 6a4a977f-2bdd-4f1d-953a-d37c18763bec swap swap

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

Device Mount_Point Type Options

/dev/sda5 / ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro,commit=0)
/dev/sda6 /home ext4 (rw,commit=0)


=========================== sda5/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
set have_grubenv=true
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}

function load_video {
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
}

insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
if background_color 44,0,30; then
clear
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then
if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 3.0.0-12-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 3.0.0-12-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d
echo 'Loading Linux 3.0.0-12-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d ro recovery nomodeset
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos5)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 60885E87885E5C1A
chainloader +1
}
menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda2)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,msdos2)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 820C5F0D0C5EFB9B
chainloader +1
}
menuentry "Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda3)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,msdos3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 2E1215581215267D
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=============================== sda5/etc/fstab: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=cf4f55ab-b2a3-4616-8a06-f6a93f9a594d / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /home was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=ff215029-0bd0-4a07-b8fb-ce43beb3db9b /home ext4 defaults 0 2
# swap was on /dev/sda7 during installation
UUID=6a4a977f-2bdd-4f1d-953a-d37c18763bec none swap sw 0 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=================== sda5: Location of files loaded by Grub: ====================

GiB - GB File Fragment(s)

52.284381866 = 56.139927552 boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
51.740234375 = 55.555653632 boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic 2
66.356891632 = 71.250169856 boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic 1
51.740234375 = 55.555653632 initrd.img 2
66.356891632 = 71.250169856 vmlinuz 1

========= Devices which don't seem to have a corresponding hard drive: =========

sdb sdc sdd sde

[oldfred]

You have nothing in your system that looks like efi. No gpt partitioning, no efi boot partition at the beginning of the drive, just a standard Windows 7 100MB boot/recovery partition.

If somehow you have grub.efi you need to uninstall it and reinstall grub-pc and grub-common. Either use synaptic or run these commands.

sudo -i
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get purge grub-efi grub grub-pc grub-common
mv /boot/grub /boot/grub_backup
mkdir /boot/grub
apt-get install grub-pc grub-common
grub-install /dev/sda

sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc

[csete]

Success!

This last set of steps seems to have gotten me to the point of booting (via grub menu) into Ubuntu automatically.

Now that it is working, the question is why does the installer think this is EFI? Is there a launchpad issue I should provide more information on? I'd like to avoid someone else having to deal with this later.

[oldfred]

I found these UEFI related bugs, but none of these are your issue. You should check to see if there is something else reported and if not report the issue.

UEFI bugs:
Deletes Windows efi partition
Installer should not format an existing EFI System Partition
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/partman-efi/+bug/769669
EFI SYSTEM PARTITION should be atleast 100 MiB size and formatted as FAT32, not FAT16
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/partman-efi/+bug/811485
ctrl-x does not work in grub-efi
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/722950
grub-update fails to detect windows bootloader on a uefi system
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/807801

[csete]

I (finally) opened a bug to track this... https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/877813