14.04.1 Install on 2nd disk drive has made original Win drive unbootable

[dennis36]

Problem:
I installed a second drive for Ubuntu (sdb) and used an .iso disk to do the install. For some reason Grub2 did not install properly and Ubuntu would'nt boot, so I went through the Grub install process. Between the original 14.04.1 install and fixing grub, I was still able to use my Windows drive (sda) by changing the boot disk in the Bios menu. Reinstalling Grub fixed the Ubuntu boot, but now my original Windows drive does not boot. I can see the sda drive in Ubuntu.

Questions:

What may have happened during install of Grub that causes the Windows disk to fail to boot? Any ideas as to how to get it back in boot mode. When I use the Bios screen to change boot drive to sda, my screen goes blank coming out of Bios with a blinking cursor, but nothing else. I then must shut down, restart and enter Bios to switch to sdb and Ubuntu will boot.

I expected Grub to give me the option of selecting Windows or Ubuntu. That option does not appear when booting from the sdb Ubuntu disk. How, or can I, fix this so I have the choice?

I can see sda system files and folders from Ubuntu and I can see user folders, but of course I see no user files because they were created using Win software. I suspect, however, my drive files are ok, but something modified my Win boot system. I haven't done a Windows install in a long time now, but I believe if I tried to do a reinstall it would erase my disk first, and I sure don't want that. Looking for answers/help. Need to get to those Windows files soon for a couple of projects that are approaching a deadline.

[oldfred]

First try this:
sudo update-grub

If you used auto install option, it would have installed grub to sda by default. Only Something Else gives you the option to install grub2's boot loader to the MBR of sdb.

But you want to keep the Windows boot loader in sda anyway so if grub does not show Windows you can go into BIOS or use a one time boot key, often f12 but varies by vendor to directly boot Windows.

Did you do anything to install grub to Windows which may corrupt it?

Best to see details, But I just installed this, and it seems to have changed the path -ubuntu in command is now not there or needs to be removed:

Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
Note error in above:
fred@trusy-ar:~$ sudo sed 's/trusty/saucy/g' -i /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yannubuntu-ubuntu-boot-repair-trusty.list
sed: can't read /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yannubuntu-ubuntu-boot-repair-trusty.list: No such file or directory

This worked for me:
fred@trusy-ar:~$ sudo sed 's/trusty/saucy/g' -i /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yannubuntu-boot-repair-trusty.list

[dennis36]

Thanks for the help info oldfred. I'm going to work through the suggestions you gave me, but will take a little while. I have about six things going on today.

I did select the Something Else option during install and directed the install to the sdb drive. I did likewise when making the Grub install, following some instructions I found in the help system at Ubuntu for reinstalling Grub2. I'll see if I can find the instructions and code I used to do that so you can take a look at it.

Thanks again, and I'll get back to you after I've been through the Boot Repair info you supplied.

[dennis36]

oldfred and others who may have answers:

Does Ubuntu 14.04.1 use a UEFI boot system? This computer I'm having the problem with uses a Bios system to set Windows start-up parameters. It is a Dell Inspiron 530 running Win Vista 32 bit system, 4GB ram, 320 meg original drive (sda) and a 1TB added drive (sdb) which contains only the Ubuntu Install. After reading the info on both the UEFI installing tips and the Boot Repair software use, I'm a bit confused. I don't think UEFI applies in my case unless Ubuntu installed and is using it.

The boot repair info on using the software is a bit confusing in that the tab where Repair Windows Boot files is to be checked doesn't show any way to direct that action to the Windows drive. Is this software going to find the sda drive on its own, or am I headed for further trouble by using it. Otherwise, it looks like it might solve my problem.

I should also mention that I'm a first time user of any kind of Linux system, though I do have considerable background and knowledge of Windows and Mac systems (or perhaps I should say used to have; used to teach both systems but been retired now going on ten years and spend little time working with systems these days.)

Thanks for your help.

[ajgreeny]

Thanks for the help info oldfred. I'm going to work through the suggestions you gave me, but will take a little while. I have about six things going on today.

I did select the Something Else option during install and directed the install to the sdb drive. I did likewise when making the Grub install, following some instructions I found in the help system at Ubuntu for reinstalling Grub2. I'll see if I can find the instructions and code I used to do that so you can take a look at it.

Thanks again, and I'll get back to you after I've been through the Boot Repair info you supplied.

There is no need to do any of that if you had asked the installer to put grub on /dev/sdb at the "Something Else" stage of installing; you do not have to reinstall grub at all, so as oldfred says, unfortunately grub is now probably sitting on sda where the windows bootloader was.

However, you are relatively lucky in that you have Vista (probably the first time you have heard that said!) as it is pretty easy to restore a vista bootloader to/dev/sda using a live Ubuntu DVD or USB, and there is no worry about UEFI, which to answer you query is not specific to Ubuntu 14.04.1, but is a newer BIOS alternative. Ubuntu can use UEFI but will only do so if you install it in that manner, which you obviously haven't.

From the live system run commands

sudo apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbrone by one. Ignore the warning; it is a live system so no need to worry.

That should restore a Vista bootloader to sda again and you should then be able to boot directly into Windows again when choosing sda as the boot priority device if all goes well. You will, however, need to install grub to sdb which you should do before restoring the windows bootloader by booting into Ubuntu and running command
sudo grub-install /dev/sdb Let me know how it goes or if you run into problems.

Boot repair can also restore a Vista bootloader, but my experience of boot-repair is very limited, never (so far) having needed to use it.

[oldfred]

The Ubuntu installer is both UEFI for new systems and BIOS for older systems.
But new UEFI hard ware can usually boot in either mode.

If an older system like yours, UEFI will not apply and installer will only boot in BIOS boot mode.

But if installing to a separate drive that you may later transfer to a new system, you can configure hard drive with gpt partitioning and use both an efi partition for future use and a bios_grub partition for current use. I converted to only using gpt with all new drives when installing 10.10 as I expected to get a new UEFI system back then. Just installed new UEFI system a couple of weeks ago and old drive will not be used in new system, but I learned about gpt. :)