11.04 "grub-install/dev/sda" failed

[BarbarianNerd]

I also have this problem... Using nvida stripe volume... tried the upgrade first, and then fresh install. Both failed. I grabbed my 10.10 disk and it installed without issues. I believe it is an install bug and not a hardware issue.

[wallgren]

I solved it temporarily by installing first 11.04 and after that at the end of the disk 10.04. Now i can choose version in a grub-menu at startup.

My tip is that it is some kind of install bug in 11.04.

[devguy]

I have this exact same problem with Natty. I'm using the AMD SB750 Raid, and I have RAID 0 and RAID 1 arrays. Oddly, the RAID 1 array isn't detected at all with the live USB, but it is detected just fine by the Maverick live USB...?

Once I get the "Bootloader install failed" menu, it gives me a couple of options, but the "OK" button doesn't work, regardless of the choice. I did try making a separate /boot partition, and told the Natty installer to install the boot loader there, but that didn't help either.

I have my RAID 0 array located at /dev/mapper/pdc_cexxxxxx, and my RAID 1 array (which doesn't show up) should be located at /dev/mapper/pdc_eexxxxxx. Any ideas?

[Jytte]

Having the excatly same problem with installing 11.04 on a raid 0, Upgrade from 10.10 failed at grub and so did a clean instal.

I used the 64bit desktop version, and hardware is AMD Phenom II x6 procesor running on.
- Northbridge: AMD 890GX
- Southbridge: AMD SB850
2 x Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 in a raid0 on motherboards onboard raid controller (fake raid)

[starke88]

I was having the same problem. I'm using NVIDIA Raid enabled on an ASUS M2N68-AM PLUS motherboard with two 320GB WD hard disks in stripe.

I have managed to install Grub by following this HOWTO:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1581099

Still, this is definitely a bug since Ubuntu 10.10 used to install with no problems.

[davisford]

Same problem. I have a 400GB SATA primary drive where the OS goes, and three other SATA drives setup in RAID5 /dev/md0.

The upgrade from 10.10 actually worked for me, but when I tried to enable Compiz, the graphics went haywire, and I couldn't re-position any windows, so I decided to just try a clean install.

Same failure at the end -- it keeps trying to put the bootloader on /dev/sda which is one of the RAID drives, and it fails with the same error message referenced here. When I try to point it to /dev/sdc (which is the OS drive), it does not make any further progress. In fact, all UI dialogs seems to just be stuck and hang from that point on.

This is also AMD64 -- I'd have to go back and find my exact HW specs. I can look them up if anyone is interested.

That would suck if it corrupted one or more of my RAID drives.

I'm going to try to do a manual layout, and see if I get anywhere with that. I also installed Ubuntu 10.10 on this same HW with no issues...seems to be an installer issue...bummer.
---- edit ----

I laid the disk out manually with 100MB /boot, 4GB swap, and the rest as ext4 / and specified explicitly that grub goes into /dev/sdc and it installed ok. I think the problem is that the auto-layout installer may end up picking the wrong disk, and if it fails, it doesn't recover gracefully and allow you to select another disk. Well, even though the UI indicates you can select a different disk for grub, it doesn't appear to work.

[Jagot]

Same problem here.

I found the following workaround which I have yet to try yet:

http://rhetoricaltyro.wordpress.com/...-installation/

[devguy]

Same problem here.

I found the following workaround which I have yet to try yet:

http://rhetoricaltyro.wordpress.com/...-installation/

That worked for me! The only thing was that for me, I had to replace /dev/sdX with /dev/mapper/pdc_xxxxxx, as I needed to use my RAID array instead of a simple device. I still don't know understand the Ubiquity regression over Maverick though.

Also, my problem of the RAID 1 array not being mounted also is a dmraid bug. There is a PPA you can add to help alleviate the problem.

[Jagot]

Glad it worked. I've still got nowhere. Tried installing from both the alternate CD and desktop CD (both install only and try). I've also tried upgrading from a clean 10.10, and no luck. I've also tried the various methods relating to restoring/reinstalling grub2 from a live CD and no luck either.

For reference, my setup is a quad-boot:
sda1: Win 7
sda2: Ubuntu
sda3: Fedora 15
sda4: extended {
sda5: openSUSE 11.4
sda6: swap}

64bit, No RAID.

Has anyone else had any luck?

[Quackers]

If you have a raid setup try installing kpartx to the live desktop before installing 11.04.
Then at the bottom of the partitioning page in the installer at the "destination for bootloader" (or something like that) make sure you choose the raid drive, or it will default to /dev/sda. The raid drive will be something like /dev/mapper/nvidiaxxxxxxx-xxxx or /dev/mapper/isw_bsdhcufke but not a partition! Just the drive. (A partition will have a number after it).