Ubuntu 16.10 no such device, grub rescue

[brutikk]

Correct, I can see one that is the name/label without the UEFI mode. Under that option is the same thing, but with UEFI mode. When I try to boot into the non-UEFI, I go to grub rescue.

[oldfred]

But UEFI boots ok?
You should not get grub rescue, but a black screen and install options.
Do you get two tiny icons at bottom of screen as soon as you boot flash drive in BIOS mode. And press any key while they show. You then can add boot parameters like nomodeset.

[brutikk]

I just tried with a boot-repair-disk CD (non UEFI) and I still only have the option to restore MBR, with the GRUB tabs inaccessible.
I do not get two tiny icons at the bottom of the screen when I boot the flash drive in BIOS mode; it goes straight to GRUB rescue. Are there any diagnostic commands I can run at this point that would help you?

edit:

Yes, UEFI works OK

[oldfred]

In BIOS boot with installer grub is not directly involved. You do not get grub menu & it uses syslinux to boot.
Only UEFI boot uses grub as menu & boot loader.
If then getting grub errors, is it not seeing installer correctly and defaulting to install on hard drive which does not work?

Did you verify that download was correct for the ISO?

[brutikk]

In BIOS boot with installer grub is not directly involved. You do not get grub menu & it uses syslinux to boot.
Only UEFI boot uses grub as menu & boot loader.

Does that mean I should use MBR if my BIOS is legacy?

If then getting grub errors, is it not seeing installer correctly and defaulting to install on hard drive which does not work?

I'm not sure what you mean here or what I should do to give you the right information.

Did you verify that download was correct for the ISO?

The download for the ISO was correct. I installed it onto a USB using Rufus, choosing the GPT for UEFI partition scheme. I've also tried the MBR for Legacy setting (before I posted).

[oldfred]

If not installing Windows and you want BIOS boot, you still can use gpt partitioning but must have a bios_grub partition (1 or 2MB unformatted) for grub to install correctly to the gpt's protective MBR.
Windows only boots in UEFI boot mode from gpt partitioned drives, so then better to have Ubuntu in UEFI boot mode.

[brutikk]

I am not installing Windows, but I want to keep my windows partition and I want to be able to boot into it. So, should I reinstall Ubuntu and create a bios_grub partition? Or, should I use the MBR partition (not sure if I even have one, but there's a small partition that exists for reasons I don't know)?

[oldfred]

There is no MBR partition. The MBR in BIOS boot is just the first sector of a hard drive. You do not see it in partitioning tools.

How you boot install media, UEFI or BIOS is then how it installs, you you want to boot in BIOS mode.

Since Windows is BIOS, you should not even be dealing with UEFI and gpt partitioning. Windows in BIOS mode cannot boot from gpt, but must use the 35 year old MBR(msdos) partitioning.

Do not attempt to install Ubuntu in UEFI mode as that will convert drive to gpt and prevent Windows from working.

If able to boot Ubuntu installer in UEFI mode you must have newer hardware, but Windows installed in the old BIOS/MBR configuration. You could only convert Windows to UEFI by reinstalling. And it works like Ubuntu in that how you boot install media is then how it installs.

IF you have not already done full backup of Windows or at least your data, if you have Windows installer do it now.

[brutikk]

I do not have a Windows installer.

My partitions are as follows:

/dev/sda ATA ST31000524AS (1.0 TB)
/dev/sda1 ntfs 104MB 29MB used Windows 7 (loader)
/dev/sda2 ntfs 912682 unknown used Windows 7 (loader)
/dev/sda4 ext4 / 79224MB Ubuntu
/dev/sda3 swap 8191MB unknown used

/dev/sdb  ATA SAMSUNG HD 103SI (1.0TB)
/dev/sdb1 ntfs 1000202MB unknown used Windows 10 (loader)

I believe the /dev/sdb is an old external hard drive that I installed internally. Why is the Windows 10 loader there? Note that I previously had Windows 7 installer, and upgraded to 10 from Windows 7.

When using boot-repair-disk, should "partition booted by the MBR" be sda4, ubuntu?

Edit:

That is what I've tried, http://paste.ubuntu.com/24282256/ I still go to grub rescue

[oldfred]

You have BIOS/MBR.
And then unless you have Windows installer need to stay with BIOS to be able to boot Windows.

It shows error on ext4 partition.
It looks like you did not run the e2fsck from post #4??