Dev1 Galaxy Forum / (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

Re: (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (aus9) — Mon, 25 May 2020 10:52:58 +0000

@Job

some older computers have an issue with grub2 with the booting files go onto a partion larger than 8G

If you think this might affect you....use a live cd/Devuan to run gparted

create primary partitions
sda1 100 Mb for /boot
sda2 (say) 8G for swap
sda3 for balance (/)

then try installer again and see if it works.....if above solutions do not work for you

ref
https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub/grub.html
section=Support Logical Block Address mode

Re: (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (Head_on_a_Stick) — Mon, 25 May 2020 10:22:26 +0000

Job wrote:

I changed that to sda1

Installing GRUB to a partition is not recommended:

GRUB documentation wrote:

installing to a filesystem means that GRUB is vulnerable to its blocks being moved around by filesystem features such as tail packing, or even by aggressive fsck implementations, so this approach is quite fragile

https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manua … stallation

What happens if you try to install to the block device?

# grub-install /dev/sda

Please post any error messages returned in full.

Re: (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (Job) — Mon, 25 May 2020 03:54:57 +0000

Installation was installing to sda I changed that to sda1 and all went well.

Re: (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (Job) — Mon, 25 May 2020 01:11:30 +0000

I just tried a Debian method but did not work. https://wiki.debian.org/GrubEFIReinstall

Re: (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (Job) — Mon, 25 May 2020 00:45:44 +0000

Thank you for your assistance.

user@debian:~$ sudo parted --list
Model: ATA SHGS31-500GS-2 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 483GB 483GB primary ext4
2 483GB 500GB 17.1GB extended
5 483GB 500GB 17.1GB logical linux-swap(v1)

Model: Generic Flash Disk (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 8212MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
2 760kB 3774kB 3015kB primary esp

Warning: Unable to open /dev/sr0 read-write (Read-only file system). /dev/sr0
has been opened read-only.
Model: HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GS40N (scsi)
Disk /dev/sr0: 3758MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 2048B/2048B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
2 47.5MB 49.3MB 1835kB primary esp

Re: (Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (Head_on_a_Stick) — Mon, 25 May 2020 00:04:11 +0000

Did you switch to TTY4 or check the install log to see if there were more error messages?

At a guess you have a disk with a GUID partition table but no BIOS boot partition to hold GRUB's core.img for a non-UEFI system.

Can we see

# parted --list

^ You can run that from any live ISO image.

(Solved) Unable to install GRUB

dummy@example.com (Job) — Sun, 24 May 2020 23:42:19 +0000

I don't remember ever having this issue while running an installation. Anybody had any idea why I can't get pass this issue? See shot.
Secure boot is disabled and I am using legacy BIOS. There is only one drive in the box and no dual boot.

Thank you,