Kubuntu 13.04 amd64 LiveUSB installation crashes at " Running grub install dummy"

[Bharath Murali]

Hi,
The Installer crashes at "Running grub install dummy" and I tried to report using command line "ubuntu-bug ubiquity" but it pops up a message saying "This is not an official Ubuntu package. Please remove any third party package and try again." So I decided to file a bug report here.
Here are the detailed steps to the crash;
step 1 : Booted Kubuntu 13.04 amd64 LiveUSB in UEFI mode
step 2 : Selected Install Kubuntu
step 3 : Selected "install third part software"
step 4 : Used manual disk partitioning
step 5 : Filled out all the remaining necessary details like time zone,keyboard layout,user details
step 6 : Installer tries to run grub install dummy and crashes

Later I ran ubiquity in debug mode and it showed the message "The 'grub-efi' package failed to install into /target/. Without the GRUB boot loader, the installed system will not boot". I temporarily fixed the problem using Boot-Repair.
I am attaching the debug file and some log files too. If you need more details I would be happy to provide.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Exception during installation:
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:28 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', 'sh', '-c', '/usr/lib/ubiquity/localechooser/post-base-installer && /usr/lib/ubiquity/localechooser/finish-install']' for ubi-language.Install
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:30 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/usr/share/ubiquity/apt-setup']' for ubiquity.components.apt_setup.AptSetup
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:43 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', 'sh', '-c', '/usr/lib/ubiquity/tzsetup/post-base-installer && /usr/share/ubiquity/clock-setup-apply']' for ubi-timezone.Install
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:44 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/usr/share/ubiquity/console-setup-apply']' for ubi-console-setup.Install
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:45 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/usr/lib/ubiquity/user-setup/user-setup-apply', '/target']' for ubi-usersetup.Install
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:57 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/usr/share/ubiquity/check-kernels']' for ubiquity.components.check_kernels.CheckKernels
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:44:57 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/bin/hw-detect']' for ubiquity.components.hw_detect.HwDetect
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:45:29 ubiquity: Starting up '['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/usr/share/grub-installer/grub-installer', '/target']' for ubiquity.components.grubinstaller.GrubInstaller
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu ubiquity: May 5 21:46:12 ubiquity: ['log-output', '-t', 'ubiquity', '--pass-stdout', '/usr/share/grub-installer/grub-installer', '/target'] exited with code 1
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: Traceback (most recent call last):
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 1775, in <module>
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: install.run()
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 78, in wrapper
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: func(self)
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 242, in run
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: self.configure_bootloader()
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 1031, in configure_bootloader
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: "GrubInstaller failed with code %d" % ret)
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py: ubiquity.install_misc.InstallStepError: GrubInstaller failed with code 1
May 5 16:16:12 kubuntu /plugininstall.py:

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[d3athp3nguin (d3athp3nguin)]

I encountered the exact same issue as the OP, with the same steps performed (Kubuntu 13.04 liveUSB via UEFI mode). It would finish installing packages, but fail with one of the errors mentioned in the OP (depending on whether I was reinstalling or running the boot-repair utility). The boot-repair tool did not work for me using it's "recommended" settings.

My workaround was to force-boot the USB stick in non-UEFI mode, blow away the GPT partition table on the target disk, use parted to write a MBR partition layout on the disk, and then re-run the installer without UEFI.

Unfortunately I was silly and didn't collect crash data :-( Thanks for confirming as a bug!

[Tiago Rinck Caveden (caveden)]

dathpenguin, could you explain again your workaround to a newbie?

I suppose that to boot in non-UEFI I have to find some BIOS config, right?
How do I know which partition to "blow away"?
What's a MBR partition? Or GPT for that matter.

I've just bought a i7 machine and I'm trying to install Kubuntu 13.04. Not working. :(

Thanks.

[Tiago Rinck Caveden (caveden)]

Well, I searched my BIOS for anything UEFI related.

Besides the boot order, which I did not change, there were two options that I switched to "Legacy" instead of UEFI. I rebooted with the USB flash drive, and just chose "Use the entire disk" instead of trying to look for X and Y partitions to "blow up". :)

The installation was successful. I guess I'll just try again, this time setting this interesting encrypted LVM thing.

I wonder what I've abandoned in terms of features for having chosen "Legacy" instead of of "UEFI", though...

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

This release of Ubuntu is no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue on a maintained version of Ubuntu please let us know.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for ubiquity (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]