Grub install fails at end of Ubuntu 16.04 installation

[Saji Nediyanchath]

Ubuntu 16.04 installation fails in the end, at the Grub install step. I am using amd64 live usb.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: ubiquity 2.21.63 [modified: lib/partman/automatically_partition/question]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-21.37-generic 4.4.6
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-21-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CasperVersion: 1.376
Date: Fri Apr 22 11:33:54 2016
InstallCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz.efi file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper quiet splash --- cdrom-detect/try-usb=true noprompt persistent
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160420.1)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_IN
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_IN
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: grub-installer
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Saji Nediyanchath (saji89)]

Background info: I already have a UEFI based windows 8.1 instance installed in C drive(/dev/sda1), so I am trying for a dual boot installation, which works fine with Ubuntu 15.10 live instance.

As 16.04 installation failed, I removed the USB drive and restarted, then I got the screen as seen in Image1.jpg, attached with this.
Then I tried to boot into 16.04 live USB, it gave me a kernel panic which you can see in Image2.jpg, attached with this.

I tried installing Ubuntu 15.10 again, it completed successfully, and Grub also installed successfully. I then checked md5 hash of 16.04 image, it was ok, so the 16.04 image is fine.

I tried installing 16.04 again using another bootable USB image that I created from the iso image, to be sure that the issue is not with the USB drive. This time also the installation failed with same error.

After this error if I restart and try to boot from the live USB, it fails with a kernel panic. This was same, during the both times I tried, so I had to use 15.10 bootable USB, which started up normally without and kernel panic, I tried installing Boot fixer in the live instance, and fix grub, I followed the steps, as I understand it could not fix GRUB in EFI mode, so it went for non-EFI installation, which succeeded, but this failed to detect and list the Windows 8.1 UEFI based installation that I already have.

So, this fix also failed, so I again booted into 15.10 live instance and installed it again, after formatting the current non-working 16.04 instance, it completed successfully, I did a restart, GRUB was showing all entries for Ubuntu and also for the Windows 8.1 too I tried booting to Windows 8.1, that also worked fine.

I booted back to Ubuntu 15.10, updated repository indexes, was shown option to upgrade, upgraded to Ubuntu 16.04 from there, this is how I got into 16.04, with a working GRUB instllation.

Looks like there is some regression issue with GRUB installation stage of the Ubiquity installer, in case of a dual boot EFI based scenario.

[Saji Nediyanchath (saji89)]

Attaching Image2.jpg specified in previous comment, as only one file attachment seems to be allowed at a time. This is kernel panic screen seen After 16.04 install fail, on trying to boot into 16.04 live USB drive.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

Your Windows install can not be configured for EFI mode because the disk is partitioned using the msdos partition table instead of GPT. Thus, you need to heed he warning message and install Ubuntu in bios mode as well.