Groovy Gorilla GRUB won't install to MBR

[cwsnyder]

Tried 3 different daily builds, multiple distributions on /dev/sda. Can't install GRUB to /dev/sda or /dev/sda1 which is my / pqrtition, either. Errors out and usually messes up the previous GRUB install.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.10
Package: ubiquity 20.10.9
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-42.46-generic 5.4.44
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-42-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu44
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CasperVersion: 1.452
Date: Wed Aug 12 08:01:22 2020
InstallCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed maybe-ubiquity quiet splash ---
LiveMediaBuild: Xubuntu 20.10 "Groovy Gorilla" - Alpha amd64 (20200811)
SourcePackage: grub-installer
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Chris Guiver (guiverc)]

Possible duplicate (or related to) https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub-installer/+bug/1890978

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Gerald Rozner (gerald4674)]

I've tried to install Ubuntu 20.10 MBR several times and it fails. It only will install legacy boot using a GPT partition with bios-boot, EFI, and root. Legacy boot using MBR and one root partition works on 20.04.

[jonas-ska (jonas-ska)]

It's amazing that users with MBR are simply unable to install 20.10. The only option is to install 20.04 and then upgrade. I can't understand how such an evident bug passed all the testing. Nobody uses MBR anymore?

[cwsnyder (carlwsnyder)]

Most computers built in the last 10 years use EFI firmware, which does
not use an MBR, instead using GPT formatting and a boot partition for
all but the smallest of drives. I didn't detect the problem in the
early daily builds when I initially installed Groovy, only when I
re-installed at the beta.

On 11/14/20, jonas-ska <email address hidden> wrote:
> It's amazing that users with MBR are simply unable to install 20.10. The
> only option is to install 20.04 and then upgrade. I can't understand how
> such an evident bug passed all the testing. Nobody uses MBR anymore?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1891324
>
> Title:
> Groovy Gorilla GRUB won't install to MBR
>
> Status in grub-installer package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Tried 3 different daily builds, multiple distributions on /dev/sda.
> Can't install GRUB to /dev/sda or /dev/sda1 which is my / pqrtition,
> either. Errors out and usually messes up the previous GRUB install.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.10
> Package: ubiquity 20.10.9
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-42.46-generic 5.4.44
> Uname: Linux 5.4.0-42-generic x86_64
> NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
> ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu44
> Architecture: amd64
> CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
> CasperVersion: 1.452
> Date: Wed Aug 12 08:01:22 2020
> InstallCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz
> file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed maybe-ubiquity quiet splash ---
> LiveMediaBuild: Xubuntu 20.10 "Groovy Gorilla" - Alpha amd64 (20200811)
> SourcePackage: grub-installer
> UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub-installer/+bug/1891324/+subscriptions
>

[Gerald Rozner (gerald4674)]

In my particular case, my motherboard is EFI but can boot legacy or MBR. I built it in 2013. Its an Asus Z77 and at this time has 7 SSD's for testing different OS's. It has a bug whereby if one uses GPT EFI boot and I move the cables to another drive for testing the EFI drive will no longer boot. There are no more EFI firmware updates. There is no issue for legacy boot. So all drives are partitioned MBR except Ubuntu 20.10. I didn't even know about the bios-boot partition and GPT until installing 20.10 and I saw the three partitions. That's when I manually tried to partition it MBR which 9 out of 10 times comes up with a warning about not booting and the drive is partitioned GPT. Once in a while there will be a warning but it will remain MBR but after completion it will boot but not complete loading the OS. I suspect most people don't even know about the bug and have not reported it because they just let Ubuntu format the drive automatically. If they're using legacy boot and don't examine the partitions they have no idea how it was partitioned.

[Chris Guiver (guiverc)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 20.10 (groovy) reached end-of-life on July 22, 2021.

See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

We appreciate that this bug may be old and you might not be interested in discussing it any more. But if you are then please upgrade to the latest Ubuntu version and re-test. If you then find the bug is still present in the newer Ubuntu version, please add a comment here telling us which new version it is in.

[cwsnyder (carlwsnyder)]

Newer builds, including the 22.04 daily builds GRUB will install to MBR
after Xubuntu is installed, but the installer can't be correctly directed
to install on my machines BIOS/MBR. I must install, go to the Live version,
then repair GRUB. The installer on all versions demands to install on an
EFI/boot partition, and said EFI partition must be there during the install
process, even though my machine is old enough that said EFI is not picked
up during the boot process.

On Sat, Dec 18, 2021, 4:30 AM Chris Guiver <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu.
>
> Ubuntu 20.10 (groovy) reached end-of-life on July 22, 2021.
>
> See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases:
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases
>
> We appreciate that this bug may be old and you might not be interested
> in discussing it any more. But if you are then please upgrade to the
> latest Ubuntu version and re-test. If you then find the bug is still
> present in the newer Ubuntu version, please add a comment here telling
> us which new version it is in.
>
> ** Changed in: grub-installer (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1891324
>
> Title:
> Groovy Gorilla GRUB won't install to MBR
>
> Status in grub-installer package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Tried 3 different daily builds, multiple distributions on /dev/sda.
> Can't install GRUB to /dev/sda or /dev/sda1 which is my / pqrtition,
> either. Errors out and usually messes up the previous GRUB install.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.10
> Package: ubiquity 20.10.9
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-42.46-generic 5.4.44
> Uname: Linux 5.4.0-42-generic x86_64
> NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
> ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu44
> Architecture: amd64
> CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
> CasperVersion: 1.452
> Date: Wed Aug 12 08:01:22 2020
> InstallCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz
> file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed maybe-ubiquity quiet splash ---
> LiveMediaBuild: Xubuntu 20.10 "Groovy Gorilla" - Alpha amd64 (20200811)
> SourcePackage: grub-installer
> UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub-installer/+bug/1891324/+subscriptions
>
>

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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