[Karmic Alpha 5] grub doesn't install entries for other OS (Ubuntu Jaunty/Windows XP)

[Loïc Martin]

Binary package hint: grub2

After a Karmic Alpha 5 live CD install (i386), at reboot grub (grub 2) only shows entries for the Karmic install on /dev/sda5 (first logical partition), and doesn't show entries for the Jaunty install on /dev/sda2 (primary partition) not for a Windows XP install on /dev/sda3

For install, the custom partitioning option was used (Ubiquity only other option was to wipe the entire disk, even though /dev/sda5 was empty...), no partitions were deleted/created, /dev/sda1 chosen as a swap partition, /dev/sda5 as an ext4 / partition, /dev/sda2 as an ext3 partition mounted on /media/stable and /dev/sda3 not used. Only /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda5 were formated.

(note that since then I've re-plugged another HD, which get detected by Ubuntu as /dev/sda (the port is labeled as the second on the MB, but the BIOS post reports it as SATA0, so coming before the one Karmic is installed on), so the ubuntu-bug collected data might show the Karmic partition as /dev/sdb5, the Jaunty one as /dev/sdb2 and the XP one as /dev/sdb3.)

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Sep 6 22:17:32 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
Package: grub-pc 1.97~beta1-1ubuntu1
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-9.29-generic
SourcePackage: grub2
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-9-generic i686

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

Output of parted -l (note that the second HD is plugged in, this was not the case at install time):

Model: ATA SAMSUNG HD103UI (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 1000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
 1 32.3kB 4721MB 4721MB primary linux-swap(new)
 2 4721MB 57.1GB 52.4GB primary ntfs boot
 3 57.1GB 67.6GB 10.5GB primary ext3
 4 67.6GB 1000GB 933GB primary ext3

Model: ATA WDC WD6400AAKS-0 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 640GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
 1 32.3kB 4294MB 4294MB primary linux-swap(new)
 2 4294MB 25.8GB 21.5GB primary ext3
 3 25.8GB 79.5GB 53.7GB primary ntfs boot
 4 79.5GB 640GB 561GB extended
 5 79.5GB 101GB 21.5GB logical ext4
 6 101GB 187GB 85.9GB logical ext3
 7 187GB 640GB 453GB logical ntfs

Warning: Unable to open /dev/fd0 read-write (Read-only file system). /dev/fd0
has been opened read-only.

[Felix Zielcke (fzielcke)]

Am Sonntag, den 06.09.2009, 21:28 +0000 schrieb Loïc Martin:

> ** Attachment added: "grub.cfg after install"
> http://launchpadlibrarian.net/31401653/grub.cfg
>

I wonder how this at the end got in your grub.cfg:

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root

Especially because there are no BEGIN/END lines around it.
Anyway check with `dpkg -l os-prober' that os-prober is installed and
run sudo update-grub.
If os-prober isn't installed then use Synaptic or just
sudo apt-get install os-prober

--
Felix Zielcke
Proud Debian Maintainer

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

os-prober is installed.

update-grub installed the entries for the remaining OSes.

However, none of them can be booted, only Karmic.

For booting Jaunty, grub2 reports this error:
Error - you need to load the kernel first.

What might have confused upgrade-grub is that I connected the second harddrive after having installed Karmic, and before running update-grub (which spouted errors asking to check the device map for the Jaunty install, picked up a data ext3 partition as "Intrepid", and didn't show errors when picking up Windows, but at reboot grub doesn't manage to boot Windows either).

I'll open another bug for the update-grub problems, and see in a few days with a daily LiveCD if the first problem (not picking up other OS during install) isn't there anymore, in which case I'll close this bug.

[KeenEars (fl-blade)]

This happens for me too on two my installations of Karmic a5 - at work and at my home notebook. Win XP partition was never added to grub menu.

sudo os-prober , sudo update-grub2 worked for me and WinXP antry was added. Should I file a bug on that ? looks pretty the same issue.

[mungewell (simon-mungewell)]

Same symptoms on Karmic/Alpha6.

Manual spec of harddisk partions, after reboot only new install of Karmic shown (ie, no chainload for Windows on /dev/sda1).

I'll attach the grub.cfg,

[SabreWolfy (sabrewolfy)]

Confirmed in Karmic Beta with Windows XP on /dev/sda1. (Alternate CD) Installer lists Windows during the final steps of the installation, but fails to add the entry to grub.cfg. Manually running grub-mkconfig later then adds the entry.

[Scott Lavender (slavender)]

Ubuntu Studio Karmic Beta also gave me problems.

Grub2 did not include entries for XP on /sda or Ubuntu Studio Hardy on /sdb1.

But it did include entries for Karmic Beta.