fatal error installing grub to USB HDD when installing system to USB HDD

[Gerard]

Fatal error when installing Ubuntu 14.04 from a USB stick to a USB external HDD. I have been doing this successfully since 11.04 I think

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: ubiquity 2.18.7 [modified: lib/partman/automatically_partition/question]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-24.46-generic 3.13.9
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-24-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CasperVersion: 1.340
Date: Wed Jun 4 09:19:35 2014
InstallCmdLine: file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent noprompt floppy.allowed_drive_mask=0 ignore_uuid initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash -- maybe-ubiquity
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140417)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_NZ.UTF-8
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_NZ.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: grub-installer
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

You apparently are running an EFI system, and have a GPT partitioned disk, but have no efi system partition. To boot it in efi mode, you need to have an efi system partition. To boot it in bios mode, you need to have a bios_grub partition, though it seems that wouldn't help in your case since grub-install failed to fall back from grub-efi to grub-pc.

[Gerard (gerard-kean)]

if I create an efi boot partition sbd1 do I install the boot loader to the
drive or the partition?

On 4 June 2014 12:09, Phillip Susi <email address hidden> wrote:

> You apparently are running an EFI system, and have a GPT partitioned
> disk, but have no efi system partition. To boot it in efi mode, you
> need to have an efi system partition. To boot it in bios mode, you need
> to have a bios_grub partition, though it seems that wouldn't help in
> your case since grub-install failed to fall back from grub-efi to grub-
> pc.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1326143
>
> Title:
> fatal error installing grub to USB HDD when installing system to USB
> HDD
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub-installer/+bug/1326143/+subscriptions
>

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[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

As long as you mount it in /boot/efi ( or was it /boot/grub/efi? ) it doesn't matter; grub-efi ignores the installation target.

[Gerard (gerard-kean)]

I got it to install using an efi partition so now I wonder if it will boot
on an older PC at work. Hopefully the older ones are out of lease before I
have to find out.

I'm not sure if this is still a bug

On 4 June 2014 15:38, Phillip Susi <email address hidden> wrote:

> As long as you mount it in /boot/efi ( or was it /boot/grub/efi? ) it
> doesn't matter; grub-efi ignores the installation target.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1326143
>
> Title:
> fatal error installing grub to USB HDD when installing system to USB
> HDD
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub-installer/+bug/1326143/+subscriptions
>

--

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
    Douglas Adams