grub failed to load on installation

[Daene Jarvis]

downloaded ubuntu 11.10 to a cd. went to install on a dell xps 400. at the end of the installation it could not install due to grub failure.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: ubiquity 2.8.7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic i686
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: i386
CasperVersion: 1.287
Date: Fri Jan 13 17:47:11 2012
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SourcePackage: ubiquity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Exception during installation:
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: Traceback (most recent call last):
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 1641, in <module>
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: install.run()
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 55, in wrapper
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: func(self)
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 199, in run
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: self.configure_bootloader()
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: File "/usr/share/ubiquity/plugininstall.py", line 955, in configure_bootloader
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: "GrubInstaller failed with code %d" % ret)
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py: InstallStepError: GrubInstaller failed with code 1
Jan 13 17:46:48 ubuntu plugininstall.py:

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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