grub-install fails when using external drive /dev/sdb

[Mr. Splatt]

I have an external drive which I am booting from.
when running grub-install after update-grub, it fails.
$ sudo grub-install /dev/sdb
source_dir doesn't exist. Please specify --target or --directory

$ mount
/dev/sdb6 on / type ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro)
...

As a rusult of this, there is no option to boot from the newest installed kernels at the grub boot menu. It must be possible to hand edit something, but grub-install is supposed to work.

I don't mind repeating information that has been provided on the forum already. If anyone wants to look there though:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2200335&page=4&p=12911643#post12911643
also: http://askubuntu.com/questions/408076/update-grub-doesnt-help-boot-new-kernels-on-external-drive

package: grub2-common: /usr/sbin/grub-install

1.) $ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 13.10
Release: 13.10

2.) $ apt-cache policy grub2-common
grub2-common:
  Installed: 2.00-19ubuntu2.1
  Candidate: 2.00-19ubuntu2.1
  Version table:
 *** 2.00-19ubuntu2.1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     2.00-19ubuntu2 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy/main amd64 Packages

3.) I expected to be able to install the new boot options found by update-grub
4.) instead I received an error: source_dir doesn't exist. Please specify --target or --directory

This is a security vulnerability to the extent that there is a security vulnerability driving the update to newer kernels, and this impedes the use of the new and improved kernels.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1273054/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

It is update-grub that adds new kernels to the menu, not grub-install, which you should never need to run manually. Do you have grub-pc or grub-efi installed?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for grub2 (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]