grub does not list Windows 7 anymore

[Ernst]

Binary package hint: grub2

Grub does not list Windows 7 anymore. I don't know when this happened (I usually boot Ubuntu), but I guess it has been this version (released March 22) or the previous one (1.98-1 or 1.98-1ubuntu1). So, during grub-update no Windows 7 comes up, although I know for sure it is there and it has been available in grub.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Tue Mar 23 13:39:20 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha amd64 (20100122)
Package: grub2 (not installed)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-16.25-generic
SourcePackage: grub2
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-16-generic x86_64

[Ernst (ernst-blaauw)]

Hmm, I see know I don't have the package grub2 installed - I don't know how this could be possible (grub-update works), or do we have another package for it now?

[Ernst (ernst-blaauw)]

I have grub-pc version 1.98-1ubuntu2 installed

[Ernst (ernst-blaauw)]

I want to add three thinks:
- I have the same problem on my laptop (also Lucid, but 32-bits): WIndows 7
has disappeared from the grub menu
- Using the Windows 7 DVD, I restored the Windows 7 mbr. Windows is able to
boot succesfully, so that's the problem. Afterwards, I reinstalled grub, but
still it did not find WIndows 7
- Downgrading os-prober, grub-pc and grub-common does not solve the problem.

Because my other machine is also affected, I guess also other people should
encounter it. Can someone help me finding the issue?

On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 13:50, Ernst <email address hidden> wrote:

> I have grub-pc version 1.98-1ubuntu2 installed
>
> --
> grub does not list Windows 7 anymore
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/545033
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

[djchandler (djchandler)]

When I updated to the latest kernel (2.6.32-17 generic AMD64) yesterday, my default boot moved from Windows 7 at the bottom of my GRUB2 menu to 2 spots up and made the default memtest86+ and Windows 7 was still at the bottom of the list. Of course two items, the new kernel in both single user and normal mode were placed at the top of the menu. I had to use startup-manager to restore my default.

This appears to be buggy behavior to me, and appears to validate the OP's experience.

I manually partitioned on the clean install of Beta 1 and specified ext3 for / instead of ext4. Space for Ubuntu was created in Windows 7. Yes, I'm trying to break this--many people upgrading may still be using ext3 with live data.

[Ernst (ernst-blaauw)]

I think you experience a different problem: your default configuration has
been replaced. In my situation, no entry for Windows 7 is available at all,
but the default entry is still the fourth one.

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 09:30, djchandler <email address hidden> wrote:

> When I updated to the latest kernel (2.6.32-17 generic AMD64) yesterday,
> my default boot moved from Windows 7 at the bottom of my GRUB2 menu to 2
> spots up and made the default memtest86+ and Windows 7 was still at the
> bottom of the list. Of course two items, the new kernel in both single
> user and normal mode were placed at the top of the menu. I had to use
> startup-manager to restore my default.
>
> This appears to be buggy behavior to me, and appears to validate the
> OP's experience.
>
> I manually partitioned on the clean install of Beta 1 and specified ext3
> for / instead of ext4. Space for Ubuntu was created in Windows 7. Yes,
> I'm trying to break this--many people upgrading may still be using ext3
> with live data.
>
> --
> grub does not list Windows 7 anymore
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/545033
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Do the files /bootmgr and /boot/bcd (with whatever capitalisation) exist on your Windows 7 filesystem? If so, could you please attach /boot/bcd?

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 08:30:18AM -0000, djchandler wrote:
> When I updated to the latest kernel (2.6.32-17 generic AMD64) yesterday,
> my default boot moved from Windows 7 at the bottom of my GRUB2 menu to 2
> spots up and made the default memtest86+ and Windows 7 was still at the
> bottom of the list.

As Ernst says, that is not the same as his bug. Your problem is
probably that you've set GRUB_DEFAULT in /etc/default/grub to a number.
If you set it to the full name of the menu entry instead (you'll need to
enclose it in ""), then the default entry will be preserved even across
changes in other menu entries.

(It may be that startup-manager is not clever enough to do this. If so,
you'd have to ask its developers to implement this.)

[Ernst (ernst-blaauw)]

I found the cause! I always install the latest ntfs-3g driver. Colin, you mentioned those files should be available. It seems, that ntfs-3g 2010.3.6AR2 (thus the advanced release) triggers a fail in os-prober: it does not find my W7 partition correctly.
However, downgrading to 2010.3.6 (from source) or 2009.4.4 (package in Lucid) solves my problem!
I will report this problem to the developers of ntfs-3g.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Whoa, wait a second before you mark this invalid - we're contemplating an upgrade to a newer version of ntfs-3g, and I'd like to have all the necessary information. Could you please explain, in detail, the steps you took that led you to this conclusion? Exactly how is ntfs-3g failing to find your Windows 7 filesystem?

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

And is it possible that you could also answer the questions I asked earlier, even if you think something else is going on?

[Ernst (ernst-blaauw)]

Sorry, I will elaborate:
- you said that (of course) certain files should be present for os-prober to
find the operation system
- that makes me realise that I always manually installed ntfs-3g, and I
installed not too long ago the latest 'advanced release' (= 2010.3.6AR2)
- thus, I first reinstalled ntfs-3g from the repo's (2009.4.4). Running
'os-prober' after this shows W7 again
- I installed the latest ntfs-3g 'non-advanced' (2010.3.6) (as the newer
ntfs-3g drivers provide a lot of speed improvements and provide bug fixes).
Again, running os-prober showed W7.
- To be sure, I reinstalled the advanced release and as I expected, W7 did
not show up.

Above steps lead me to the conclusion that ntfs-3g is the broken part on my
computer.

Below is the changelog for the 2010.3.6AR2 release (
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/b.andre/changelog.html):

   - developped "lowntfs-3g", a driver variant using the fuse low-level
   interface
   - fixed a compilation issue with uClibc
   - fixed modifying the read-only flag on a directory
   - fixed bad error checking when closing a compressed file
   - concealed files marked as "hidden" unless option show_hid_files is set
   - marked files whose name has a dot initial as "hidden" if option
   hide_dot_files is set
   - redefined a default user mapping (a few changes in mount options)
   - enabled case insensitive file names
   - fixed a bug in ACL inheritance

I can imagine that either the case sensitive file names or the changes to
hidden files make os-prober fail. This topic on the forums of Tuxera could
be of help:
http://tuxera.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5450&sid=e5e647d726d094c09fe6faa28510527c

On my W7 partition, I have (with these capitals) and with ntfs-3g 2010.3.6:
/Boot/BCD (see attachment)
/bootmgr

With 2010.3.6AR2, no Boot directory is shown and also /bootmgr is not
available (also if I enable 'show hidden files' in Nautilus).

If you ahve more questions, please ask. and feel free to set the status to
whatever you think is appropriate.

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 12:47, Colin Watson <email address hidden> wrote:

> And is it possible that you could also answer the questions I asked
> earlier, even if you think something else is going on?
>
> --
> grub does not list Windows 7 anymore
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/545033
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>