ubuntu wont boot-hardware initiate failed

Did you install Ubuntu with the two disks plugged in?
If yes, you must have plugged in both to make Ubuntu works, this is because a small part of the system (the boot loader called grub) is located at the other hard drive.
If you want two separated installations, you must install Ubuntu with no other drive connected. In this case you don't have a dual boot system, you have two separated systems and the selection of which will be booted is under BIOS.
Hope this helps, let me know.

i have ubuntu on main harddrive and vista on second drive, set to dual boot through grub, this has been working fine for the last month or so. all i did was shut down my pc and when i came to restart, i got the errors. if i unplug ubuntu drive, vista works as normal. have tried swapping leads to harddrive but made no difference,grub wont fire up and says bios not installed, cant access bios in ubuntu drive but can with vista with ubuntu disconnected.
seems like grub is no longer there??? i,ve checked all cables and connections, must be fault with ubuntu as vista works fine when ubuntu unplugged.

> To: <email address hidden>
> From: <email address hidden>
> Subject: Re: [Question #60009]: ubuntu wont boot-hardware initiate failed
> Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 19:43:37 +0000
>
> Your question #60009 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Ariel Cabral proposed the following answer:
> Did you install Ubuntu with the two disks plugged in?
> If yes, you must have plugged in both to make Ubuntu works, this is because a small part of the system (the boot loader called grub) is located at the other hard drive.
> If you want two separated installations, you must install Ubuntu with no other drive connected. In this case you don't have a dual boot system, you have two separated systems and the selection of which will be booted is under BIOS.
> Hope this helps, let me know.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009/+confirm?answer_id=0
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009
>
> You received this question notification because you are a direct
> subscriber of the question.

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Now, I must tell you that seems that your first hard drive is almost dead, because the messages you are receiving apparently come from the motherboard and not from Ubuntu.
Can you please plug in both drives and start from a LiveCD and check if your first hard drive is operational?
The grub doesn't affect the MBR of the second hard drive, that is why vista works alone.
Hope this helps, let me know.

have tried that already, came up failed, failed, given up

> To: <email address hidden>
> From: <email address hidden>
> Subject: RE: [Question #60009]: ubuntu wont boot-hardware initiate failed
> Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 20:17:43 +0000
>
> Your question #60009 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Ariel Cabral proposed the following answer:
> Now, I must tell you that seems that your first hard drive is almost dead, because the messages you are receiving apparently come from the motherboard and not from Ubuntu.
> Can you please plug in both drives and start from a LiveCD and check if your first hard drive is operational?
> The grub doesn't affect the MBR of the second hard drive, that is why vista works alone.
> Hope this helps, let me know.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009/+confirm?answer_id=2
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009
>
> You received this question notification because you are a direct
> subscriber of the question.

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cd came up errors an then"given up" cant access bios or anything else, i noticed a clicking sound earlier which seems to have stopped since i unplugged the harddrive, so i think you may be right about the drive being dead

> To: <email address hidden>
> From: <email address hidden>
> Subject: RE: [Question #60009]: ubuntu wont boot-hardware initiate failed
> Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 20:55:34 +0000
>
> Your question #60009 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Ariel Cabral proposed the following answer:
> It's sad to say, but I think your hard drive is physically damaged, not only your grub.
> If your hard drive is dead, no OS can do nothing to repair it.
> Is your LiveCD came up or not?
> Did your motherboard recognize the hard drive or not?
> Hope this helps, let me know.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009/+confirm?answer_id=4
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60009
>
> You received this question notification because you are a direct
> subscriber of the question.

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hi ariel
unfortunately you were right, my hard drive is kaput.thanks for your help
steve