Ubuntu
grub-installer package

grub-install fails says disk is iso9660 format

Asked by jarrett carver

When installing Ubuntu 11.10, the installation stops a fatal error on `grub-install /dev/sda`. I looked through the many articles on this and attempted manual grub install and boot-repair methods..but neither works.

All attempts to manually install grub fail, with the /dev/sda being detected as iso9660.

Here is the entry from the log:

Dec 16 11:27:32 ubuntu grub-installer: info: Identified partition label for /dev/sda1: msdos
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub-lega cy
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub-efi
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub-efi-amd64-bin
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub-efi-amd64
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub-efi-ia32-bin
Dec 16 11:27:36 ubuntu grub-installer: dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching grub-efi-ia32
Dec 16 11:27:37 ubuntu grub-installer: info: Installing grub on '/dev/sda'
Dec 16 11:27:37 ubuntu grub-installer: info: grub-install supports --no-floppy
Dec 16 11:27:37 ubuntu grub-installer: info: Running chroot /target grub-install --no-floppy --force
 "/dev/sda"
Dec 16 11:27:40 ubuntu grub-installer: /usr/sbin/grub-setup: error: hd0 appears to contain a iso9660
filesystem which isn't known to reserve space for DOS-style boot. Installing GRUB there could result in FILESYSTEM DESTRUCTION if valuable data is overwritten by grub-setup (--skip-fs-probe disables this check, use at your own risk).
Dec 16 11:27:40 ubuntu grub-installer: error: Running 'grub-install --no-floppy --force "/dev/sda"'
failed.

I canceled the install and attempted to install grub manually following the directions here:
(http://opensource-sidh.blogspot.com/2011/06/recover-grub-live-ubuntu-cd.html)

root@ubuntu:/var/log# fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 200.0 GB, 200049647616 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24321 cylinders, total 390721968 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00003428

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 386529279 193263616 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 386531326 390721535 2095105 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 386531328 390721535 2095104 82 Linux swap / Solaris

root@ubuntu:/var/log# df -k
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/cow 1031048 90676 940372 9% /
udev 1023660 12 1023648 1% /dev
tmpfs 412420 808 411612 1% /run
/dev/sr0 711980 711980 0 100% /cdrom
/dev/loop0 683136 683136 0 100% /rofs
tmpfs 1031048 68 1030980 1% /tmp
none 5120 4 5116 1% /run/lock
none 1031048 276 1030772 1% /run/shm
/dev/sda1 190230236 2634060 177932996 2% /target

root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /dev /target/dev
root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /proc /target/proc
root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /sys /target/sys
root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /usr /target/usr
root@ubuntu:/var/log# chroot /target
root@ubuntu:/var/log# cd /boot/grub
root@ubuntu:/boot/grub# more /boot/grub/grub.cfg
grub.cfg: No such file or directory
root@ubuntu:/boot/grub# update-grub2
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
done
root@ubuntu:/boot/grub# grub-install /dev/sda
/usr/sbin/grub-setup: error: hd0 appears to contain a iso9660 filesystem which isn't known to reserve space for DOS-style boot. Installing GRUB there could result in FILESYSTEM DESTRUCTION if valuable data is overwritten by grub-setup (--skip-fs-probe disables this check, use at your own risk).
root@ubuntu:/boot/grub#

The above was done both after the install canceled but without rebooting, and after rebooting into the LiveCD. Results are the same.

There shouldn't be any other OS's loaded on the HD previously had Windows7 installed, but each install I've done I've specified to overwrite the old partition and reformat.

 The first time I ran into the issue I completely cleared the partition table:
    # dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1

I then repartitioned using fdisk, and attempted another install of ubuntu. It still fails to install grub.

I tried using the boot-repair: http://mygeekopinions.blogspot.com/2011/06/install-boot-repair-in-ubuntu-1104.html

Boot successfully repaired.
Please note the following URL:
   http://paste.ubuntu.com/772576/
   In case you still experience boot problem, indicate this URL to:
   <email address hidden>
or to your favorite support forum.
You can now reboot your computer.

However, the boot-repair log shows:

grub-install (GRUB) 1.99-12ubuntu5
/usr/sbin/grub-setup: error: hd0 appears to contain a iso9660 filesystem which isn't known to reserve
space for DOS-style boot. Installing GRUB there could result in FILESYSTEM DESTRUCTION if valuable da
ta is overwritten by grub-setup (--skip-fs-probe disables this check, use at your own risk).
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
done
Mount all the partitions for the logs
Unhide boot menu (10 seconds) if Wubi detected
Unhide GRUB boot menu in sda1/boot/grub/grub.cfg
internet: connected
/usr/share/clean/bootrepair-actions.sh: line 88: 9502 Terminated while true; do
done
E: Unable to locate package pastebinit
Activate all repositories in /etc/apt/sources.list
dpkg-preconfigure: unable to re-open stdin:
Restore the original repositories in /etc/apt/sources.list
ubuntu@ubuntu:/tmp/clean/2011-12-16__19h29boot-repair05$

And after a reboot the system just hangs like its looking for the bootloader.

I'm using the liveCD, installing on the internal HD, no other OS's are being loaded. There are no usb drives attaches, the only usb device is a mouse. (using PS2 keyboard).

Boot-repair info for the two runs I tried can be found: http://paste.ubuntu.com/772576/ & http://paste.ubuntu.com/771580/

Any info appreciated.

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Revision history for this message
jarrett carver (solarboyz1) said : 		#1

Correction, I am installing ubuntu 11.10 not 11.04 as stated above. Typo on my part.

Revision history for this message
actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#2

Did you MD5 test the ISO you downloaded?
If you used a CD, did you burn as slow as possible?

Revision history for this message
jarrett carver (solarboyz1) said : 		#3

Yes, used MD5 and yes the burn speed was fine.

I attempted used multiple CDs and even other Distro's (Mint linux) and all fail with the same issue.

Revision history for this message
actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#4

Did you extract the ISO (you aren't supposed to)?
Have you tried burning on a different system (Different burner)?
Could use USB/SD card if your BIOS supports it

Revision history for this message
jarrett carver (solarboyz1) said : 		#5

No, I didn't extract the ISO ( I know I'm not supposed to)

I don't have easy access to another system, and the disks burned can be read and used to load a VM (on the same system the disks were burned).

I tried to install grub on the USB...and it failed. The USB was formatted as fat32, not sure if that makes a difference.

I was able to use an old Auditor distro (Knoppix based), it installed and booted (uses lilo). This distro was circa 2003, and could not recognize the Ext4 filesystem that ubuntu installed...or I would have tried making it dual boot.

So...I installed Ubuntu again. Clean install. It failed again at grub (and it failed to load grub on the usb). At this point I tried installing lilo:

oot@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /dev /target/dev
root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /proc /target/proc
root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /sys /target/sys
root@ubuntu:/var/log# mount --bind /usr /target/usr
root@ubuntu:/var/log# chroot /target
root@ubuntu:/var/log# apt-get install lilo
root@ubuntu:/var/log# liloconfig
root@ubuntu:/var/log# lilo -v -v

I was not prompted for anything during the liloconfig process, after the reboot I got the lilo prompt but it did not boot. When I looked at the /etc/lilo.conf it didn't appear to have any boot configurations.

I'm looking into creating a manual lilo.conf, assuming that is why the lilo boot failed.

I was also able to install and boot using a Solaris 10 DVD (bootloader) burned on the same system (MacOS). It didn't recognize the previous ubuntu install and performed a clean install.

Revision history for this message
jarrett carver (solarboyz1) said : 		#6

I manually created the /etc/lilo.conf

boot=/dev/sda1
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=100
default=Linux
image=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic
        initrd = /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
 label=Linux
 root=/dev/sda1

root@ubuntu:/var/log# lilo -v -v

This boots the lilo menu, and starts to boot ubuntu. However, ubuntu now fails loading any of the filesystems (/ and swap). It says there are errors on the filesystem and then puts me into single user mode. an fsck on the disk shows its clean.

Not sure if this is an issue with my lilo config or the install.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said : 		#7

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.