installation on secondary disk gets done but after boot I get Find-set root-ignorefloppies....gets .error 15 file not found

Grub Error 15 : File not found
This error is returned if the specified file name cannot be found, but everything else (like the disk/partition info) is OK.

The easiest way to fix this is with a live CD.

   1. Boot your Ubuntu live CD
   2. Open a terminal (applications -> accessories -> terminal)
   3. Type
          * sudo grub
   4. Type
          * find /boot/grub/stage1
   5. That should return something like (HD0) or (HD0,3). Make note of what is returned. This is the location of the GRUB files.
   6. Type
          * root (HD0,3) or whatever was returned
   7. Type
          * setup (HD0)
   8. Do not type (HD0,3) on the setup line. That will not put GRUB on the master boot record (MBR) of the drive so it will not be seen by the BIOS when booting the computer. In order for GRUB to work correctly, it has to be installed to the MBR.

If all went well, you should have GRUB properly set up now. Upon rebooting, you should see the GRUB menu. This will allow you to select which operating system to boot (assuming you have more than one). If you can see the menu but still cannot boot an OS there are likely issues with your /boot/grub/menu.lst file. We’ll look at fixing that later. However, if it’s a matter of just a bit of editing, open your terminal and type

    * sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

and make the necessary changes. Save the file and reboot.

Did not work...
Transcript:
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ find /boot/grub/stage1
find: /boot/grub: No such file or directory
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

Booting with the Ubuntu live cd please copy and paste here the result of:

sudo fdisk -l

Thank you

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudu fdisk
bash: sudu: command not found

Thanks for the quick help!

Please take care when you type:

sudo fdisk -l

Sorry!
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 203.9 GB, 203928109056 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24792 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0fd9e7a2

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 4 32098+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 * 5 24792 199109578+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xfd478bc7

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 4 32098+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sdb2 * 5 4865 39045982+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 300.0 GB, 300069052416 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 36481 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa5504b00

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 36480 293025568+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

I don't see any Linux partition on your 3 disks... ( sda, sdb and sdc )
Are you sure do you have installed Ubuntu....?

Please give us more details...

Ok, I went through the original ubuntu install from an ISO image I downloaded yesterday, Under win xp. When the install asked, I specified to use drive E (my secondary disk) 40 gb I got what appeared to be a normal completion, and when I went to reboot I got the choice of xp or Ubuntu, choosing Ubuntu, I got the error message that started this theread...

There are only two physical disks

I think you don't have installed Ubuntu install procedure don't ask for a letter like "E" identifier.
May be you have downloaded Wubi please be more detailed... if you want better help.

By the way here the official doc to install Ubuntu on your hard disk.

https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/switching/installing.html

Hope this helps

Ok I guess I'll give it another go, It, (the install screen) asks where to install the Ubuntu install and the default in the drop down choice box is c and the only other choice the drop box had was E, my other drive...I'm trying to give all the info I've got, the disk is the same ISO image I used to boot to Ubuntu for these sessions, and from what I read all I need to do an install under XP, which was a a choice on the main menu when the disk was loads with XP running, but I appreciate the help any how...I'm a compete newbie here so I'll go slow.

Ok I've gone back and repeated my steps, fwiw somewhere along the way the unbuntu install compleatly trashed my "E" drive, so that is did not even exist for xp anymore...(probably something I did), So I compeatly reinsatlled and formatted the drive, it is now the "F" drive. I also did a system restore with XP which reset the boot record back to just XP,

WITH XP up I put the ubuntu disk in and got the insatll without changes to my windows computer choice, I told it to install,

the default drive in the dropdown box on the install screen was "C" the box also allowed the selection of my now newly formatted "F" drive, I completed the install, On "F" I can see unbuntu files on the "F" drive, I get the boot prompt to select xp or ubuntu, but I get the same error message reported earlier, tried the same SUDO grub and Find /boot/grub/stage1 commands and just get file not found.

I'd like to try this stuff out but I'm a bit discouraged...

I was under the impression that if I installed under windows with the don't make changes to windows, that I don't and won't have a dedicated unbuntu partition?

To install Ubuntu you must boot your computer from Ubuntu live cd you must .not. enter in XP...

Please read https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/switching/installing.html

Hope this helps

Then why is there an install under xp option? Which proports to allow one to run on a xp machine with no changes?

Option says: "Install and uninstall Ununtu like any other application without the need for a dedicated partition. You will be able to boot into either Windows or Ubuntu. Hiberation is not enabled in this mode and disk performace is slightly reduced."

Ok you are on Windows and putting the Ubuntu live CD into drive a dialog window come in front of you:
This is a new Ubuntu 8.04 autorun menu.
You must choose the first button to get a real Ubuntu Linux partition on your hard disk, the pc try to reboot itself using live cd not entering in xp for a usual Ubuntu installation
Or you can press the 2 button to get something like a Wubi setup http://wubi-installer.org/

In previous post and usually users here are referring for a real (with an ext3 hard disk partitition Linux of the hard) Ubuntu installation

Hope this helps

well what I want is what i selected.
There is only one cd image with this realease and the message you get depends on weather you are in windows or not. I am in windows And I wan to run Ubuntu with te option not to set up a separate partition, so far it does not work.
where can I go for help, can the question be relocated?
I don't want to do the "full" install from a boot from the Same cd that you are implying.

Please use Wubi http://wubi-installer.org/

Hope this helps