Ubuntu
grub2 package

Grub2 in Natty will not detect my Maverick installation in another partition

Asked by Tim Cuthbertson

For the past couple of weeks, every time grub2 is updated from Natty it fails to detect my Maverick installation in another partition. Therefore, I have to run the Maverick Live CD and manually reinstall Maverick's grub2, which correctly detects and configures both Maverick and Natty.

This morning, I attempted to resolve the problem by doing a fresh Natty install in my test partition. The fresh install also failed to detect Maverick and asked if I still wanted to configure grub. I selected the option to bypass grub configuration, but it did it, anyway.

I can find no other bugs or questions related to this problem.

Tim

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Ubuntu grub2 Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
Tim Cuthbertson
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
Tim Cuthbertson (ratcheer) said : 		#1

PS - Today's fresh install was made using the Nov-30 alternate ISO image.

Tim

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

Try:

sudo apt-get -y install os-prober; sudo os-prober; sudo update-grub

Remember natty is Alpha so will have a tonne of bugs and feature holes.

Revision history for this message
delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#3

Raise a bug.

Revision history for this message
Tim Cuthbertson (ratcheer) said : 		#4

actionparsnip: os-prober is installed and working, version is 1.41.

delance: I have created bug report 683355.

Thanks,
Tim

Revision history for this message
Tim Cuthbertson (ratcheer) said : 		#5

I am starting to make some headway on my os-prober / grub2 issue.

Today, there was a new kernel for Natty. When it installed, it gave a grub2 syntax error. I got around the error by running install-grub, which ran without error, but again failed to detect Maverick on the other partition. When I rebooted to Natty, it was using the new kernel.

But, as Maverick is my main-use installation, I have to be able to boot to it. So, once again, I booted to the Maverick Live DVD and installed Maverick's grub2. That detected both Maverick and Natty. Maverick booted fine, but when I booted Natty, it was back on the previous kernel version.

So, on a hunch, I manually ran os-prober in Natty, then ran grub-install, again. That did the trick. I can now selectively boot Natty or Maverick, and when I boot to Natty, it runs the current latest kernel.

This is all to say, things are still quite a mess, but I have learned how to force them to work. I have also updated my bug report 683355 with this info.

Revision history for this message
Tim Cuthbertson (ratcheer) said : 		#6

Final solution: If I run fsck against my Maverich root filesystem, it cleans up obsolete inodes, then Natty grub will always detect and configure Maverick.