I keep getting error messages when I try to install updates.

Can you give the output og:

gedit /etc/default/grub

Thanks

Below is the content of /etc/default/grub file:

password
# If you change this file, run 'update-grub' afterwards to update
# /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
# For full documentation of the options in this file, see:
# info -f grub -n 'Simple configuration'

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
#GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

# Uncomment to enable BadRAM filtering, modify to suit your needs
# This works with Linux (no patch required) and with any kernel that obtains
# the memory map information from GRUB (GNU Mach, kernel of FreeBSD ...)
#GRUB_BADRAM="0x01234567,0xfefefefe,0x89abcdef,0xefefefef"

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)
#GRUB_TERMINAL=console

# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
GRUB_GFXMODE=1280x1024

# Uncomment if you don't want GRUB to pass "root=UUID=xxx" parameter to Linux
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true

# Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entries
#GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY="true"

# Uncomment to get a beep at grub start
#GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"

Thank you,
Michael Otavka

---- actionparsnip <email address hidden> wrote:
> Your question #203678 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/203678

>
> Status: Open => Needs information
>
> actionparsnip requested more information:
> Can you give the output og:
>
> gedit /etc/default/grub
>
> Thanks
>
> --
> To answer this request for more information, you can either reply to
> this email or enter your reply at the following page:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/203678
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.

Run:

gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub

And delete the top line of the file which is where 'password' is coming from. Save the new file, close gedit and run:

sudo update-grub

HTH

I removed the "password" line in /etc/default/grub, then updated the grub. I then got the following message:

michael@michael-desktop:~$ sudo update-grub
[sudo] password for michael:
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-26-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-26-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-21-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-21-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Found Microsoft Windows XP Professional on /dev/sda1
done

The system found a number of files where previously I was getting error messages and could not update those files.

I then turned off the pc and re-booted.

Still no grub menu when I boot up.

I then ran sudo apt-get update and the system appears to have updated correctly.

Thank you. I appreciate the help. If you have any suggestions on how I might be able to have the grub menu display on screen when I boot up, I would appreciate it. If not, it is a small inconvenience to me to continue running the pc as is. I have installed ubuntu 12.04 on a Sony Vaio laptop and have no problem with the grub menu displaying when I boot up.

Thank you again,
Michael Otavka
<email address hidden>

---- actionparsnip <email address hidden> wrote:
> Your question #203678 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/203678
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> actionparsnip proposed the following answer:
> Run:
>
> gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub
>
> And delete the top line of the file which is where 'password' is coming
> from. Save the new file, close gedit and run:
>
> sudo update-grub
>
> HTH
>
> --
> 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/203678/+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/203678
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.

If you hold SHIFT at boot you will see Grub, as you dual boot you should be shown the menu by default. If you give the output of:

uname -a

I can give a command to clean up grab which may help

If you add random words to config files (like the 'password' you added) you will get issues.

If I hold down the shift key when I boot, I get "Grub Loading...." in the upper left corner of the monitor, then I get a magenta flash, then nothing but a no display message. If I do not hold down the shift key, then I do not get the Grub Loading message and a magenta flash, then a no display message. In either case, the grub menu does not display.

As I mentioned before, if I do nothing at boot, the system automatically boots into ubuntu. If I press the down arrow key 5 times after the magenta flash, I boot into Windows XP.

Once I am in ubuntu or Windows, the display works fine.

Where/when do I type in the uname -a command?

I have read on ubuntu posts that others have this problem or some variation of this problem. To get the grub menu to display, one article suggests a number of lines to change in grub:

change the GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT to 10,
change the GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET to false
change GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT to ""
uncomment GRUB_TERMINAL=console

Does any of this sound like it could make the grub menu display?

Thank you.

---- actionparsnip <email address hidden> wrote:
> Your question #203678 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/203678
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> actionparsnip proposed the following answer:
> If you hold SHIFT at boot you will see Grub, as you dual boot you should
> be shown the menu by default. If you give the output of:
>
> uname -a
>
> I can give a command to clean up grab which may help
>
> If you add random words to config files (like the 'password' you added)
> you will get issues.
>
> --
> 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/203678/+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/203678
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.

see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2 for details how to configure grub