Ubuntu
ubiquity package

Can't boot after installing Ubuntu on Lenovo V570.

Asked by Valentin

Recently bought brand new laptop Lenovo V570 without any OS on it because I'm a Ubuntu user for more than 2 years now and I wanted my laptop free of other OS . I've been doing this dozens of times on my previous Acer Aspire, and many other PC's, whether to install Ubuntu as only OS or as dual booth with Win 7/XP. So I decided to install 12.04 x64 bit (because there is 8Gigs of RAM), when the installation finished it asked for restart as usual, but after the restart it just won't find any OS installed on the hard drive and stays in BIOS. I've tried installing 32/64 bit versions of 11.10 and 12.04 and still no success. It works fine while running it from the Flash drive before the install, it recognizes the LAN, WLAN, etc.....even the fingerprint reader, but not the nVidia graphics (since it has 2 video cards, Intell HD Graphics and nVidia GT525M) which is pity but anyhow, I'm still ready to swallow that only to have my Ubuntu up and running, and I kept trying but always hitting on the same rock again and again. So than my next option was to install Win 7 just to be able to use my laptop. Than I tried to install Ubuntu together with Win 7 as dual boot, but now different problem. When I boot to install Ubuntu from the flash drive, and when there's usually a option to install it together with Windows, now there isn't such think, just "Install Ubuntu on the entire hard disk" or manually setup partitions and that's it. As well, it does not see the partitions that already exist, it just shows the whole HDD as 1 partition where there is 3 NTFS parts now?!
Now it's too late for me for further experiments because I have sensitive data that I do not want to lose since I unwillingly switch back to Windows and I have to do my work on my laptop. Wubi is not an option for me neither, I need the whole thing.
So please if some of you guys have had the same problem or you think you have any idea why this happens in my case, let me know, PLEASE!

I'll be very grateful for any gesture of cooperation !
Much love !

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N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nicktux) said : 		#1

Hi ,

more info needed.

Boot from Ubuntu Live CD and click "Try Ubuntu" . Open a terminal and give the results of these commands
-------------------------
sudo fdisk -l
sudo os-prober
-------------------------
Thanks

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Valentin (valiopsr) said : 		#2

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sda'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.

Disk /dev/sda: 750.2 GB, 750156374016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91201 cylinders, total 1465149168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xfc9501bd

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 206848 204802047 102297600 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 204802048 1393465343 594331648 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4 1393465344 1465145343 35840000 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 1393467392 1465145343 35838976 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdb: 16.1 GB, 16064184320 bytes
64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 15320 cylinders, total 31375360 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: 0x0007a2bb

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 32 31375359 15687664 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdc: 2004 MB, 2004877312 bytes
62 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1018 cylinders, total 3915776 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: 0x00000000

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 62 3913191 1956565 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo os-prober
/dev/sda1:Windows 8 (loader):Windows:chain

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Valentin (valiopsr) said : 		#3

Yes, I forgot to mention I installed Windows 8 by curiosity on a different partition which I just deleted because I didn't liked it. So this is gone now. Just made 'sudo os-prober' once adain after I deleted and formated the pratition but still shows the same as above:
/dev/sda1:Windows 8 (loader):Windows:chain

Thank you for your effort!

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

If you use:

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/09/live-usb-sticking-grub-2-video

You can instate Grub to the MBR

Revision history for this message
Valentin (valiopsr) said : 		#5

OK, the example given on this video is when there was previously installed Ubuntu, and what is the chance that this may not work to me as well? Also is there a chance so I can mess this up and be unable to dual boot it with the Win 7 which I currently use so I can switch back to Ubuntu unpaifully? I've Invested a reasonable sum of money on software and prefer not to lose it.

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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#6

Then you will have a backup.....

You can always boot to the Windows install media and instate the Windows bootloader again.

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Valentin (valiopsr) said : 		#7

Sorry guys but I'm not as advanced like as you may hope I am, and couldn't understand what the therm 'MBR' means and also the meaning of the word 'instate' since English is not my native language as it's easy to be noticed.
So I've followed the instructions from the video step by step but seems like it need to have the linux already installed in some partition so it can be mounted and eventually install new GRUB2 on it, and those are the two things which I'm failing to obtain on first place.
Instead if I'm missing something in your advice Andrew, and I want to thank you for your effort as well !

Revision history for this message
actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#8

MBR is the master boot record and is what the BIOS reads to boot the drive.

instate means to 'put in'or 'install'

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