wubi install10.04 fails after latest updates

I can't see a lot wrong. The boot info script says you have an unknown bootloader but I assume it's a special Dell bootloader, as your computer is booting normally.

If you've tried replacing the wubildr, tried editing the grub.cfg, I can only assume there is some issue with the root.disk.
You can try booting a live CD, mounting the windows partition and running fsck on the root.disk (do not mount the root.disk before running fsck):

sudo mkdir /media/win
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /media/win
sudo fsck /media/win/ubuntu/disks/root.disk

I also recommend running CHKDSK on windows (I'd run it before the fsck). Go to My Computer, right click on C:, Properties, Tools, Check disk for errors, Automatically fix... reboot to complete check.

I can't say this will fix it, but these are some of the standard wubi things to troubleshoot. The wubi guide has info on this as well. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide

I haen't tried replacing the wubildr because I wasn't sure how to.

Is it reasonable for me to simply copy root.disk somewhere else on the windows partition, uninstall ubuntu and reinstall?

That will only work if the problem is not in the root.disk itself.

Before you try that, try replacing the wubildr:
copy c:\wubildr to c:\wubildr.backup
copy c:\ubuntu\winboot\wubildr over c:\wubildr

I'd also try fsck on the root.disk. Probably a good idea to take a backup of the root.disk beforehand.

before getting your message I made a copy of my ubuntu directory, ran uninstall wubi , then reinstalled ubuntu.

This didn't produce any change in startup behavior

I replaced the wubildr and didn't produce any change in startup behavior

I then booted from livecd and mounted /dev/sda2 (the windows partiition)
when I tried to loop mount root.disk it wouldn't mount - said I needed a filesystem type

so I copied my backup root.disk over the new one and was able to mount that. When I ran fsck I got

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ fsck /mnt
fsck from util-linux-ng 2.17.2
e2fsck 1.41.12 (17-May-2010)
fsck.ext2: Is a directory while trying to open /mnt

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
    e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

At this point I'm just trying to get back to a running dual boot system. I've now wasted most of a week doing this.

You fsck the root.disk, not the mountpoint. In fact, you should not fsck the root.disk while it is mounted.

e.g. sudo fsck /media/win/ubuntu/disks/root.disk

ok, did that

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mkdir /media/win
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda2 /media/win
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fsck /media/win/ubuntu/disks/root.disk
fsck from util-linux-ng 2.17.2
e2fsck 1.41.12 (17-May-2010)
/media/win/ubuntu/disks/root.disk: recovering journal
/media/win/ubuntu/disks/root.disk: clean, 470821/752192 files, 2674877/3006464 blocks (check in 2 mounts)
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

rebooted and chose ubuntu, got the same error message, with an additional section saying it couldn't find WUBILDR in a FAT32: partition. I assume this was because I left a usb stick in when I rebooted. (I used the usb to get the info above). So, from memory, here's roughly what it said:

try(hd0,0) FAT16: No WUBILDR
try(hd0,1):NTFS5: No wubildr
try(hd0,2): invalid or null
try(hd0,3): invalid or null
try(fd0): invalid or null
try(hd0,1):FAT32: No WUBILDR
try(hd0,2): invalid or null
try(hd0,3): invalid or null
try(fd0): invalid or null
error: cannot find GRLDR in all devices

I'm not sure what else you could try. Maybe the last resort to backup your root.disk and then copy it over the reinstall Ubuntu.

If you do get it going again, don't update packages grub-pc and grub-common.

I made a back up of my root.disk way back in this process.
I already tried copying my root.disk back fromj the backup before running fsck

Looking at the buglist and so on, it looks like this is an active topic, but you don't seem to think I have the 'normal problem'. so, would it be a reasonable strategy for me to just wait a few days and then start asking questions again?

If you are prepared to wait a little while that can certainly help. I don't think the developers are likely to respond in the short term, but usually we start to get feedback from users as to what is working and what isn't. Until then we can only help based on our experience with similar problems and prior feedback - however, sometimes the same symptoms have a different fix.

Also, I haven't seen that grldr message before which is why I thought you had a different issue. Wubi doesn't use grldr anymore so not sure why you got that, and because of that, and also since I wanted to see the bootinfoscript it makes sense to have a separate question, otherwise we end up 'hijacking' the original user's question.

I just ran a test:
Installed Wubi 10.04.1 (32 bit) from CD.
Ran all updates (210MB including updates to grub-pc and grub-common)
After restart I can boot Windows, but when I select Ubuntu the 'Try (hd0,1)...' messages flash by too fast to see, but just for the first two partitions. Then the screen goes dark, computer reboots.

Workaround to get it booting:
I tried replacing the c:\wubildr file from c:\ubuntu\winboot\wubildr. This didn't help.
I loop mounted and edited the grub.cfg as I described in https://answers.launchpad.net/wubi/+question/135317
After that, the grub menu showed up and I could boot Ubuntu.

This is the problem I believe most users are experiencing. There is no 'invalid or null' or 'GRLDR' message.

Is there anything else you might have done that could explain the difference? What was the original version of Ubuntu you installed?

at one point early on I was advised on IRC to move some grub related files around in the root of C:\
I believe I deleted grldr and menu.lst

I haven't repeated the editing of grub.cfg since doing the reinstall.

the original ubuntu I installed was 10.04
the livecd I'm using now was created from a fresh, recent10.10 download, but I've discovered I did keep the 10.04 iso I downloaded earlier.

I can wait a while. I need to get some real work done, I actually use my computer, I don't just play with it. Then I'll check the grub.cfg

That's strange because menu.lst is part of grub-legacy. Wubi hasn't used grub-legacy since version 9.04. I believe grldr is also a part of grub-legacy.

I am also having this problem, on two separate machines. The first machine worked for a few weeks and stopped working after an update. A few weeks later, I installed wubi on the second machine, but it never started Ubuntu. Both cases have the same messages as Anne, above. I did edit the grub.cfg file, but it made no difference. I don't think it's even getting that far.

Please help--my wife is about to give up on Ubuntu, after an otherwise pleasant experience!

@J.Logan,

I'm not sure what Anne's problem is. We've tried the known issue with 10.04, but your cases are the first I've seen of this, and I'm not sure how to fix it.

There is now a support thread for the current (known) issues with Wubi 10.04 and 10.10 here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1639198
The two problems are:
1. Windows bootloader overwritten
2. Ubuntu not booting

There is also addition Wubi information there e.g. about how to extract data from your Ubuntu install and running the bootinfoscript.

If you have tried the solutions described there and have no luck, then all I can suggest is providing as much information as you can as to what might be different in your setup - and hopefully we'll figure it out soon.
Sorry I can't be more help

PS I suggest you post your issue in detail on that thread on ubuntuforums.org, including the results of the bootinfoscript.

bcbc - I've left this now for a couple weeks. I blew much of a week struggling with it, hoped there would be a real fix.

that doesn't seem to have happened. I've already done what's suggested, all but migrating away from wubi.
I have too much stuff on the windows side to do that.

At this point I'm stumped how to proceed. Any suggestions?

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

  I'm still struggling with this. I've reached a point where I'm just interested in reinstalling somehow.

If you can mount your root.disk you can copy data off it. You can also back it up somewhere outside of the \ubuntu folder and then uninstall/reinstall - then mount it from your new install.

There was only that one other help request that had the same issue as you that I've noticed in the past month - and there have been a flood of wubi boot problems in that time period since the most recent grub update. So I'm really not sure what your specific problem is.

Once you uninstall it will delete everything in the \ubuntu directory including anything on your root.disk. You might consider a non-wubi install to avoid problems like this in the future - or if that's not an option, avoid grub-pc and grub-common updates.

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