I have just bought a new PC, namely a HP Pavilion 700 series p7-1015itm, and I tried installing Ubuntu on it.
The fact is, no matter what I try, it seems that Grub does not get installed. After a reboot, I always get Windows 7 loading. I am not even sure what information to give, because I don't have a clue what is wrong. The installation does not report any error.
The only thing of relevance is that the BIOS boot loading menu mentions UEFI as the first option and then BIOS. I am not sure if this desktop is UEFI-based, and I do not know how to check it from windows. I don't even know how to do anything as I cannot boot into Ubuntu at all.
Does anyone have a clue what to look for?
edit
I found mention of the boot info script and ran it. Its output is
Boot Info Script 0.60 from 17 May 2011
============================= Boot Info Summary: ===============================
=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.
sda1: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD
sda2: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System: Windows 7
Boot files: /Windows/System32/winload.exe
sda3: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /boot/bcd
sda4: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: Extended Partition
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
sda5: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: swap
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
sda6: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System: Ubuntu 11.10
Boot files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab
sda7: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files:
============================ Drive/Partition Info: =============================
Drive: sda _____________________________________________________________________
Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Partition Boot Start Sector End Sector # of Sectors Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda2 206,848 477,149,183 476,942,336 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda3 951,785,472 976,771,071 24,985,600 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda4 477,151,230 951,785,471 474,634,242 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 477,151,232 486,914,047 9,762,816 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 486,916,096 533,788,671 46,872,576 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 533,790,720 951,785,471 417,994,752 83 Linux
"blkid" output: ________________________________________________________________
Device UUID TYPE LABEL
/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 F05477185476E130 ntfs SYSTEM
/dev/sda2 4400F6E200F6D9BE ntfs OS
/dev/sda3 8C76106476105176 ntfs HP_RECOVERY
/dev/sda5 62546bc7-01b1-48fa-bf32-a9fbb0b4b900 swap
/dev/sda6 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a ext4
/dev/sda7 9277ea28-ffaf-413e-85d7-908acb6f2eaf ext4
================================ Mount points: =================================
Device Mount_Point Type Options
/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)
/dev/sda2 /media/OS fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,blksize=4096,default_permissions)
/dev/sr0 /cdrom iso9660 (ro,noatime)
=========================== sda6/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
set have_grubenv=true
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi
function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}
function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}
function load_video {
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
}
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a
set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale
set lang=it_IT
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
if background_color 44,0,30; then
clear
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then
if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'Ubuntu, con Linux 3.0.0-12-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, con Linux 3.0.0-12-generic (modalità ripristino)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a
echo 'Caricamento Linux 3.0.0-12-generic...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a ro recovery nomodeset
echo 'Caricamento ramdisk iniziale...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,msdos1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root F05477185476E130
chainloader +1
}
menuentry "Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda3)" --class windows --class os {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='(hd0,msdos3)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 8C76106476105176
drivemap -s (hd0) ${root}
chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================== sda6/etc/fstab: ================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=62be257f-4de9-44d0-9576-0891a9d7669a / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /home was on /dev/sda7 during installation
UUID=9277ea28-ffaf-413e-85d7-908acb6f2eaf /home ext4 defaults 0 2
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=62546bc7-01b1-48fa-bf32-a9fbb0b4b900 none swap sw 0 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================== sda6: Location of files loaded by Grub: ====================
GiB - GB File Fragment(s)
= boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
= boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic 1
= boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic 1
= initrd.img 1
= vmlinuz 1
========= Devices which don't seem to have a corresponding hard drive: =========
sdb sdc sdd sde
=============================== StdErr Messages: ===============================
awk: cmd. line:36: Math support is not compiled in
awk: cmd. line:36: Math support is not compiled in
awk: cmd. line:36: Math support is not compiled in
awk: cmd. line:36: Math support is not compiled in
awk: cmd. line:36: Math support is not compiled in
It seems that Grub is not on the MBR. Can this be of any help?
edit again
I can browse the content of my install from a live CD and I confirm that /boot/grub contains grub.efi and core.efi.
edit
I finally solved it thanks to this thread on Ubuntu forums. It was enough to boot with the Super grub disk, purge grub and reinstall it from scratch. More details are available in the post.
