Ubuntu 14.04 Windows 8.1 Grub Crashes Install

Question

I've been trying for days to get Ubuntu 14.04 dual booted on my Windows 8 preinstalled laptop with UEFI. My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 15R 5537.

I followed a tutorial that had me disable fast start up, but keep Secure Boot and EFI boot enabled. Most of the install seems to go right, until the very end, where it claims that the installer failed because it was unable to install Grub2.

In all the videos I've seen, this never happens to anyone else, and after the successful install they are able boot from the live disc and fix Grub with Boot-Repair. However, when I try this it says to disable Secure Boot and try again. After doing so I retried Boot-Repair. It still gave me errors, and I could only boot to Windows 8.1. It gave me this link to explain what went wrong:

http://paste.ubuntu.com/7797066/

Fortunately I was able to delete the unsuccessful install partition and swap partition and restore it to my C: space. I plan to create a new unallocated space for a fresh Ubuntu install. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?

Answer 1

GRUB can fail to install because of filesystem damage on the ESP. Another clue that this may be an issue is your Boot Repair output, which has generated multiple entries for certain files. This could be a Boot Repair bug, but it's also possible that it indicates damage to the underlying filesystem. You can check the filesystem on the EFI System Partition (ESP) with the dosfsck utility in Linux, as in sudo dosfsck /dev/sda1. This damage can occur if you did not disable Fast Startup in Windows. You mention disabling this feature, but it's not clear if you were referring to the Windows feature or to an EFI feature with a similar name. The Windows feature, if left enabled, can produce filesystem damage and problems installing an EFI boot loader, so it must be disabled. See this page (or others; a Web search should turn up lots of entries) for details.

If you continue to have GRUB problems, I recommend abandoning GRUB in favor of something else. Although Ubuntu's default boot loader is GRUB, it's a tricky program to fix when things go wrong -- it's just too big and complex to be properly managed by the average user. See this page of mine for information on GRUB alternatives. The easiest to try is likely to be my own rEFInd boot manager. You can download the version on USB flash drive or CD-R and boot to it. It should detect your Ubuntu installation and give you options to boot it. Provided you didn't use a separate /boot partition, this should work, and if you then install the Debian package in Ubuntu, it should boot from hard disk. Unfortunately, because you wiped the Ubuntu installation from your disk, you'll need to re-install to try this. Note, however, that the USB flash drive and CD-R versions of rEFInd require that Secure Boot be disabled. (You can use rEFInd with Secure Boot, but doing so requires jumping through some extra hoops.)

Answer 2

YOU TRY THE INSTALL from w8? via wubi?

microsoft is doing us wrong.... it happens to me but w7 64, then i backup and try again, reinstall w7 from backup / restore and install again ubuntu 14.04 avoiding wubi... there is a problem when you run the install from cd...INSIDE WINDOWS via wubi and certain choices ones mde it writes MBR with grub from win and the grub can't be overwrited cause win problems, more or less, I also discover to avoid inserting SD or other unnecesary media -specially if they are placed during boot, cause booting virus can cause to be active and pass to the normal boot tainted- keeping you away of choosing the right device. even loaded the boot virus I THINK is harmless when it sees your computer SPEAKING LINUX GERMAN, JIJIJI Better option is to install FROM alternative booting media DVD CD USB. You had the extra handicap W8 REFER TO THE LONG ANSWER Installing Ubuntu Alongside a Pre-Installed Windows with UEFI by the way, then i can boot w7, but booting ubuntu doesn't work cause misdirections between alongside kernel and recently installed on another partition, i think the problem is always the misconception ones haves on the options. Boot loading problem after Wubi installation of Ubuntu 12.04 on Windows 7 AND A DAMAGED SYSTEM IS ALWAYS RESTORABLE VIA A LIVE CD. and searching for the right solution. it seems difficult to install from w8

a great suggestion is google all the information you have on the problem or your aim goals i.e. for me looks like this INSTALL UBUNTU HP MINI 3100 REMOVE WINDOWS, hey i don't miss SLOWindowSPAM, if you miss something try to get one iso BOOTABLE AND RUNNIT ON VIRTUAL BOX, or even better you can try even more OS from virtual box, just DW the iso or bootable image and try it DRIVE TEST.

fOR YOU LOOKS LIKE THESE laptopMODEL brand install ubuntu alongside w8/ w8.1/ windows 8 or so refine your search reading and taking ideas of what you see -WORD to avoid WORD DISPLAYING AT THE SEARCH RESULT... someone with your same concern maybe are reaching first to your aims before you. good luck

APPENDED A great option "as seen on knoppix" is starting linux (virtual or "physicallY" as primary OS on a server, meaning any machine on the net) and then run THE SERVER service so any amchine on the same net can BOOT from the shared resource -just configure the BIOS on ALL the clients to bot from NETCARD, some gave you the possibility via F2 orsomething similar on SLOW STARTUP-, BOOTING Usb or hd IS another option for you VIA PENNDRIVE one caN EVEN BOOT ON live cd WITH PREDEFINED PERSISTENCE ON fat 32 16.