1

I've attempted unsuccessfully several times to install Ubuntu alongside Windows on my new laptop. Initially Ubuntu 14.04 did install, but I was unable to boot it, after trying various things. I decided to start fresh, and did a factory reset, but that didn't touch the partitions that had been created for Ubuntu. I went into Windows 8 and deleted those two partitions, and then tried installing Ubuntu again, but was given this error message while installing the grub-2 package:

The grub-efi-amd64-signed package failed to install into /target/. Without the GRUB boot loader, the installed system will not boot.

I tried installing again, but only got the same error message (and two more partitions created that I don't need).

I installed and ran boot-repair, but got this message:

An error occurred during the repair.
A new file (~/Boot-Info_2015-04-15__03h43.txt) will open in your text viewer.
In case you still experience boot problem, indicate its content to:
[email protected]
Locked-ESP detected. You may want to retry after creating a /boot/efi partition (FAT32, 100MB~250MB, start of the disk, boot flag). This can be performed via tools such as gparted. Then select this partition via the [Separate /boot/efi partition:] option of [Boot Repair].

However gparted isn't loading, so I can't do that. Any suggestions? I have no data on it, so I'm willing to clear everything back to the from-the-box settings, but I can't figure out how to restore the non-windows partitions back to factory settings.

2
  • grub-efi-amd64-signed' package failed to install into /target/ : I had this problem just last night and it came from a bad usb install media. Were you using a USB to install? If you know how to find the install syslog, look for a hashsum mismatch when fetching the grub package. Try making a new install media with a brand new usb or at least a different one. If you are reusing one, re-format it more than once before burning the iso.
    – chaskes
    Apr 18, 2015 at 2:00
  • 1
    Late reply, but this was it. I re-formatted the USB key and went through the whole process again, and then things worked! Thanks.
    – RubberBoot
    Mar 24, 2020 at 2:32

2 Answers 2

0

I've heard of this problem a few times before, but it's pretty rare, and I'm not sure of the cause.

My first suggestion is to disable Fast Startup in Windows. Note that this is not the same as "fast boot" or similar options in the firmware. The Windows feature turns shutdowns into suspend-to-disk operations, which results in all mounted filesystems (often including the ESP) being in an unstable state. Attempting to mount and write to these filesystems in Linux can then result in failures of various types.

Another thing you can try is creating a second EFI System Partition (ESP) and using it in Ubuntu in preference to the one that already exists on your disk. You said you can't do this because GParted "isn't loading," but you've provided no details about what's wrong with GParted. If you need help with that, you must post failure details, such as any error messages you see.

A third thing you can try is manually installing another boot loader. You might try my rEFInd on a USB flash drive or CD-R (images for both are available); you can try this without touching your on-disk configuration. If nothing else, that might get your existing Ubuntu install working, which might help you with further diagnostics.

0

I had the same issue trying to install Ubuntu 14.04.3 on a Lenovo Z50-70 laptop with Windows 10 (updated from pre-installed Windows 8.1). I used a bootable USB for the process.

I solved the problem by booting again from the LiveUSB and selecting the last option (Check disc for defects). It corrected one file (The GRUB one, I guess). Then, I restarted the laptop and booted from the USB. This time I chose the "Install Ubuntu" option and selected "Erase Ubuntu 14.04.3 and reinstall Ubuntu" in the further steps.

When it reached the "Installing GRUB" part it continued without errors. Doing this, I got a functional dual-boot with Windows 10.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .