Samsung RC418 still boots into Windows after installation of Ubuntu

Question

Installed Ubuntu 11.10 on my Samsung RC418 laptop. It said it installed successfully but when it rebooted it defaulted to windows and it didn't give me the option to choose an OS.

Please help me since I'm a first time user.

Answer 1

If you have already installed Ubuntu, then you probably did not install the GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) correctly - which can happen on occasion.

To fix this:

• Boot the Live CD/USB again
• Open a terminal (yes, I know this probably seems difficult).
• In the terminal type the following command:
  sudo fdisk -l
  (You may copy and paste, then press enter to run it).

• It will give you a list of partitions on the system, similar to this one:

  • I have highlighted the important part for you. You will need to know this for the next step.

• Now type:
  sudo grub-install /dev/sda

  • (replace /dev/sda with what ever comes after "Disk" and before the ":" in your list)
    and press enter.
• Once the command completes, it will return you to a prompt (ubuntu@livecd:-$ or something similar.)
• From here you can close the terminal and reboot the system. You should be able from there to boot either Windows or Ubuntu.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

During the installer, I'm assuming you used the advanced partition editor? (selected "something else") Run the installer again, this time making sure the "Disk for Bootloader installation" is set to your local hard drive (probably /dev/sda).