I tried to install Ubuntu 11.04 several time using all the informations I could gather on the web. But I still fail to install it, and as my Vista partition contains very important informations I prefer to ask to people with some experience instead of doing a big mistake.
Here are my configuration:
Physical hard-drives:
- (HD1) Hard-Drive1 ~300 Go (RAID 0 part 1)
- (HD2) Hard-Drive2 ~300 Go (RAID 0 part 2)
- (HD3) Hard-Drive3 ~640 Go (Data's)
- RAID 0 (HD1 + HD2) partitions:
- Vista install (C:\ ~285)
- Development (D:\ ~225)
- The new empty partition for Ubuntu (40 Go)
- HD3 partitions:
- My personal data's (~560 Go)
- The second empty partition for Ubuntu (40 Go) because I was unable to install it the raid 0 drive.
The problem
When I install Ubuntu all seems ok until the following error:
Executing 'grub-install /dev/sda' failed.
This is a fatal error.
At that time, it offers me 3 options; select another destination, continue without Grub or Cancel the installation. When I try to select another destination (the one that seems to correspond to the Ubuntu partition according to gParted) is does nothing, and if I try to continue without Grub (I could install it later) a box with the following message appears:
We're sorry; the installer crashed...
I tried to install it on the RAID0 40Go partition, and later onto the HD3 40Go partition but both of them return the Grub error, and in the both cases I can't finalize the Ubuntu installation even without Grub.
Some informations
- I use a USB key to boot and install Ubuntu (and it boots without problem).
- The live session of Ubuntu start without any problem on the same computer.
- I was able to install and run the same ISO on virtual box on the same computer.
- The error occurs at almost 80-85% of the installation.
And finally, here are the informations returned by the Boot Info Script after cleaning the both 40Go partitions.
Boot Info Script 0.60 from 17 May 2011
============================= Boot Info Summary: ===============================
=> Syslinux MBR (3.61-4.03) is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdb.
=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdd.
=> HP/Gateway is installed in the MBR of /dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa.
sdb1: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: vfat
Boot sector type: SYSLINUX 4.03 2010-10-22 ........>..sr>..........:...0...~.....~...f...M.f.f....f..0~....>E}.u......
Boot sector info: Syslinux looks at sector 32144 of /dev/sdb1 for its
second stage. SYSLINUX is installed in the directory.
The integrity check of the ADV area failed. No errors
found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /syslinux/syslinux.cfg /ldlinux.sys
sdd1: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files:
sdd2: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: Extended Partition
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
nvidia_dffbicaa1: ______________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System: Windows Vista
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD /Windows/System32/winload.exe
nvidia_dffbicaa2: ______________________________________________________________
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
nvidia_dffbicaa3: ______________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files:
============================ Drive/Partition Info: =============================
Drive: sdb _____________________________________________________________________
Disk /dev/sdb: 4224 MB, 4224712704 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 513 cylinders, total 8251392 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/sdb1 * 63 8,251,391 8,251,329 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
Drive: sdd _____________________________________________________________________
Disk /dev/sdd: 640.1 GB, 640135028736 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 77825 cylinders, total 1250263728 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/sdd1 2,048 1,168,340,983 1,168,338,936 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sdd2 1,168,340,990 1,250,263,039 81,922,050 5 Extended
Empty Partition.
Drive: nvidia_dffbicaa _____________________________________________________________________
Disk /dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa: 600.1 GB, 600138055680 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 72962 cylinders, total 1172144640 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/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa1 * 63 598,870,014 598,869,952 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa2 1,151,907,840 1,172,137,983 20,230,144 12 Compaq diagnostics
/dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa3 598,870,016 1,069,987,823 471,117,808 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
"blkid" output: ________________________________________________________________
Device UUID TYPE LABEL
/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa1 F010DAB010DA7D52 ntfs
/dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa2 CA6E68D76E68BE37 ntfs Respawn Recovery
/dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa3 34FCD7C1FCD77B94 ntfs
/dev/sda nvidia_raid_member
/dev/sdb1 0810-0946 vfat PENDRIVE
/dev/sdc nvidia_raid_member
/dev/sdd1 AA76186576183493 ntfs
========================= "ls -R /dev/mapper/" output: =========================
/dev/mapper:
control
nvidia_dffbicaa
nvidia_dffbicaa1
nvidia_dffbicaa2
nvidia_dffbicaa3
================================ Mount points: =================================
Device Mount_Point Type Options
/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (ro,noatime)
/dev/sdb1 /cdrom vfat (rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro)
========================= sdb1/syslinux/syslinux.cfg: ==========================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# D-I config version 2.0
include menu.cfg
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
timeout 50
# If you would like to use the new menu and be presented with the option to install or run from USB at startup, remove # from the following line. This line was commented out (by request of many) to allow the old menu to be presented and to enable booting straight into the Live Environment!
# ui gfxboot bootlogo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
================= sdb1: Location of files loaded by Syslinux: ==================
GiB - GB File Fragment(s)
?? = ?? ldlinux.sys 1
?? = ?? syslinux/gfxboot.c32 1
?? = ?? syslinux/syslinux.cfg 1
?? = ?? syslinux/vesamenu.c32 1
============== sdb1: Version of COM32(R) files used by Syslinux: ===============
syslinux/gfxboot.c32 : COM32R module (v4.xx)
syslinux/vesamenu.c32 : COM32R module (v4.xx)
=============================== StdErr Messages: ===============================
./boot_info_script.sh: line 1579: [: 2.73495e+09: integer expression expected
Can any one, give me a hint or explain me why it doesn't work ?
Edit:
I removed the second hard drive for the moment, and then I did tried the install using the Ubuntu 11.04 Alternate ISO. The only choice available from the menu is Advanced Options / Rescue Broken System. Neither Run Ubuntu from this USB (probably normal) nor Install Ubuntu on a Hard Disk (is this normal ??) are available.
So I tried Rescue Broken System, and everything seems ok until the "Detect disks" step. It is asked the device to use as root file system and the choices are:
- /dev/dm-1
- /dev/dm-2
- /dev/dm-3
- /dev/dm-4
- /dev/dm-5
- /dev/sdc1
- Assemble RAID array
- Do not use a root file system
I tried with dm-4 and I was able to install GRUB and to finish the installation. Unfortunately, after rebooting, I went to Vista without any menu to book on Ubuntu.
Since that when I retry the Rescue Broken System, and when I select dm-4 as root file system, it offers me to Reinstall GRUB boot loader (which produce an error) and to execute shells, but I'm unable to continue to next step (Partition disks)
Does anything seems strange in this ?
Edit 2:
I finally managed to make GRUB work by reinstalling it on the /dev/mapper/nvidia_dffbicaa (known with the command # sudo dmraid -s).
When I boot on Vista it does work without any problem (pfuuu) but when I try to book the Ubuntu ou the Recovery Ubuntu, it fails.
Should I try to reinstall using the normal Ubuntu ISO (non Alternate) over this working Grub ?
Edit 3:
Ok the problem is solved. Here is how a achieved to do it.
1 - Cleaning of the 40Go partition
2 - Boot on Ubuntu Alternate Recovery Mode, and use of the main menu (ESC) to create the partitions (swap and ext4) and assemble the raid, then setup Grub using the RAID name (/dev/mapper/theRaidName) instead of /dev/sda.
3 - Boot on Ubuntu Normal, then proceeding to install normally until the Grub error...
4 - Reboot and all is there.
