[CONFIGURATION] Where is the right place for the boot loader ?

[ronshor]

During the installation I was asked where do I want to put the boot loader. I assumed it should be on the system partition so I chose sda5 or something. After installation I read somewhere that it should be on sda .

Doe’s it matter ? Should I install the system again ?
Everything works fine but before the system starts I get this message for 3 seconds “ error: no symbol table. Press any key to continue.”
After 3 seconds the system starts on its own without pressing any key.

What do you think ?

[Qqmike]

If your computer is relatively new (say, after 2011 or so), you probably are booting by UEFI. If that is the case, on a simple system, your key, special, reserved boot partition, the so-called ESP, is usually sda1. And so, during installation of Kubuntu, it doesn't matter what you tell the installer about where to put GRUB--it will go into the ESP at /dev/sda1.

If you don't know whether you are booting by UEFI, but it seems you are able to boot into your new Kubuntu, then boot into Kubuntu, open Konsole, and issue these two commands, which should straighten things out for you by putting GRUB either into the ESP (again!) or by putting GRUB into the older way, the MBR of /dev/sda:

sudo grub-install /dev/sda

(that command re-installs GRUB for you; if you do have a UEFI system, that argument--the /dev/sda--is ignored and the ESP is used (which will be also /dev/sda))

sudo update-grub

(the second command builds new GRUB boot menu for you, which never hurts)

[jglen490]

For UEFI installs, the ESP in most cases is ON /dev/sda, but is probably AT /dev/sda1 - if the ESP was the first partition created during the install. And /dev/sda1 would typically be 300MB to 500MB with a fat32 filesystem. Once you tell the installer the size you want, it is built for you in the Kubuntu installer by selecting the ESP partition option, with the correct filesystem and required flags.

[Qqmike]

I edited to correct my typo in Post #2 for the ESP being /dev/sda1. (Of course, the ESP is not sda!)

[jglen490]

Yeah, kinda big for the MBR

[ronshor]

If your computer is relatively new (say, after 2011 or so), you probably are booting by UEFI. If that is the case, on a simple system, your key, special, reserved boot partition, the so-called ESP, is usually sda1. And so, during installation of Kubuntu, it doesn't matter what you tell the installer about where to put GRUB--it will go into the ESP at /dev/sda1.

If you don't know whether you are booting by UEFI, but it seems you are able to boot into your new Kubuntu, then boot into Kubuntu, open Konsole, and issue these two commands, which should straighten things out for you by putting GRUB either into the ESP (again!) or by putting GRUB into the older way, the MBR of /dev/sda:

sudo grub-install /dev/sda

(that command re-installs GRUB for you; if you do have a UEFI system, that argument--the /dev/sda--is ignored and the ESP is used (which will be also /dev/sda))

sudo update-grub

(the second command builds new GRUB boot menu for you, which never hurts)

My computer is from 2013 and though it has the ability to boot by UEFI I chose to use LEGACY because someone told me back then that the the UEFI and especially the UEFI with secure boot can only cause problems if you use linux.

So I'm on legacy boot

Here's a screen shot from my BIOS for you to see

So, what do you say ?
Should I run your two commands anyway?

[jglen490]

Are you dual booting with some version of Windows?

There's no reason to avoid UEFI, even with Linux. I installed Kubuntu on my computer that has a UEFI-based MB. The only adjustment I made was turning off Secure Boot. From what I've read, even Linux is moving towards not being affected by Secure Boot, But I turned mine off anyway.

In a UEFI boot Kubuntu, the boot files go on to a /boot/efi partition, separate from the / partition, that is structured just for the ESP style boot files. In a traditional BIOS based the initial boot code goes to the MBR of the first bootable drive - a really small piece of disk space, the rest goes to /boot.

I ask about Windows, because chances are your system - if it currently has Windows - probably has a partition for ESP boot files.

In any case if plain old UEFI (not necessarily Legacy mode UEFI) exists on your MB, the boot code will not be on what you are calling the system partition - I'm assuming you are talking about the / partition. So let's work on getting you up and running by figuring out what you want to do with respect to dual boot, or not.

[Qqmike]

So, what do you say ?
Should I run your two commands anyway?

Yes. Those two commands are standard commands, used to install, re-install, or freshen-up an existing GRUB installation. IOW, it can not hurt, and it often does help solve issues.

[Qqmike]

BTW, I would also be using UEFI. More up to date. With Linux, just turn off secure boot. If Windows is present, and you feel you need secure boot, that's OK, too--turn it on, Linux has a way of dealing with secure boot (kind of behind the scenes, the shimx64 loader). But, your current booting method--Legacy MBR--is OK, too, no problem.

[ronshor]

I don't have a dual boot, so I can change the boot mode to UEFI with Secure Boot turned off.
But I would like to know why is it better than the legacy mode ?

And, can I change it now, after Kubuntu is already installed ?

[jglen490]

I would say that because when NOT using Legacy you are interfacing with the motherboard in its most native form. The OS is always interfacing with the CPU, the buses, and the attached drives and memory - all hardware. The hardware is managed by the firmware on the motherboard (whether BIOS or UEFI). So with a UEFI-based motherboard, making use of UEFI without setting up another peice between the OS and the UEFI firmware (such as Legacy processes), means interacting directly with the hardware. More efficient.

I'm not sure that you can change it from Legacy, but I don't know for certain.

[Qqmike]

Can you change it now? Seems I recall Rod Smith addressing that issue but can't recall details:

Oops: Converting a Legacy-Mode Install to Boot in EFI Mode
http://www.rodsbooks.com/linux-uefi/#oops

You need not worry about doing that, though, as you have a very simple system. The pro's is that you could learn about UEFI and study how it is set up on your system, if you did have UEFI.

My UEFI Simplified, has a section on installing in UEFI mode:
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post373198

[jglen490]

And Qqmike's discussion is how I learned to like UEFI and live with it in Kubuntu.

[Qqmike]

jglen490, thanks for your very nice comment . You've become one of our experts in this stuff, and your help around here is very much appreciated.

[jglen490]

Aw shucks and thanks!