New install failed at grub

[Worzel]

Used Kubuntu since Breezy badger days with no installation problems including 16.04 on efi system.

Neon loaded fine and ran ok for me to try it. Installation, again no visible problems, displayed screen messages that grub and other files were all being actioned but on reboot it went straight to a grub screen.
Quick learning curve found some answers and allowed me to boot further, except that next stop was initramfs = give up. Re-installed Kub (again no problem) and googled finding several users all facing the same issue. Also found a Riddell blog from two months back which highlighted this fault.

As a non-tech user, since Neon (as Kubuntu) uses Ubuntu as it is a stable base how come they both install without problem but Neon does not?

Did add Neon on top of Kubuntu, as Greygeek has done, but reversed that as I wanted a clean Neon and that was not so simple, as per his thread.

Anyone tried installing Neon and met these problems, or pehaps got a solution?

Thanks

[Qqmike]

I haven't tried Neon. However, in these cases in general, it seems many users have had good luck re-installing GRUB, and an easy, safe (so it seems) way of doing this is by using Boot-Repair. I realize you have tried re-installing Kubuntu; but maybe just try re-installing Boot-Repair might work:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

[Snowhog]

As a non-tech user, since Neon (as Kubuntu) uses Ubuntu as it is a stable base how come they both install without problem but Neon does not?

Doesn't for you, in this case, but the reason why has yet to be determined.

What you haven't told us is where you directed KDE neon to install to; internal HDD; internal SSD; external USB; ? Also, is the PC using BIOS or UEFI?

[Worzel]

Apologies - this was only a general question as to why Kubuntu installs without problem but Neon fails badly on the same hardware. Lenovo H30 4 x AMD8 7.2Gb ram.

Every LTS I have done a fresh install using the whole hdd to be confident the system was clean. Installed Kub 16.04 two months ago, on the new Lenovo, which did bring up EFI but I had read up on it and had no problems with using the system. Re-installed and running again now following my experiment with Neon.

However, re UEFI - BIOS has a Compatibility Support Menu which is presently set to "EFI aware". If I disable this does that mean it would revert to using GRUB with Kubuntu and/or Neon defaulting to that, or will they be expecting an EFI system.

I did install Debian with minimal KDE for a while and Neon seems to offer similar light-weight system which is why I wanted to try it. As a complete non-tech I assumed that Ubuntu would set up the base (eg. as Debian) and then Neon would put KDE on top - hence my curiosity as to why it failed.

Never too old to learn but this is a first time at GRUB stage! Thanks for your advice.

[Qqmike]

however, re uefi - bios has a compatibility support menu which is presently set to "efi aware". If i disable this does that mean it would revert to using grub with kubuntu and/or neon defaulting to that, or will they be expecting an efi system.

csm --

the compatibility support module (csm) is a component of the uefi firmware that provides legacy bios compatibility by emulating a bios environment, allowing legacy operating systems...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/unifie...ware_interface

if csm is selected (to be on), then the system will use grub.
If csm is not selected (i.e., it is off), then the system will use uefi/efi.

Don't forget boot-repair (mentioned in post above).

[Qqmike]

WTH ? ! I type something using an upper case letter, and it displays as lower case?
csm and if (above) should be upper case letters ?

[Worzel]

Qqmike - thanks for your reply but I'm trying to understand my problem with a Neon install.

1. Installed Kubuntu 16.04 in May using full hdd as I have done on all previous installs. Everything worked as normal.

2. Installed KDE Neon last week using full hdd - on system restart went straight to grub menu.

3. Re-installed Kubuntu using full hdd which, as before, is working perfectly as I'm using it now.

Forgive my ignorance but I don't understand what part of GRUB I need to repair on a system that, to me, appears to work? When you install a new Linux system is not setting up GRUB all part of that install? This is why I was surprised that Neon failed at such an early stage since it uses Ubuntu.

To misquote Don Juan "I know nothing but I'm not too proud to admit it!"

Thanks

Update - just found on Neon mailing list - quote "Grub isn't what it used to be. It's very different in Neon" Maybe stay with Kub for a bit longer before trying again.

[jlittle]

but on reboot it went straight to a grub screen

... went straight to grub menu

Do you mean the grub rescue prompt, "grub>"? I'd have thought that getting the "grub menu" was how it should work.

[jlittle]

If you really want to give Neon a go, a workaround for your circumstances would be to have a small (20 GiB, say) partition with regular Kubuntu on it, that can install and maintain grub for you. Or use btrfs and install to separate subvolumes.

[Worzel]

Solved Thanks for your help. Marked it solved because the fault is with the way Neon sets up grub. There are work-arounds but I'll chase it on the KDE Neon forum.

[MoonRise]

If you find the solution that works for you, post it here to help others here that may need it.

[Worzel]

With thanks to Kejk on KDE Neon forum.
Please note this is untested by either of us but it details why the install fails.

Kejk writes - I also faced the problem. The main problem was Ubuntu signed grub2 try to read configuration file from /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/grub.cfg but using external grub fixing methods generate neon's configure in /boot/efi/EFI/neon/grub.cfg . From the grub efi cli shell write "configfile /boot/efi/neon/grub.cfg" and boot menu will appear. After booting in, do this "grub-install --bootloader-id=ubuntu".

I do not know whether grub within Neon is the same as within Ubuntu and thus whether this is the correct solution, if it works.

[Qqmike]

Makes sense. I didn't test this, of course, but I see what they are saying the problem is. Your K(U)buntu distro (say with Neon) will look for its EFI boot files under /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu.

fyi, on that general form of grub-install, and other related grub EFI commands,
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post379977