[SOLVED] executing 'grub-install /dev/sda' failed - please help!

[pigeon]

For the life of me I can't get Kubuntu to install, no matter how I try and install it I get the executing 'grub-install /dev/sda' failed. done some googling and youtube action and nothing seems to work, tried installing from the live USB, trying Kubuntu and installing that way both manual and guided....just cant get it installed.

(Have my bios set to boot in UEFI mode only as that seems to be a common issue with his error).

I'm very new to Linux so 98.7% sure it's me doing something very wrong.....and after a solid 8 hours of trying I time to turn to the elders of the internet and ask for help!

[jglen490]

...

(Have my bios set to boot in UEFI mode only as that seems to be a common issue with his error).

...

What partition has your ESP? Typically it's in /dev/sda1.

[pigeon]

What partition has your ESP? Typically it's in /dev/sda1.

Yes, /dev/sda1.

[claydoh]

If you are using the "download updates" option, try disabling that option, and maybe also any other option on that section of the installer. I can't recall the exact reason/possible cause, but this option does change how grub is installed - probably from an updated download as opposed to the one on the installer?
This seems to help with this issue for some people.

[pigeon]

If you are using the "download updates" option, try disabling that option, and maybe also any other option on that section of the installer. I can't recall the exact reason/possible cause, but this option does change how grub is installed - probably from an updated download as opposed to the one on the installer?
This seems to help with this issue for some people.

I have been selecting not to download updates already. and tried with standard and minimal install, and standard guided and guided LVM.


Here is how I'm setting up the USB (also tried GPT):




The portions being made




And the error:

[claydoh]

Use the GPT option in Rufus, instead of the MBR method, and select UEFI
It has been a little while since I used Rufus, the options are different, and some seem missing, such as an option for a "DD" mode. So I may be incorrect on the settings for this program.

Or use a different tool, such as Balena Etcher, which is cross-platform, and at least on Linux, has been pretty much dead-on reliable, and simple af to use.

[pigeon]

Use the GPT option in Rufus, instead of the MBR method, and select UEFI
It has been a little while since I used Rufus, the options are different, and some seem missing, such as an option for a "DD" mode. So I may be incorrect on the settings for this program.

Or use a different tool, such as Balena Etcher, which is cross-platform, and at least on Linux, has been pretty much dead-on reliable, and simple af to use.

Used the GPT option too, and also used Balena, exactly the same issue with both.

Also just tried to instal MX Linux and grub failed on that too.

[Snowhog]

claydoh Would this maybe of help? https://askubuntu.com/questions/7781...edirect=1&lq=1

[pigeon]

For clarity, I have 3 drives in this laptop, one Windows 10, one Storage, and one that I'm trying to get Linux onto so I can dual boot.

[claydoh]

I'm very new to Linux so 98.7% sure it's me doing something very wrong.

Not likely, probably just a unique setup in some way.

Running out of the easy ideas. Maybe don't create a new separate ESP, for the uefi files, and use the existing one, sharing it with Windows - perfectly fine and safe. But so is having multiple ones as well.
But I can't recall exactly how lol. I think in the installer, to tell it to put grub files on whichever drive your Windows is on.

Is Secure Boot enabled or not? If it is, try turning that off.

[pigeon]

I'm in like Flin!

Soooo....I basically made all the partitions myself, run the install, and when it failed mounted the efi partition and installed grub via the terminal.....what an education!

Thank you all for the help, would not have known how to even do that without this thread.

[Snowhog]

Congrats! While 'painful', experiencing and overcoming issues such as this are beneficial in the long run. Welcome to Linux!!

[claydoh]

Excellent!

This sort of issue should not be happening, tbh, but Ubuntu's installer is outrageously old, and not the most stable thing anymore. And their version for Kubuntu is definitely a red-headed stepchild here.
I know that they are working on a new one, and hoping that Kubuntu gets a version, or they can move to something less crumbly, like Calamares (used by a couple of widely different distros, at least.)

[pigeon]

Excellent!

This sort of issue should not be happening, tbh, but Ubuntu's installer is outrageously old, and not the most stable thing anymore. And their version for Kubuntu is definitely a red-headed stepchild here.
I know that they are working on a new one, and hoping that Kubuntu gets a version, or they can move to something less crumbly, like Calamares (used by a couple of widely different distros, at least.)

Well, you learn more when things go wrong, so kind of grateful for the issues!

I tried a few other distros and quickly found I liked KDE, and hated Gnome, liked Marjaro (for the KDE) but a Debian based system is going to probably be more practical for me trying to ween of windows, and Ubuntu despite the trove of videos of people slagging it off on youtube seems to be the best documented for moobs like me....so went for KDE+Ubuntu=Kubuntu!

Hope I like it, Really don't want to fall into the new user trap of hopping from one to another, to the point distros themselves become the hobby.

[claydoh]

Hope I like it, Really don't want to fall into the new user trap of hopping from one to another, to the point distros themselves become the hobby.

I can't say it is a trap, per se. Most, if not all of us have done just that. For me, it was back when all the different distros were actually different. I think I maxed out at one point on Windows (XP?), BeOS (my favorite!), and three different distros on one system. Today, there are many more distros, but most of them are either based on Ubuntu, Debian, and increasingly Arch. Add in Fedora and Suse, and you get 5 main distros.

I do class Ubuntu as separate from Debian, as there are more than enough differences between them that while they do have many things in common , the differences are enough that they are not always compatible.

So, other than experimenting with different desktops, there are fewer core OS to select from
Plus, with Virtualbox or Virt-Manager, you can play around with virtual installs and narrow things down that way.