[Bug 1066173] Re: whole disk install puts grub in wrong place

[Len Ovens]

On Sat, October 13, 2012 10:15 am, Dmitrijs Ledkovs wrote:
> We recently changed the logic as to which drive is preffered for the
> installation.
> There are two things at play here: what devices BIOS/(U)EFI are looking
> for boot loaders and in what order.
> I do not think it's ever wise by default to install bootloader into MBR or
> a different device.
>
> As a workaround you can enter advanced paritioner, select boot loader
> device, then go back & finish the install. That should work.

I understand the work around (and normally use manual for my own use) but
am more worried about the first time user who is not trusting of shrinking
their windows partition and wants this separate to learn on/try out. It is
not clear from the use whole disk text that ubiquity will do anything to
the internal drive. Even a "do not use this option for an external drive"
warning would be better than what is there now. I have had to help a
newbys with unbootable systems and it seems maybe this is one of the
reasons why. Once "use whole disk" is chosen, the option to choose which
disk is given. This makes this method a comfortable idea for someone with
this setup. It is possible to detect if a drive is external, maybe
separate options should be given for that case. Maybe stronger language
like "this will modify your main (C: or /dev/sda) drive even if you choose
to install on another drive" before this option is chosen would help.
Ubuntu is an out of the box distro and if it is easy for an inexperienced
user to make their machine unbootable, something needs to change.

-- 
Len Ovens
www.OvenWerks.net

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1066173

Title:
  whole disk install puts grub in wrong place

Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  For test case "Install (entire disk) in Ubuntu Studio DVD i386 for
  Quantal Final " Oct12.1. When installing onto a second drive
  (removable in this case) The boot information goes on the internal
  drive instead of the install drive. When the second drive is removed
  the internal drive can no longer be booted because grub is looking for
  the external drive.

  One of two things should happen (in my opinion):

  a) grub should be installed on the same drive as the new install.

  b) when choosing drive to install to, a place to select where grub is
  to be installed should be provided.

  and now to go repair grub on my machine...

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