[Bug 1273054] Re: grub-install fails when using external drive /dev/sdb

[Phillip Susi]

It is update-grub that adds new kernels to the menu, not grub-install,
which you should never need to run manually.  Do you have grub-pc or
grub-efi installed?


** Changed in: grub2 (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Incomplete

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1273054

Title:
  grub-install fails when using external drive /dev/sdb

Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  I have an external drive which I am booting from.
  when running grub-install after update-grub, it fails.
  $ sudo grub-install /dev/sdb
  source_dir doesn't exist. Please specify --target or --directory

  $ mount
  /dev/sdb6 on / type ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro)
  ...

  As a rusult of this, there is no option to boot from the newest
  installed kernels at the grub boot menu.  It must be possible to hand
  edit something, but grub-install is supposed to work.

  I don't mind repeating information that has been provided on the forum already.  If anyone wants to look there though:
  http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2200335&page=4&p=12911643#post12911643
  also: http://askubuntu.com/questions/408076/update-grub-doesnt-help-boot-new-kernels-on-external-drive

  package: grub2-common: /usr/sbin/grub-install

  1.) $ lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu 13.10
  Release:	13.10

  2.) $ apt-cache policy grub2-common
  grub2-common:
    Installed: 2.00-19ubuntu2.1
    Candidate: 2.00-19ubuntu2.1
    Version table:
   *** 2.00-19ubuntu2.1 0
          500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy-updates/main amd64 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
       2.00-19ubuntu2 0
          500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy/main amd64 Packages

  3.) I expected to be able to install the new boot options found by update-grub
  4.)  instead I received an error: source_dir doesn't exist. Please specify --target or --directory

  This is a security vulnerability to the extent that there is a
  security vulnerability driving the update to newer kernels, and this
  impedes the use of the new and improved kernels.

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