[Bug 1414124] Re: install reports unable to install grub to /dev/sdb

[Eric Fontaine]

Finally I am able to regenerate my original failure with syslog
(attached).  Here's what I did:

-put 1tb mech drive into /dev/sda (so that means my minissd card is in /dev/sdb)
-boot kubuntu 15.04 testing iso in legacy mode
-wrote 0's to first 1gb of each drive
-did regular install using entire disk (and selected my sdd card /dev/sdb)
-try to complete kubuntu install
-when almost complete, I'm presented with popup "Unable to install GRUB in /dev/sda" with text "Executing 'grub-install /dev/sda' failed. This is a fatal error."

And now I'm writing you.  The crucial error in the attached syslog seems
to be:

grub-install: error: unable to identify a filesystem in
hostdisk//dev/sda; safety check can't be performed.

Please advise how I should proceed with this (whether I should forward
to ubuntu install people or something else...although I do consider it a
bug even though there is a work around because a new user would not know
what to do).

** Attachment added: "failed_grub-install_sda_syslog.txt"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/1414124/+attachment/4304662/+files/failed_grub-install_sda_syslog.txt

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1414124

Title:
  install reports unable to install grub to /dev/sdb

Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  first, I don't know if this is a new bug, but I don't know what bug it matches.  The latest testing kubuntu installer almost finished, then report grub error could not install grub to /dev/sdb.  However, I then used terminal to sudo grub-install --root-directoyr=/mnt/ /dev/sdb
  which didn't report errors, and I assume will boot, but just reporting because installer did not work correctly out of box.

  My labtop (Dell M4500) specs:
  https://gist.github.com/anonymous/7102aceb5c082f15553c

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
  Package: grub2 (not installed)
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.18.0-9.10-generic 3.18.2
  Uname: Linux 3.18.0-9-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.15.1-0ubuntu2
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperVersion: 1.349
  CurrentDesktop: KDE
  Date: Fri Jan 23 13:48:49 2015
  LiveMediaBuild: Kubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Alpha amd64 (20150123)
  ProcEnviron:
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: grub2
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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