[Bug 1620812] [NEW] grub updates silently overwrite my bootloader

[Jeff Lane]

Public bug reported:

I dual boot Xenial and OSX on a MacBook Air.  I use rEFInd as my boot
loader to manage them.  However, every time there's a grub update, grub
just silently overwrites my bootloader, which makes it so that I am
unable to boot into OSX.

Grub updates should NOT overwrite the default bootloader, period.  At
the very least, it should halt installation and prompt the user with
something like:

It looks like grub is not your current bootloader.  Do you wish to
replace your existing bootloader?


I installed rEFInd BEFORE I did the ubuntu install on this machine, so
it predates even the Xenial installer.  Thus I should not have to re-
install rEFInd after every grub update.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: grub2-common 2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-36.55-generic 4.4.16
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-36-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Tue Sep  6 16:12:43 2016
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-10-21 (321 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151020)
SourcePackage: grub2
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

** Affects: grub2 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: amd64 apport-bug xenial

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to grub2 in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1620812

Title:
  grub updates silently overwrite my bootloader

Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I dual boot Xenial and OSX on a MacBook Air.  I use rEFInd as my boot
  loader to manage them.  However, every time there's a grub update,
  grub just silently overwrites my bootloader, which makes it so that I
  am unable to boot into OSX.

  Grub updates should NOT overwrite the default bootloader, period.  At
  the very least, it should halt installation and prompt the user with
  something like:

  It looks like grub is not your current bootloader.  Do you wish to
  replace your existing bootloader?


  I installed rEFInd BEFORE I did the ubuntu install on this machine, so
  it predates even the Xenial installer.  Thus I should not have to re-
  install rEFInd after every grub update.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
  Package: grub2-common 2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.2
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-36.55-generic 4.4.16
  Uname: Linux 4.4.0-36-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: wl
  ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
  Architecture: amd64
  CurrentDesktop: Unity
  Date: Tue Sep  6 16:12:43 2016
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-10-21 (321 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151020)
  SourcePackage: grub2
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/1620812/+subscriptions