Ubuntu 9.10 242 Meg Upgrades, and Grub Version 1.64 Beta 4...

[Ryan Steele]

Hi Alfred,

On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 6:07 PM, Alfred <alfred.s at nexicom.net> wrote:
> 1)-Is there anyway I can do something in Ubuntu so that Upgrades that
> have Beta's in them don't get loaded on my Machine?

By default, Ubuntu doesn't install any "beta" software on your
computer. The "beta" part of the Grub version number is a bit of a
misnomer. In fact, you have had a build of Grub version 1.97 beta 4
installed all along -- this is the version that ships with Ubuntu
9.10.

There are four types of updates included with Ubuntu: security,
recommended, proposed and backports. By default, only security and
recommended updates are enabled. Updates in these repositories are
well-tested and *mostly* bug-free. You can select which updates you
will receive by going into System > Administration > Software Sources
and selecting the Updates tab.

> 2)-I have an Acer Revo R3610, Wubi worked wonderfully, in 29Gigs.
>
> What Grub Version 1.64 Beta 4, did, was wipe out the previous Grub
> Boot-loader, not replacing it with something better, but with nothing!
> So now Windows can't load and Ubuntu 9.10 can't load, even though it is
> all there still, (Hopefully!).

I suspect you've encountered a bug in Grub that specifically affects
Wubi users. Here's a link to a blog post with instructions on fixing
it:

http://www.omaregan.com/?p=583

If this is the same issue you are experiencing, though, it shouldn't
be affecting your ability to boot into Windows -- you should still be
getting prompted to choose Windows or Ubuntu at startup. If you can
give us some more details about exactly what happens when you start
your computer, that might help us solve the problem.

> Acer Partitions the the drive into 3. The Windows Installer, Partition
> 1. The Recovery Software Partition 2. Windows 7 User Area Partition 3.
> In that Third Partition is the Ubuntu 9.10 Partition. Has Grub Changed
> since these Betas were made, is the Command Structure Different now, or

It's important to realize that when you are using Wubi, Grub does not
get installed into the boot sector of your hard drive, as it does when
you install Ubuntu on its own or in a dual-boot configuration.
Instead, Grub is installed into a file on your Windows partition. When
your computer starts up, the Windows boot loader is what prompts you
to choose Windows or Ubuntu. When you choose Ubuntu, that is when
control is passed to Grub, which boots Ubuntu.

Perhaps more importantly, it is incorrect to refer to an "Ubuntu
partition" when using Wubi. Again, rather than installing in a
physical partition on the hard disk, the entire Ubuntu file system is
stored in a single disk image file on your Windows partition. This
file is in C:\ubuntu\disks.

> 3)-Is there something we can do, if this was decided at headquarters in
> Britain, so we can Stop having Betas included as upgrades if Question
> Number 1 does not have an Answer? It's getting so I don't trust Ubuntu
> anymore! Upgrading to anything is too much of a Risk!

You always have the option of not installing updates, at the risk of
being left vulnerable if an update fixes a security issue or resolves
a critical data loss issue.

-- 
Ryan Steele - rgsteele at gmail.com