[Bug 989025] Re: 12.04 full - bootloader installed to MBR instead of partition

[Fabio Marconi]

** Package changed: ubuntu => grub-installer (Ubuntu)

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Title:
  12.04 full - bootloader installed to MBR instead of partition

Status in “grub-installer” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  My system has (had) GRUB1 installed on MBR, and I always install new
  bootloaders (any new OS install) to specific partitions. I manually
  edit my "master" GRUB1 to chainload into other installed bootloaders
  on subsequent partitions.

  Before installation, I had working chainloader into older Ubuntu, and
  Mint 12 (grub1 managed from Gentoo).

  During installation of 12.04 (full x86_64 release, from CD iso) I
  specified to install to /dev/sda8 instead of sda (in the dropdown
  menu).

  After installation and reboot, instead of the grub1 loader, i was
  presented with the "error: no such partition" and "grub rescue>"
  prompt, which I believe indicates GRUB2 was installed to the MBR.

  To repair this, I booted the Ubuntu live CD, mounted my Gentoo
  partitions (including sda1, which is the "real" boot with the
  chainloader config), chrooted in, and ran "grub-install /dev/sda"
  (grub-install -v shows correct version .97). After reboot, grub1
  loaded successfully, and I was able to chainload into the new Grub2.

  Something to note is that I did not need to install the Grub2 bootloader into the /dev/sda8. I believe there are a few possibilities for this:
  1. I instructed the bootloader to reformat and use the same partitions as a slightly older beta, and the reformat did not erase the grub2 that was already installed into the boot piece of the sda8 partition
  2. ubuntu bootloader installed itself to both sda8 -and- the mbr (but the files only to sda8)

  (I now appear to have a working system...though I worry what might
  happen if grub is updated and grub-install is run by apt)

  To the exact points in the reporting guidelines:

  1) Description: 12.04 LTS
  Release: 12.04

  2) Ubiquity should be at the version that was distributed at the
  official release.

  3) I expected to still have my old bootloader load, and be able to go
  to any OS, including the new Ubuntu so long as the legacy parameters
  were pointing to the correct partition for chainloading (since I
  overwrote a previous beta, partition-by-partition, reformatting along
  the way)

  4) When I booted I got the grub2 "grub rescue>" prompt

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