[Bug 972290] Re: grub-pc update fails with "writing GRUB to boot device failed"

[Tony Green]

OK, so despite this having been confirmed at 1.99-20, I've just
installed 1.99-21 and had the same problem.

Gives me absolutely NO clue as to whether I now have a system that's
ever going to work again... I've ticked all four of my hard drives,
because I don't remember at this point which one Grub should be on.  It
doesn't tell me which one it doesn't like, and what's worse, all I see
apart from the message and a tick box is a "forward" button, with no
indication as to what's going to happen when I hit the button, whether
the box is ticked or not.

How has this been allowed to happen again with the same package without
any sign of the original, potentially catastrophic bug, having been
fixed?

Surely after eight months this should have been fixed - or at the very
least the bug annotated with what people are supposed to do when they
hit it?

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/972290

Title:
  grub-pc update fails with "writing GRUB to boot device failed"

Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  update fails with the error above. this is a dual boot setup and
  windows 7 is on MBR and ubuntu is on an extended partition. purging
  and reinstalling all grub related packages and running $ grub-setup
  /dev/sda5 gives same error message:

  grub-setup: warn: Attempting to install GRUB to a partition-less disk or to a partition.  This is a BAD idea..
  grub-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible.  GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists.  However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and their use is discouraged..
  grub-setup: error: will not proceed with blocklists.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
  Package: grub-pc 1.99-20ubuntu1
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-21.34-generic 3.2.13
  Uname: Linux 3.2.0-21-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.0-0ubuntu3
  Architecture: amd64
  Date: Tue Apr  3 12:48:20 2012
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Beta amd64 (20120301)
  SourcePackage: grub2
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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