[Bug 1289977] Re: Ubuntu 14.04 Update breaks grub, resulting in "error: symbol 'grub_term_highlight_color' not found"

[M. Sussman]

Here is some information that might shed some light on the problem.
I am running Linux in a virtual machine (VM) using VirtualBox.  I have a working 13.10 VM that boots using /boot on /sda1, and a number of other disks that are tied together using LVM. The /root, /home, etc. directories are all in the LVM.  Linux is the only operating system.  I took a tar copy of all the files associated with the 13.10 VM.  Then:
1.  I tried to upgrade to 14.04.  The upgrade seemed to succeed, but would not boot with the dreaded grub_term_highlight_color missing message.
2. I took a tar copy of the VM with the failed upgrade.  I still have this copy.
3. I used tar to restore the 13.10 VM
4. I used the recommended "sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc" command.  The message informed me that the disk that grub was originally installed to was no longer present.  I believe this message is true.  It also presented me with a list of disks to install grub to.  There was no default chosen for me (I expected to find /dev/sda as default).  If I hit OK without choosing a disk, it warned me that grub would not be installed.  I went back to the list, chose /dev/sda and hit OK.  It then did its job with "No error reported."
5. I then did the upgrade to 14.04.  The upgraded system booted normally.  SUCCESS!

My conclusion is that the upgrade process on my original system NEVER
INSTALLED GRUB at all!  When it did the equivalent of the dpkg-
reconfigure grub-pc, it found that the original disk grub was installed
to was missing (true) but then decided NOT to install grub anywhere.  In
comment 268, Philip Susi indicated this might be a bug, and I agree it
is a bug in my situation.

I suggest that, at the end of the upgrade process, when the upgrader
asks whether or not to remove obsolete packages, it should also warn the
user that grub was never installed and give the user another chance to
install it.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1289977

Title:
  Ubuntu 14.04 Update breaks grub, resulting in "error: symbol
  'grub_term_highlight_color' not found"

Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  The update from 13.10 to 14.04 via update-manager broke grub for me,
  which resulted in the grub error:

  "symbol 'grub_term_highlight_color' not found"

  on startup.

  To fix the problem I had to boot to my persisting Ubuntu installation
  (e.g. using Super Grub Disk) and had to reinstall grub on my boot
  partition: "sudo grub-install --recheck /dev/sdx"

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
  Package: grub2-common 2.02~beta2-6
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-16.36-generic 3.13.5
  Uname: Linux 3.13.0-16-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.13.3-0ubuntu1
  Architecture: amd64
  CurrentDesktop: Unity
  Date: Sun Mar  9 10:36:45 2014
  EcryptfsInUse: Yes
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-12-10 (88 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
  ProcEnviron:
   LANGUAGE=de_DE
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: grub2
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-03-07 (2 days ago)

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