[Bug 1414124] Re: install reports unable to install grub to /dev/sdb

[Eric Fontaine]

I went ahead and used gnome-disk-utility to create 1tb ext4 partition on
/dev/sda then retried:

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda
Installing for i386-pc platform.
grub-install: warning: File system `ext2' doesn't support embedding.
grub-install: error: embedding is not possible, but this is required for cross-disk install.

Then used gnome-disk-utility to create a gpt partition on /dev/sda then
retried:

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda
Installing for i386-pc platform.
grub-install: error: unable to identify a filesystem in hostdisk//dev/sda; safety check can't be performed.

Then creted mbr on /dev/sda then retried:

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda
Installing for i386-pc platform.
grub-install: error: unable to identify a filesystem in hostdisk//dev/sda; safety check can't be performed.

then manually made a partition /dev/sda1 and did sudo mkfs -t ext4
/dev/sda1 and then the grub install succedded:

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda
Installing for i386-pc platform.
Installation finished. No error reported.

So I'm thinking now that grub's earlier refusal to install on the blank
/dev/sda is a deliberate feature, in which case the problem is really
with the ubuntu installer in that it won't provide user with a recourse
action to install grub on /dev/sdb in the case that the user installs
ubuntu to /dev/sdb but has an empty partition table in /dev/sda.  I'm
going to try a lubuntu testing install onto /dev/sdb with a blank
/dev/sda partition table to determie if this issue affects more ubuntus
than just kubuntu.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1414124

Title:
  install reports unable to install grub to /dev/sdb

Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  first, I don't know if this is a new bug, but I don't know what bug it matches.  The latest testing kubuntu installer almost finished, then report grub error could not install grub to /dev/sdb.  However, I then used terminal to sudo grub-install --root-directoyr=/mnt/ /dev/sdb
  which didn't report errors, and I assume will boot, but just reporting because installer did not work correctly out of box.

  My labtop (Dell M4500) specs:
  https://gist.github.com/anonymous/7102aceb5c082f15553c

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
  Package: grub2 (not installed)
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.18.0-9.10-generic 3.18.2
  Uname: Linux 3.18.0-9-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.15.1-0ubuntu2
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperVersion: 1.349
  CurrentDesktop: KDE
  Date: Fri Jan 23 13:48:49 2015
  LiveMediaBuild: Kubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Alpha amd64 (20150123)
  ProcEnviron:
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: grub2
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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