[Bug 1924823] Re: ESP on install medium automatically configured as ESP for install, failing install

[Jeremie Tamburini]

Got the WORKAROUND and it's quite easy :D
(Thanks guiverc, you gave the idea!)

As you have done I tried to boot the system keeping the USB installer device connected to the computer. I've just set 'first boot from hard disk' inside bios settings... and the system boots.
Then I've uninstalled grub-efi* package, modified /etc/fstab and re-installed grub-pc. It worked!

HERE ALL THE STEPS:

1. Make sure 'first boot from hard disk' is set in the BIOS settings.
2. Connect the USB installer device and start the computer.

3. Open /etc/fstab and comment the line related to /boot/efi:
sudo -H gedit /etc/fstab

4. find a line like this:
UUID=BF7E1-08E7  /boot/efi  vfat  umask=0077  0  1

5. put the character # at the beginning of the line:
#UUID=BF7E1-08E7  /boot/efi  vfat  umask=0077  0  1

6. Save the file and exit from gedit.

7. Un-mount e mount the partitions:
sudo umount -a && sudo mount -a

8. Uninstall all grub-efi related packages:
sudo apt purge grub-efi*

9. Reinstall grub-pc:
sudo apt install --reinstall grub-pc

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to ubiquity in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1924823

Title:
  ESP on install medium automatically configured as ESP for install,
  failing install

Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  This bug report is a duplicated of bug #1902269 performed with Ubuntu 20.10.
  Basically installation fail when the installer doesn't find an EFI (ESR) partition on computers with legacy BIOS.

  This time I have used Ubuntu 21.04 also to test the new version of
  Ubiquity package (21.04.15) which, as reported here:
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1893964/comments/22
  should have fixed the issue.

  Unfortunately I'm still experiencing the same problem.

  #### Partition details:
  - msdos partition table
  - 4 primary partitions, all ext4

  ---
  Apr 17 00:18:54 ubuntu grub-installer: info: Identified partition label for /dev/sda4: msdos
  Apr 17 00:18:54 ubuntu grub-installer: info: Installing grub on '/dev/sda'
  Apr 17 00:18:54 ubuntu grub-installer: info: grub-install does not support --no-floppy
  Apr 17 00:18:54 ubuntu grub-installer: info: Running chroot /target grub-install  --force --target x86_64-efi "/dev/sda"
  Apr 17 00:18:54 ubuntu grub-installer: Installazione per la piattaforma x86_64-efi.
  Apr 17 00:19:07 ubuntu grub-installer: grub-install: errore: impossibile copiare "/usr/lib/grub/x86_64-efi-signed/grubx64.efi.signed" su "/boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi": Spazio esaurito sul device.
  Apr 17 00:19:07 ubuntu grub-installer: error: Running 'grub-install  --force --target x86_64-efi "/dev/sda"' failed.
  ---

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 21.04
  Package: ubiquity 21.04.15
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.11.0-14.15-generic 5.11.12
  Uname: Linux 5.11.0-14-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
  ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu65
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
  CasperVersion: 1.461
  Date: Sat Apr 17 02:20:20 2021
  InstallCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed maybe-ubiquity quiet splash ---
  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 21.04 "Hirsute Hippo" - Beta amd64 (20210416)
  RebootRequiredPkgs:
   linux-image-5.11.0-14-generic
   linux-base
  SourcePackage: ubiquity
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1924823/+subscriptions