[Bug 1396379] Re: installer uses first EFI system partition found even when directed otherwise

[Chuyao Wang]

I am affected by this bug as well. I have a Windows system on internal
drive and installed Ubuntu on an external drive. GRUB installs to the
internal drive even if I chose the external drive. Here is what I did:

1. Boot Ubuntu from my bootable USB drive used for installing the system.
2. Download a tool called boot-repair. Use it to install GRUB to my external drive.
3. Remove the GRUB in the wrong location by following the top answer [here](https://askubuntu.com/questions/429610/uninstall-grub-and-use-windows-bootloader). Alternatively, mount the partition mentioned in the link using the Disks app in Ubuntu and remove the GRUB files for Ubuntu in the wrong location.
4. In the BIOS, remove the option in boot menu that no longer works.

This bug is fixed in the 24.04 installer, but 24.04 did not work for me.
You can prevent it by disconnecting your irrelevant drives before
installing. Some BIOS allows you to disconnect them, if it does not, do
it by physically pulling out the drives.

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Title:
  installer uses first EFI system partition found even when directed
  otherwise

Status in grub-efi-amd64-signed package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in grub-efi-amd64-signed source package in Jammy:
  Confirmed
Status in ubiquity source package in Jammy:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  (k)ubuntu 14.04.1
  package version: 2.02~beta2-9ubuntu1

  i installed ubuntu on my external hard disk, where i also have a previously installed fedora system. i also have a windows
  (efi-booted) system in the internal hard disk.

  at install time via ubiquity i get all grub configuration files in the first EFI-labelled partition (i.e. /dev/sda2 in my case) instead of the one i selected (/dev/sdb1).
  later i changed my fstab mounting /boot/efi on /dev/sdb1 and tried to reinstall grub package (apt-get install --reinstall grub-efi-amd64); now all grub configuration files are in the rigt place, but booting from the external hard disk still shows the fedora grub installation, while selectin the internal hard disk from the bios menu shows a submenu listing ubuntu and windows.
  explicitly installing grub in the correct disk (grub-install /dev/sdb; grub-mkconfig -o /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/grub.cfg) has no effect, nor it has running efibootmgr (efibootmgr -c --disk /dev/sdb --part 1).

  expected results: grub shoud have been installed in the disk/partition i chose;
  actual results: ubuntu always chooses the first disk to install grub on.

  Note that this is not just about the dummy grub install location
  selector that is not used in EFI mode, but configuring one partition
  as do not use, and the other as ESP in the manual partitioning screen.

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