# Linux Noob - Ubuntu fails on install GRUB error 2



## dadi_oh (Jun 29, 2008)

I have a spare machine that I put together with parts I had laying around to try out Linux. Here are the parts:

ASUS P5K-SE P35 based mobo
E1200 CPU (Celeron C2D with measly 512K cache 
512MB DDR2 667MHz
EVGA 7900GT video card
Maxtor 80GB PATA drive
Antec 450W power supply

Basic stuff but from what I understand Linux is not as demanding on HW as Windows.

So I downloaded the latest version of Ubuntu 64 bit from their site version 8.04 as an ISO file (ubuntu-8.04-desktop-amd64.iso), made up an installation CD, and booted up into the install program. The install program detects the hard drive and I tell it to use the whole partition for Linux since I have no plans for dual boot. It makes it's way through the whole installation and then asks to reboot.

Once the machine posts it tries to boot from the hard drive and gets the following message

GRUB Loading stage 1.5
GRUB Loading, please wait...
Error 2

From doing a little searching it seems likely that the issue is with accessing the PATA drive. One of the poroposed solutions was to change the UDMA access mode in BIOS to something the drive does not support, thus forcing GRUB to read the drive and pick a mode that it does support. The problem is, this motherboard is really designed for SATA drives and the IDE (PATA) interface does not have the typical settings I am used to in the BIOS. Basically I can go to "integrated devices" memory and enable or disable the controller but nothing about changing interface details.

One of the other suggestions was to use LILO (sp?) rather than GRUB but I am not sure how to do that from the installation. The installation seems to be designed for new users.

It seems rather weird that it detects the drive well enough to install the whole operating system and then fails to boot from it... Not a good start to my Linux experience :shadedshu

Any suggestions?


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## NinkobEi (Jun 29, 2008)

did you be sure to load back into windows before continuing with your GRUB setup? 

install grub > reboot > load windows > reboot > load linux (install linux)


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## dadi_oh (Jun 29, 2008)

Ninkobwi said:


> did you be sure to load back into windows before continuing with your GRUB setup?
> 
> install grub > reboot > load windows > reboot > load linux (install linux)



By "windows" you mean Microsoft Windows? I am not doing a dual boot. My intention is to run Linux only on this machine. I was thinking that the installation was going to set aside the entire hard drive for Linux.


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## NinkobEi (Jun 29, 2008)

oh, I always thought GRUB was the dual-boot installer. hmm...


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## dadi_oh (Jun 29, 2008)

Ninkobwi said:


> oh, I always thought GRUB was the dual-boot installer. hmm...



It might do that as well but I just did the install with all default settings and told it to use the whole hard drive for Linux. 

What seems odd to me is that it can talk to the hard drive well enough to install the whole operating system but as soon as it is time to boot it "loses" the ability to see the hard drive


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## zithe (Jun 29, 2008)

Did you burn the image on the slowest setting possible? Pop your disc in and try checking the disc for errors (booting from the disc). If it has an error on it then you have a bad install.

I just googled your motherboard and ubuntu... This thread is on the list. XD

If it's a bad install I'd suggest a different version of Ubuntu or to try Fedora instead. I had nothing but trouble with 8.04.

Also, try your connections. Sounds stupid but maybe the CD sent it and the hard drive couldn't get it or some weird thing like that. (Talking out my rear end now, but it's worth a shot)

Sorry I couldn't help more.


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## xfire (Jun 30, 2008)

I dont think it would be a problem with the UDMA mode cause Grub is installed on the MBR of the hard disk and even if grub can be read and the O.S cant start it should atleast display the list.
  I say you should try a re-install but first when you boot up the cd select check C.D fo defects.


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## dadi_oh (Jun 30, 2008)

xfire said:


> I dont think it would be a problem with the UDMA mode cause Grub is installed on the MBR of the hard disk and even if grub can be read and the O.S cant start it should atleast display the list.
> I say you should try a re-install but first when you boot up the cd select check C.D fo defects.



I tried the install a second time with the same result. I did notice there was an option to test the CD so maybe that would be worthwhile. Just to make sure the CD burn worked out ok.


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## zithe (Jun 30, 2008)

dadi_oh said:


> I tried the install a second time with the same result. I did notice there was an option to test the CD so maybe that would be worthwhile. Just to make sure the CD burn worked out ok.



Yes it would definitely be worthwhile. ^_^
If you need to burn it again, try burning it at 4x or lower if possible. I'd also suggest 7.10 as it seems much more stable and less crappy. (used both. Switched to Fedora 9 afterwards)

If you ever get an ATI card, Fedora 9 and Ubuntu 8.04 seem to like them. I couldn't get my old 9250 (Which was just sold 2 hours ago ) to work on 7.10.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 30, 2008)

yea as zithe suggested, burn a new disc. i have had that happene before and it is extremely frustrating. doesnt ubuntu have an install verifcation program imbeded in the install process? oh well, i hope it works out! dont let this discourage you!


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## dadi_oh (Jun 30, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> yea as zithe suggested, burn a new disc. i have had that happene before and it is extremely frustrating. doesnt ubuntu have an install verifcation program imbeded in the install process? oh well, i hope it works out! dont let this discourage you!



I'm not easily discouraged 

I will try out a new CD burn on a slower speed (no idea what speed my DVD burner defaults to) and see what happens. Probably tomorrow before I get some time to do this.

Thanks guys. Will keep you posted.


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## zithe (Jul 1, 2008)

Burning the disc on slow and installing it takes an hour at most (Unless you get Fedora, which, imho, is a much better but much larger OS [ 3.6gigs for the image but you can burn it on multiple discs] ). It's very fun getting windows games to work (then to get them working properly). VERY fun. You'll love it. XD


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## dadi_oh (Jul 16, 2008)

I finally got a few spare cycles to try this again. I burned a new disk on 12X speed and it did the same thing. Failed in GRUB.

But... I finally solved the problem. It turns out it is related to the IDE controller on this particular motherboard P5K-SE. It only has 1 PATA channel so I am required to hook up both my PATA hard drive and the PATA CDROM drive on the same cable. The only way I could get them to work together was to set them both to "cable select". If I tried manually setting master and slave on the devices it would not allow me to see the devices correctly. So on a whim I stole the SATA CD Drive out of one of my other machines and suddenly the hard drive was booting straight into Ubuntu. So the install had worked OK. It would just get hung up in the boot process if I had the PATA disk and CD drive connected together.

So I ordered a new SATA DVD burner for $26 and will replace the PATA CDROM.

On a side note I played around with Ubuntu for a couple of hours last night and it seemed OK. I tried installing SuperPI and the install went OK but for the life of me I could not figure out how to actually run it. Feeling a little stupid. I would install and then open a console and navigate to the directory (I just installed in a folder on my desktop) and tried the method described below. But no go. In Windows if you install something it usually either creates a shortcut on the desktop or adds a link in the start menu. Nothing so easy in Linux I suppose...

===============================
How to use it:
1.Download
2.open a console window and enter the directory where super_pi.tar.gz is saved.
3.untar with "tar xvf super_pi.tar.gz"
4.enter the extract directory
5. run super pi with "sh super_pi 20"

20 means 20 bit number, which equals 1m
21 means 21 bit number, which equals 2m
25 means 25 bit number, which equals 32m
======================================

But it is all a moot point anyways. My wife needs a machine for her business and so this one is going over to her. She requires Windows so I ordered an OEM Windows XP and am going to install that for her. Maybe someday I will get a chance to play with Linux some more. I could always pop another hard disk in my main machine and use a dual boot scenario I suppose.

Thanks for your help.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Jul 19, 2008)

I've been using Ubuntu almost exclusively on my laptop since Breezy Badger (5.10) I think. Usually pretty good. I prefer Gentoo for stability, but Ubuntu's hardware detection and ease of use (for migrating from Windows) are great. I just got my fiance to convert from Vista Ultimate to 8.04 the other day, and she loves it. Don't give up on Ubuntu just yet. A lot of people trash it for being bloated, (it is at times) but the beauty is in how moldable and customizeable it can be. With an afternoon of good tweaking, Ubuntu can be as fast as a well tuned Gentoo, IMHO with a lot less inititial setup time.


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