Arch Linux

kelp

Member

Registered: 2014-01-27

Posts: 3

Having trouble installing GRUB

I am running the following command to install GRUB:
grub-install --target=i386-pc --recheck --debug /dev/sda

I get the following error:
grub-install: warning: this GPT partition label contains no BIOS Boot Partition; embedding won't be possible.
grub-install: warning: Embedding is not possible.  GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists.  However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and their use is discouraged..
grub-install: error: will not proceed with blocklists.

I have 1007 kib free at the beginning of my disk. I thought that was all that was required to install GRUB when I have a GPT disk. Here is how my partitions are laid out:
http://imgur.com/FyBqzZ7

/dev/sda1 is Linux Mint
/dev/sda2 is Windows
/dev/sda3 is Arch Linux

Do I have to create another partition and set the boot grub flag manually?

HaCeMei

Member

Registered: 2013-03-24

Posts: 37

Re: Having trouble installing GRUB

Installing onto a USB key I got the same error message. This did it for me (whithout any extra space at the beginning of the drive)

# grub-install --force --no-floppy --root-directory=/mnt/install /dev/sdX

Though this still issues a warning on not being able to do the embedding.

Last edited by HaCeMei (2014-01-27 09:25:26)

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No new thing under the sun

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: Having trouble installing GRUB

For BIOS/GPT setups you need to create a BIOS boot partition, you can use the free space you've left at the beginning of your disk for this.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gr … structions

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

aur - dotfiles

kelp

Member

Registered: 2014-01-27

Posts: 3

Re: Having trouble installing GRUB

For BIOS/GPT setups you need to create a BIOS boot partition, you can use the free space you've left at the beginning of your disk for this.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gr … structions

I am having trouble using cgdisk to create a 1007 kib partition from that 1007 kib free space.

I am running the following commands:
cgdisk /dev/sda

Then, I select the free space, and press 'New'

As the first sector, I select '40' (Not sure what this means? Is this bytes from the beginning of the hard drive).

For the size in sectors, I select the default, '2008'.

For the type, I type 'ef02' as per the instructions in the link you gave me.

Unfortunately, it creates a partition of size 1004 kib, and leaves 3 kib free space before it.

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: Having trouble installing GRUB

Try installing grub with your 1004Kib ef02 partition, it should be big enough.

The official grub documentation states that it only needs to be 17Kib.

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

aur - dotfiles

kelp

Member

Registered: 2014-01-27

Posts: 3

Re: Having trouble installing GRUB

Try installing grub with your 1004Kib ef02 partition, it should be big enough.

The official grub documentation states that it only needs to be 17Kib.

Cool, it was able to install successfully! I used os-prober, and it found my Windows and Linux Mint partitions. But, I ran into a problem.

Neither my Windows nor Linux Mint partitions were able to boot successfully. Is it because they are not GPT partitions? When I start Linux Mint, I got a kernel panic. When I started Windows, I had an error message (I forgot the specifics of it). Arch Linux was able to boot successfully, though. Any ideas why this might be happening?