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I'm really sorry if this is a repost, but I couldn't find anybody with my same problem online. I started with a PC running Ubuntu 18 on an SSD (let's call it HDD #1) with the default partition setup and an encryption setup for the largest of the three partitions that holds all the user data (Documents, programs, etc.). I also had another HDD (let's call it HDD #2) that was plugged in that was set up to just be one huge 4TB partition with data on it. HDD #2 can't and shouldn't be booted from. This system was working fine up until...

I decided to format and install Ubuntu on a third HDD (let's call it HDD #3). This went well and I can now boot and run from HDD #3. Unfortunately, after unplugging HDD #3, my PC refuses to boot from HDD #1 anymore. I have tried:

  • Changing the boot order of the drives so that HDD #1 boots first
  • Directly booting from HDD #1 in BIOS
  • Unplugging HDD #2 and HDD #3 and booting both ways from HDD #1

What happens if HDD #3 isn't plugged in is that after BIOS boots up, it sends me straight to GNU GRUB. I'm not sure what to do in there or if I should be doing anything in there at all, I know it's a bootloader but don't know how to use it and don't want to mess anything up by not knowing what I'm doing (all too easy in Linux!).

What did I do wrong? Is there a way I can fix this? Can HDD #1 be accessed ever again?

Holden Gjuka
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    If you are booting to GRUB, you should be able to select an operating system if one exists. Another way to find a "lost" OS is to use a Live USB and run boot-repair, You can also inspect your drives on a live USB using the utility "Disks" -- If your encrypted partition is still in tact, you should be able to unlock it and browse the file system --- I would do a backup to external media before doing boot-repair, if you are able. – Nmath Jun 10 '19 at 02:37
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    Can you boot to the system on HDD1 from grub menu while HDD3 is plugged? If so, sudo grub-install issued from the system on HDD1 should solve this. – mook765 Jun 10 '19 at 02:53
  • @Nmath I used a USB to live-boot and looked at it using Disks. Everything seems to be there! I'm having trouble running boot-repair however unfortunately. When I run the command sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair

    I get this error:

    Cannot add PPA: 'ppa:~yannubuntu/ubuntu/boot-repair'. ERROR: '~yannubuntu' user or team does not exist.

     – Holden Gjuka Jun 10 '19 at 03:13
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    The PPA is still active. It's possible that you might not be connected to the internet or maybe it was temporarily unavailable when you tried. – Nmath Jun 10 '19 at 04:32
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    The correct add-apt repository command is sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair. – heynnema Jun 10 '19 at 13:48
  • @Nmath I got the boot utility working, the PPA was only down temporarily like you said. Ran the boot utility and it said it found a partition, however it still isn’t booting unfortunately. – Holden Gjuka Jun 11 '19 at 00:23
  • @Nmath Thanks for the help! I’ll just be reinstalling the os then, seems a lot easier in the long run. I also had an IT professional in person tell me today that even if I found a way to repair it, it likely wouldn’t work quite the same as before, so it looks as though even if I put in the time and fixed the current install it wouldn’t really be worth fixing. Have a good one! – Holden Gjuka Jun 11 '19 at 19:00

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