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I have installed Ubuntu on an external SSD. So now I have an internal SSD with Windows on it and an external SSD with Ubuntu, which is meant to use on different PCs.

When I now boot my PC, I can select if I'd like to boot Windows or Ubuntu. My problem: I can only select that, if I have plugged in my Ubuntu-SSD - but that wasn't the idea of that. I also do not see the Windows-SSD in the BIOS anymore, only Ubuntu. I wanted my Windows to boot normally and if I plug in Ubuntu I can select that option.

Can it have something to do with that, that I did not unplug the Windows-SSD when installing Ubuntu on the other one?

Thank you!

hsil
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  • When you were installing Ubuntu, you wrongly configured GRUB. I believe you have to uninstall grub bootloader to get to previous state (https://askubuntu.com/questions/429610/uninstall-grub-and-use-windows-bootloader). Then you figure out how to install Ubuntu properly. – nobody Nov 17 '19 at 13:38
  • There is a bug in the installer that puts grub in the internal EFI System Partition even when you set it to be installed in the USB. Unplugging or locking the Windows SSD from UEFI/BIOS is the work around for this bug. Some advanced option in boot-repair may fix it. – user68186 Nov 17 '19 at 14:01
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    UEFI or BIOS installs? May be best to see details, use ppa version with your live installer (2nd option) or any working install, not older Boot-Repair ISO: Please copy & paste link to the Boot-info summary report ( do not post report), the auto fix sometimes can create more issues. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair If UEFI, did you gpt partition SSD & include ESP - efi system partition? – oldfred Nov 17 '19 at 15:47
  • Well, thats exactly what I meant user68186 ;) The problem is, I have already done that without locking or unplugging the windows-ssd. @oldfred right now i am reinstalling windows. If that works, so I can't show you the boot-repair right now. But Windows boots on UEFI, for the Ubuntu I have not set something like that (default installation), so no /boot/efi or anything like that. – hsil Nov 17 '19 at 19:30
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    How you boot install media UEFI or BIOS is how it installs. You should not have to reinstall Windows. If you have UEFI install, you can reinstall grub to ESP on flash drive manually or with Boot-Repair. Or copy both /EFI/ubuntu & /EFI/Boot to flash drive's ESP. During Ubuntu install you can also do this to get correct ESP. Posted work around to manually unmount & mount correct ESP during install https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1396379 Shows installer screens. Both BIOS purple accessibility screen & UEFI black grub menu screen https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI – oldfred Nov 17 '19 at 20:23

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Most likely your boot partition is also installed to the external drive alongside Ubuntu. Try to reinstall GRUB (with Boot Repair or something similar) to the drive with Windows. That will help to achieve what you want.

berkerol
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  • First, thank you. I also thought about doing that. But what I try to achieve, is that I can run Ubuntu on every other PC too, since everything is on that SSD. Or is that also possible with the boot partition on the other SSD? – hsil Nov 17 '19 at 13:54
  • Alright, now I understood your concern exactly. So you need to fix Windows boot then install EFI partition and GRUB to external drive to enable Ubuntu to boot itself. See this link for more info: https://www.dionysopoulos.me/portable-ubuntu-on-usb-hdd/ – berkerol Nov 17 '19 at 14:09