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Can't remove GNU Grub after deleting partition (Not GrubRescue!)

This is really urgent as I need Ubuntu for work.

I installed Ubuntu last year as a partition to dual boot with Windows 10. Then I realized that I didn't designate enough storage space to the Ubuntu partition (only 12gb!); How stupid! Anyway, I then decided to reinstall Ubuntu on my device.

So I deleted my current 12GB Ubuntu partition using Windows diskmgnt.

Then I went through the same process as before, I installed Ubuntu desktop as an ISO file, then used Rufus to flash it onto my USB, then I booted from my USB, when I was greeted with an odd message.

initramfs: Unable to find a medium containing a live file system

I looked into this and quickly realized that I still had a boot option called 'Ubuntu' even though I deleted the partition. This wasn't normal Ubuntu Desktop, it was a minimal GNU Grub. GNU Grub

I'm not entirely sure that the fact I can not install Ubuntu is to do with this, but it would be nice to remove it once and for all.

Can anyone please help me? I need Ubuntu for work and I'm not in a position to go out and buy a new PC.

Thank you so much for understanding, and sorry if I sound a bit uptight as this is my first post.

David
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Naman Patel
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    Uninstall Ubuntu from menu, Really UEFI boot menu http://askubuntu.com/questions/63610/how-do-i-remove-ubuntu-in-the-bios-boot-menu-uefi & https://askubuntu.com/questions/429610/uninstall-grub-and-use-windows-bootloader But if reinstalling Ubuntu, it will overwrite existin UEFI entry and existing /EFI/ubuntu folder with new entries using new GUIDs & UUIDs from new install. If you did not boot USB flash drive from UEFI one time menu, then maybe flash drive not correct for UEFI boot? – oldfred Apr 10 '21 at 02:44

2 Answers2

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To fix this, I simply used a different USB, then the installation process was successful and Grub terminal was gone.

Naman Patel
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This bootloader is in the /boot folder of whatever your drive is. You need to remove this somehow. You can do this in some BIOS versions on certain machines, not all allow this (mine doesn't). If you can somehow get the drive into a second working machine, you can sudo rm -r the folder that contains the wrong bootloader (for the Ubuntu entry) and you can use efibootmgr to remove the entry. More on that here: How do I completely destroy grub/ ubuntu bios entry? Conventional methods not working

Another option is to go into your BIOS, change the boot order and move Ubuntu right to the very bottom. This works better in case you accidentally delete the wrong boot entry or remove the wrong bootloader.

Vasilisa
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  • Ok thanks, is why I cant install Ubuntu now? – Naman Patel Apr 10 '21 at 08:51
  • @NamanPatel There are many factors that could cause installations to go wrong. Failing drives, corrupt install media, etc. I cannot personally comment on what went wrong in your case without serious analysis of many logs and other things. – Vasilisa Apr 10 '21 at 16:56
  • Hi there, thank you so much for your help, I managed to fix both problems with one solution. It turned out the reason I couldn't install Ubuntu was a problem related to my SanDisk USB. I retried the installation, but this time from a WD Passport HDD from 2006, and it worked. The grub terminal is gone and I managed to install Ubuntu again. Thanks! – Naman Patel Apr 11 '21 at 21:29
  • @NamanPatel No worries dude, glad you fixed it! – Vasilisa Apr 12 '21 at 08:13