0

I installed Ubuntu 16.06 onto a separate partition of my drive as Windows, and checked the options to upgrade as I install and install 3rd party software. After install, on restarting, the grub menu does not appear and windows boots directly. I have tried using boot-repair using the liveuser mode through my pendrive, and it gives no results. I have also tried several manual methods that gave no effect. I have disabled secure boot in the bios, and I have disabled fast boot in windows as well. On trying to install Ubuntu, it says that it's already installed and I can reinstall, so I'm guessing the OS is installed. Boot-repair's report also said that Ubuntu is there and shows Ubuntu entries under the efi partition but it doesn't give any effect on restarting. Any help would be appreciated!

Edit: It's apparently possible to enter grub, but only through going into advanced start options from windows and then selecting it under other boot options. I think Windows recognises it as a USB boot drive or liveboot disc. Edit 2: This option is now also gone. :(

Thanks for your help everyone! It's working now! Apparently it was an issue with my laptop, Acer E15, it has a special security feature. Refer here for more: Acer Aspire E15 will not dual boot

Alkove
  • 1
  • Download EasyUEFI, install it and see if Ubuntu/GRUB is still available as a boot option. – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 13:06
  • It wasn't an option, I added the grubx64 as a listing there and made it the first in the boot order. I rebooted to see if it made a difference but sadly I was sent back into Windows. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:21
  • Can you post a screenshot of the available options? – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 13:22
  • I can't seem to upload a picture. On restart, the listings were reset. There's Windows Boot Manager, EFI USB, EFI HDD, and EFI CDROM. The last three options don't do anything, I've tried booting into them. The new listing I made for Ubuntu is gone. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:31
  • Checkout my answer. – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 13:34
  • EFI HDD is what you want – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 13:59

2 Answers2

0

check your system setting boot order. If that doesn't fix it then

In the efi partition, there is efi/boot/bootx64.efi
This is the default boot loader, in this case windows.
Move it to the efi/windows folder
Now copy /efi/ubuntu/grubx64.efi or /efi/ubuntu/shimx64.efi (the file you have depends if you want secure boot)
rename the copy to bootx64.efi and move it to /efi/boot/

set you boot options to device boot first.

If the system setting aren't having an effect then we need to edit the NVRam.

boot from a liveCD and install efibootmgr
sudo apt-get install efibootmgr

type sudo efibootmgr to get a list of the logged OS's
type sudo efibootmgr -b 0000 -B to delete the first entry (windows)

continue to delete all except pxe net.

this will force the computer to use device boot. log into ubuntu first so it get's placed on slot 0000, then boot wiindows.

ravery
  • 6,874
  • I checked the boot order, but there's no option for grub there. In the efi, there's no windows folder, just microsoft, so I move it there? – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 12:08
  • After trying that, I rebooted but was again greeted with an immediate boot to windows. No grub. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 12:17
  • yes microsoft is windows. you moved and renamed the grub file? can you get into system setting? usually hold F2 or F10 during boot. set device. boot first and the internal hard drive – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 12:22
  • So I tried going into the settings and changing the order a bit, but to no avail. It's still Insta booting to windows. I get a lot of entries in it though, with usb HDD, usb CDROM and network boot apart from my main hard drive and Windows boot manager options. I don't have anything else plugged in. Could it be one of these under a wrong entry maybe? – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 12:32
  • boot the main HD – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 12:44
  • I was editing the boot order under system settings. It didnt help. In the boot menu, only one option exists, Windows Boot Manager, so nothing there either. Now the option for Linux under Adnavced Boot options -> Use a device has disappeared too. I tried restoring the efi and it still doesn't show up now. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 12:47
  • you copied the file and renamed exactly as the original?? it may be case sensitive. – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 12:52
  • Yes I did. I copied the grubx64 and used the exact same name as what the original boot file had. I'm trying now with shimx64 – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 12:54
  • No effect. Still getting an instant boot to windows. No grub. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:01
  • system settings -- boot the HDD not OS, we want the system settings not the temporary boot options – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 13:04
  • I did that too. Windows boot manager is sent to the bottom of the list. It didn't do anything. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:06
  • ok, you have a LiveCD right? we have to get tough.. – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 13:13
  • Yes, I have a live boot usb. What do I do next? I tried EasyUEFI as someone suggested but it didn't help. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:23
  • I added directions to the answer – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 13:24
  • I don't have an option called pxe net. There's a Linux and ubuntu option though. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:43
  • delete them all and reboot – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 13:44
  • Nope. It got reset to what it was originally. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:56
  • remove ALL options, then reboot, – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 14:01
  • I got it to work! Apparently my laptop, an Acer E15 has a special security feature under system settings so I had to add a listing there. Thanks anyway! Your advice was really good! – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 14:11
0

  • First, download rEFInd.

  • Extract it.

NOTE: THE BELOW PROCESS WILL DESTROY ALL OF THE DATA PRESENT IN THE USB DRIVE. SO, MAKE SURE TO TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE PROCEEDING.

  • Then, copy refind-flashdrive-0.10.8.img to a USB drive using dd command:

    sudo dd if=/path/to/refind-flashdrive-0.10.8.img of=/path/to/mounted/USB bs=8M status=progress oflag=direct && sync

If there are any errors regarding status=progress command not found or similar, then remove the argument status=progress from the above command.

OR

If on windows burn it to a USB drive using Rufus.

  • Now, boot from the USB drive and it should boot into a rEFInd menu. There you will get an option of Ubuntu if it still exists.

  • Boot to Ubuntu and install efibootmgr.

  • Next, check your boot order using:

    sudo efibootmgr -v

  • And then change the order using:

    sudo efibootmgr -o 0001,0003,0002

NOTE: Please edit the relevant parts of above command before continuing.

If the above method doesn't work, then, boot to windows:

  • Run Command-Prompt as administrator.

  • Issue the command:

    bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \path\to\your\grubx64.efi
Raphael
  • 8,035
  • So I edited the boot order to have Ubuntu first, but it still sent me to windows anyway. Should I reinstall Ubuntu? Is that the problem? I'm pretty sure the os installed properly. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:42
  • @Arsonary - How did you change your boot order? – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 13:44
  • I changed it the way you mentioned. It showed the boot order after with Ubuntu as first (0003) then windows (0004) then the other default options that were there. (sudo efibootmgr -o 0003,0004,2001,2002,2003) – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:47
  • @Arsonary - So, you can boot to old Ubuntu installation using USB and also to windows in a normal way, right? – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 13:50
  • Yes, booting from USB is still posible, though I didn't try your method. I used the live USB directly. It seems as if my bios is resetting my efi every time I restart my computer. I restarted after removing all options except Ubuntu but again it reset it to what it was originally, re adding the listings I deleted. – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 13:55
  • @Arsonary - Checkout the edited part of my answer. – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 13:58
  • you have to remove all options even ubuntu – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 14:01
  • @ravery - removing everything might result in a non-bootable system. – Raphael Jul 12 '17 at 14:02
  • @Rafael -- removing all will force defaullt media path boot , as it is when first booted at the manufacturer. that's why we moved grub to /Efi/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 14:03
  • in addition to boot order there is boot next which bypasses the boot order....0000 (windows) will put itself there everytime you boot. that's why I said to empty the entries, so we can get ubuntu in 0000 – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 14:09
  • I got it to work! Apparently my laptop, an Acer E15 has a special security feature under system settings so I had to add a listing there. Thanks anyway! Your advice was really good! – Alkove Jul 12 '17 at 14:11
  • what feature was that? – ravery Jul 12 '17 at 14:12