I went ahead and used gnome-disk-utility to create 1tb ext4 partition on /dev/sda then retried:
sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda Installing for i386-pc platform. grub-install: warning: File system `ext2' doesn't support embedding. grub-install: error: embedding is not possible, but this is required for cross-disk install. Then used gnome-disk-utility to create a gpt partition on /dev/sda then retried: sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda Installing for i386-pc platform. grub-install: error: unable to identify a filesystem in hostdisk//dev/sda; safety check can't be performed. Then creted mbr on /dev/sda then retried: sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda Installing for i386-pc platform. grub-install: error: unable to identify a filesystem in hostdisk//dev/sda; safety check can't be performed. then manually made a partition /dev/sda1 and did sudo mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sda1 and then the grub install succedded: sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/kubuntu/5e9eb943-238e-451f-b029-18b24bdaac0c/ /dev/sda Installing for i386-pc platform. Installation finished. No error reported. So I'm thinking now that grub's earlier refusal to install on the blank /dev/sda is a deliberate feature, in which case the problem is really with the ubuntu installer in that it won't provide user with a recourse action to install grub on /dev/sdb in the case that the user installs ubuntu to /dev/sdb but has an empty partition table in /dev/sda. I'm going to try a lubuntu testing install onto /dev/sdb with a blank /dev/sda partition table to determie if this issue affects more ubuntus than just kubuntu. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1414124 Title: install reports unable to install grub to /dev/sdb To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/1414124/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
