Error while trying to install Lubuntu 19.10

Lubuntu Support
1

Hello!

This is my first time installing any type of distro.

I’m trying to install Lubuntu on a separate partition.
The partition is on the same disk as Windows 10 (it’s a 2 TB HDD)
I created a 150 GB “Free Space” thing (I don’t know what it’s called).
From that, I created to partitions. A 6 GB swapfile partition and the rest I made another partition for Lubuntu. I clicked install and after a couple of minutes I got this error:

Installation Failed

Boost.Python error in job “bootloader”.
Command ‘grub-install --target=i386-pc --recheck --force /dev/sda’ returned non-zero exit status 1.
Installing for i386-pc platform. grub-install: warning: this GPT partition label contains no BIOS Boot Partition; embedding won’t be possible. grub-install: error: embedding is not possible, but this is required for cross-disk install.

Traceback:
File “/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/bootloader/main.py”, line 457, in run
prepare_bootloader(fw_type)

File “/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/bootloader/main.py”, line 429, in prepare_bootloader
install_grub(efi_directory, fw_type)

File “/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/bootloader/main.py”, line 340, in install_grub
boot_loader[“installPath”]])

File “”, line 6, in

My specs:
CPU: AMD FX-6350
Grapics card: Gigabyte GTX 650 4 GB
Storage: 2 TB Seagate HDD, 250 GB HDD
Motherboard: MSI-760GMA-P34 (FX)
RAM: 2x4GB Kingston DRR3 1333 MHz

2

You have booted your live-system in BIOS mode, but you use GPT as partition table, which itself indicates, that your Windows is installed in UEFI mode.

To solve your issue: Boot the live-system in UEFI mode. Although this sounds very simple, it might be the hardest part of the installation.

First of all, I recommend to use Rufus (on Windows) to create the live-system on a USB stick.

Then you can start your live-system, open a terminal (CTRL+ALT+T) and check the boot mode with (copy&paste to avoid errors):

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo UEFI || echo BIOS

If you see “UEFI” as the output, then you can install Lubuntu. If you see “BIOS”, then you did something wrong and should find a way to boot the live-system in UEFI mode. In this case, you should check the settings in your UEFI. Some UEFI have a boot menu, where you see two entries for the USB stick. Try both. On other UEFI, you have to set something like “UEFI first” or “UEFI only”. If you see “CSM” or “BIOS Legacy”, then you should switch the setting to “UEFI”.

If you need some help, you might post here some photos of your UEFI settings.

3

Hey!

The terminal’s output is BIOS.

My motherboard only has Legacy BIOS. (You know, the generic old BIOS with a blue background).

And yes, I tried to install Lubuntu from it’s live version.

4

Please post ```
sudo parted --list

from the live-system.
5

I copied everything that the terminal gave as output:

lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ sudo parted --list
Model: ATA ST3250310AS (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 250GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
1 20.5kB 210MB 210MB fat32 EFI System Partition boot, esp
2 210MB 250GB 250GB hfs+

Model: ATA ST2000DM006-2DM1 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 2000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 577MB 576MB primary ntfs boot
2 577MB 1843GB 1843GB primary ntfs
3 1843GB 1849GB 6291MB primary linux-swap(v1)
4 1849GB 2000GB 151GB primary ext4

Model: Unknown (unknown)
Disk /dev/zram5: 695MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Flags
1 0.00B 695MB 695MB linux-swap(v1)

Model: Unknown (unknown)
Disk /dev/zram3: 695MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Flags
1 0.00B 695MB 695MB linux-swap(v1)

Model: Unknown (unknown)
Disk /dev/zram1: 695MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Flags
1 0.00B 695MB 695MB linux-swap(v1)

Model: ADATA USB Flash Drive (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdg: 3972MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 3972MB 3971MB primary fat32 boot, lba

Model: Unknown (unknown)
Disk /dev/zram4: 695MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Flags
1 0.00B 695MB 695MB linux-swap(v1)

Model: Unknown (unknown)
Disk /dev/zram2: 695MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Flags
1 0.00B 695MB 695MB linux-swap(v1)

Model: Unknown (unknown)
Disk /dev/zram0: 695MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size File system Flags
1 0.00B 695MB 695MB linux-swap(v1)

6

Ok, the situation on your disks is not as clear as I hoped.

First, I see an EFI-System-Partition on the SSD (250 GB drive). If you booted the live-system only in BIOS mode, then the installer did not create it. On the other hand, your Windows is on a drive with MBR as partition table, which is normally a sign, that Windows is installed in BIOS mode.

First of all, you should check, in which mode your Windows is installed:

  1. Boot your windows
  2. Open a command line as administrator
  3. Execute bcdedit
  4. Check if you see “winload.exe” (for BIOS) or “winload.efi” (for UEFI) in the output.

If your Windows is installed in UEFI mode, you must (should) install Lubuntu in the same mode. Otherwise you won’t get a working dual-boot.

If your Windows is installed in BIOS mode, then you can either create a special partition on /dev/sda: “bios_grub”, size: 1 MB.
Or, maybe easier, you choose the other device /dev/sdb as installation device for the bootloader. But the next update of your Windows bootloader will overwrite Grub, and you have to reinstall Grub.

7

The 250 GB storage device is an old HDD. The reason why it’s GPT is because I tried installing Hackintosh on it.
Would erasing that old 250 GB HDD solve the error?

8

Yes, if you can erase the whole disk, then you can create a new partition table => MBR/MSDOS and you should be able to install Lubuntu without problems on it. Then you have also the bootloaders separated.

1 Like
9

Okay. Looks like I won’t be able to triple boot on my system then (Windows, Linux and Mac). Or at least it would be a pain in the rear.

Thanks for the help. I’ll let you know if I can install it without a problem.

10

I’ve erased that old HDD and created a MBT partition table on it. After that I made two partitions. A 225.1 GiB (ext4) partition and a 7.8 GiB (linuxswap) partition.
The next button is greyed out. I can’t click on it.
Why?

11

Oh nevermind I had to select / for the Mount Point

12

Our manual

13

What do you mean by that?

14

I’ve successfully installed lubuntu without any erros but my pc just keeps booting straight into windows 10. There’s no option to choose linux.

15

I found a solution. I had to change the order of the drives in my BIOS. I changed the first one to the one that I install Lubuntu to (the old HDD).

16

Thank you for the help!

17

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