I tried uninstalling Linux Ubuntu from Windows 10 and now GRUB pops up but wont let me boot.

[BigCapitalist]

I uninstalled Linux Ubuntu because I started having some sound and graphical problems and figured it would be easier to just reinstall it. I used Windows 10 because I am not that familiar with Linux yet and thought it would be easier to do on Windows but now every time I try to boot back into that SSD and install Ubuntu again I am greeted with the GRUB terminal not any boot options.

From reading around I assume this is from not fully uninstalling Linux Ubuntu and it is missing the rest of the files that I deleted. How do I fix this so I can install Ubuntu?

Thanks

 

[wizardfromoz]

...I am greeted with the GRUB terminal not any boot options.

There isn't a GRUB terminal. But that's OK. It may have a prompt that says Grub> or Grub Rescue>

Is it a full screen, black with white or grey text on it, and if so what does the text say?

Or take a clear pic and post it up here.

Are you still able to get into Windows?

Cheers

Wizard

 

[BigCapitalist]

I can still get windows pulled up bad another linux distro but they're on separate SSDs. It's just the one SSD that had Ubuntu on it that I deleted and am now trying to reinstall it.

 

[wizardfromoz]

I can still get windows pulled up bad another linux distro...

1.You might have a typo there, or else explain a little more. Is Windows functioning normally, or with difficulty, that is, is it "struggling"?

2. Thanks for the photos, they help.

The 2nd one confirms what I suspected, that you are being dropped to a shell with only a grub> prompt. This is known as the full Grub 2 command shell.

It means that Grub 2 started normally and loaded a module named normal.mod but it did not find your grub.cfg config file.

3. How are you getting into Windows currently? Is there (a) still a Grub Menu with Ubuntu on top and a line called Windows Boot Manager a couple of lines down, or (b) it's booting directly into Windows (unlikely), or (c) you are getting into it from your BIOS setup utility (unlikely)?

I think (a) is the most likely, please confirm or contradict.

4. Below is a screenshot of part of your 1st picture

SCREENSHOT 1 - WINDOWS DISK MANAGEMENT TRUNCATED FIELDS

You see the field near the top labelled "Status"? I need it wider, drag the handles so that the text fileds do not have any dots. I am expecting to see perhaps a couple of entries that read "EFI System Partition".

So take a picture showing that, and maybe also a separate picture that features Disk Zero through Disk 3 at the left?

5. I take it that LINUX (Z SSD is where you want to install Ubuntu to, and maybe that was where it was installed to previously, is that so?

If you can address those 5 issues, that will help. When you attach the screenshots/pix, choose Full Size, not Thumbnail, easier for us to read at a glance.

Thanks

Wizard

 

[BigCapitalist]

Windows is functioning perfectly fine. I have Windows on the NVME drive and I boot into it from the BIOS, I figured it is better and more safe to have my different OS's on their own separate SSD. When I want to start up Ubuntu or another linux OS I just go into the BIOS and boot from that SSD.

Yes, the one that is labeled LINUX (disk 0) is the drive I am currently trying to resolve and reinstall Ubuntu on.

Thanks for helping

 

[captain-sensible]

Hi BigCapitalist i'm sure Chris will pick up the ball on this again, but in the interlude a couple of observations. These days I find Windows confusing , (infact everything confusing) you have mention of disk Zero , Volume zero but in the latest image it doesn't look right. Ideally you would have available your usb that you used for install, boot up as "try" not install and use gParted to look at the HD/SSD you want to install to and use screen shot .

Whats wrong is that for instance i don't understand how a Ubuntu installer would create an EFI partition of 8Gig when usually its around 100MB. Obviously we all tinker and break things & that helps us learn, but can you confirm you did some manual edit on that efi or not ? Also since you haven't got Ubuntu installed i might tempt you to try both Ubuntu and Mint using the same USB stick if you have one circa 16gig.

Download the Windows version of https://ventoy.net/en/index.html and use it to format a usb stick. After that its just a case of drag and drop "intact" .iso onto it. thats the disk 3 partition 1 ,of size 8 gig but looks like nothing on it

 

[wizardfromoz]

...i don't understand how a Ubuntu installer would create an EFI partition of 8Gig when usually its around 100MB

It wouldn't, something has gone pear-shaped, and that is why I was asking after getting those truncated entries expanded on (thanks @BigCapitalist ).

Actually, broadly speaking - there are 3 categories for size of ESP (EFI System Partition)

1. 100 MB (minimum, some Distros will not install or function if it is 99 MB)
2. 300 MB is the recommended industry standard by "they/them", can't see a reason why, and
3. 500 MB - You find 100 and 500 often with computers that ship with Windows installed

It used to be the case (and may be still) that Solus Linux requires 550 MB ESP.

So 8 GB is total overkill, and looks suspicious.

Yes, the one that is labeled LINUX (disk 0) is the drive I am currently trying to resolve and reinstall Ubuntu on

Correction, that is Disk 1.

Take it away, Andy

Wizard

 

[BigCapitalist]

I fixed the issue. There were two different parton's on the USB apparently and I was choosing the wrong one. But one of the SSDs was still not showing up, still not sure why.