# Getting back to distro when grub stops working

**URL:** <https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [May 8, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543 "2020-05-08T06:22:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AlistairG](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/alistairg/32/1959_2.png) [@AlistairG](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/AlistairG)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543/1 "2020-05-08T06:22:52Z")

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Im not sure if my Lenovo Thinkpad/E590 bios has changed, but all of a sudden, I cant boot to grub menu.  
Step 1 was to bring up a live version of refind boot, which finds my grub and boots and I can use but the old method of boot/grub/ windows or linux has gone without refind.  
I dont want to make refind my boot manager, so welcome any advice.  
I did try update-grub, but still the grub is elusive.

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**Author:** ![Coeur-Noir](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/coeur-noir/32/4515_2.png) [@Coeur-Noir](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Coeur-Noir)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543/2 "2020-05-08T18:23:59Z")

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_sudo grub-install /dev/sdX_  
where X is the letter matching the _booting_ disk where you need to install _grub_ on.

But it’s strange grub disappeared once of a sudden.

Are there many OS on that machine ? Any upgrade for one of these ?  
Maybe [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info) and [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair)

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**Author:** ![AlistairG](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/alistairg/32/1959_2.png) [@AlistairG](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/AlistairG)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543/3 "2020-05-08T20:14:09Z")

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Hi thanks for consideration. I will document here, as others may have similar problem, which comes down to the **added complexities of UEFI boot** and inability of historical utilities to address any problem with grub and/or boot.

Possibly grub disappeared either by me changing some BIOS setting, on a brand new Lenovo E590, which in turn changed the EFI structure, compromising grub boot, or I had been trying a live distro of emmabuntus-de4-amd64-11.0-alpha1 which simply hung when I shut down; there was some odd disk activity.

My first port of call after grub issue was boot-repair-disk-32bit.iso, which a) could not use my wifi network and b) would not recognise my SSD. The latter was most important as if it cant recognise the SSD it cant do the job.

I needed a distro that could recognise the SSD, and modify the existing grub/paths, so next used MX-linux.iso grub tools which could not find grub either.

Since these were not working, and what did work was the following methods:  
1…Boot into existing installed distro of Budgie by using boot manager refind-cd-0.12.0.iso  
2…The following actions:

alistair@alsE590:~$ efibootmgr  
BootCurrent: 001D  
Timeout: 0 seconds  
BootOrder: 0000,0011,0010,0012,0013,0014,0018,0019,001A,001B,001C,001D,001E  
Boot0000\* Windows Boot Manager  
Boot0010 Setup  
Boot0011 Boot Menu  
Boot0012 Diagnostic Splash Screen  
Boot0013 Lenovo Diagnostics  
Boot0014 Regulatory Information  
Boot0015 Startup Interrupt Menu  
Boot0016 Rescue and Recovery  
Boot0017 MEBx Hot Key  
Boot0018\* USB CD  
Boot0019\* USB FDD  
Boot001A\* NVMe0  
Boot001B\* ATA HDD0  
Boot001C\* ATA HDD1  
Boot001D\* USB HDD  
Boot001E\* PCI LAN  
Boot001F\* IDER BOOT CDROM  
Boot0020\* IDER BOOT Floppy  
Boot0021\* ATA HDD  
Boot0022\* ATAPI CD  
_the above shows no grub visible_

alistair@alsE590:~$ sudo grub-install  
[sudo] password for alistair:  
Installing for x86\_64-efi platform.  
Installation finished. No error reported.

alistair@alsE590:~$ efibootmgr  
BootCurrent: 001D  
Timeout: 0 seconds  
BootOrder: 0001,0000,0011,0010,0012,0013,0014,0018,0019,001A,001B,001C,001D,001E  
Boot0000\* Windows Boot Manager  
_Boot0001 ubuntu_\*  
Boot0010 Setup  
Boot0011 Boot Menu  
Boot0012 Diagnostic Splash Screen  
Boot0013 Lenovo Diagnostics  
Boot0014 Regulatory Information  
Boot0015 Startup Interrupt Menu  
Boot0016 Rescue and Recovery  
Boot0017 MEBx Hot Key  
Boot0018\* USB CD  
Boot0019\* USB FDD  
Boot001A\* NVMe0  
Boot001B\* ATA HDD0  
Boot001C\* ATA HDD1  
Boot001D\* USB HDD  
Boot001E\* PCI LAN  
Boot001F\* IDER BOOT CDROM  
Boot0020\* IDER BOOT Floppy  
Boot0021\* ATA HDD  
Boot0022\* ATAPI CD

Typically, linux wont boot usually is a minor issue. Most times for me its when I have a disk mount in fstab and the disk dies or is removed; linux wont boot. This above issue clearly did not need a linux re-install. I would always ensure to have refind-cd in my group of rescue items.  
Regards, Al.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Coeur-Noir](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/coeur-noir/32/4515_2.png) [@Coeur-Noir](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Coeur-Noir)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543/4 "2020-05-08T20:31:04Z")

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Just  
`sudo grub-install`  
was enough ?

It’s strange, as you should point a specific booting device to install grub on it.  
[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Installing](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Installing)

I’m no _senior-grub-doctor_ so please look at at boot-info and boot-repair ( without repairing first, just to check what it could suggest ).

But yes, if you changed settings regarding boot / secure-boot / efi-options in bios that might have wiped out previous boot partition ( here is a very big question mark → ? ).

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**Author:** ![AlistairG](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/alistairg/32/1959_2.png) [@AlistairG](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/AlistairG)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543/5 "2020-05-08T20:48:28Z")

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To summarize sudo grub-install was enough, but I wanted to be sure to instantiate it from the original distribution eg Budgie hence reason for using _refind_ which let me do exactly that.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Coeur-Noir](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/coeur-noir/32/4515_2.png) [@Coeur-Noir](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Coeur-Noir)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/getting-back-to-distro-when-grub-stops-working/3543/6 "2020-05-09T00:00:26Z")

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You could have done it from an UbuntuBudgie live session.

Anyway, if you solved your problem, that’s what matters.