Grub installs on USB-drive not hdd

Hi,

I had the same issue. My USB drive is located at /dev/sdh. Install goes fine but when it tries to install GRUB the install displays "grub-install /dev/sda" and then it say the installation has failed. So it seems that grub istal defaults to /dev/sda which prevents it to install any other drive. I think it should be fixed. This being said here's how I circumvent this:

- I installed LILO instead since grub fails.
- I've completed the isntallatin and reboot.
- After the reboot I've run these commands:
- update-grub
- grub-install /dev/sdh

Reboot and voila it now boots to GRUB.

If you end up with "grub>" prompt then you can use this guide here:
https://www.linux.com/learn/tu…-booting-grub-2-on-linux/

and once you've reboot with grub commands you can repeat update-grub and grub install phase.

Cheers,
K.

I had some recent experience with this doing installations on a couple different configurations for testing. A couple observations:

1. Installing from USB created with Rufus/Unetbootin/etc. that install their own boot menu to the USB flash drive: Booting brings up the Bootable USB Utility's boot menu, and not the custom OMV splash, so I know at least something is different about the boot process. With this installation GRUB DOES install to sda, which is my Bootable USB Stick.

2. Installing from a bootable USB with Win32diskimager, which I believe relies on the ISO to have its own boot menu: Booting brings up an OMV Splash, and GRUB does NOT install to the Bootable USB Stick (sda). Instead, it gives an error that GRUB cannot install to sda. I found instructions in the Wiki on how to install GRUB after getting this error: http://wiki.openmediavault.org/index.php?title=Installation More or less, they are what some folks here have already listed.

The issue with GRUB installing on the installation media is a Debian issue, not OMV. An easy trick for regular Debian installs is to simply pull the installation media out before the GRUB installation. At this point, the installer is done with the installation media anyway. I tried this with the OMV installation using Win32diskimager. After getting the "GRUB failed to install to Sda.." error, I pulled the USB stick, and clicked retry. GRUB then installed to Sdb, which was the installation target drive and only other drive in the machine. Installation onto sdb then wrapped up and I was able to boot into OMV.

What I don't know is if the OMV installation does anything different than Debian does..something that requires the installation media, after GRUB is installed. If it does, then maybe I'll get a nasty surprise down the road!

Same happened to me while installing last week.

USB was sda, i was installing on sdb (120Gb SSD - pure OS drive)

It failed on the same screen - so What I did ? I pulled the USB flash drive from the USB port after the red screen error (grub install fail)!!
Just click "cancel" - it will send you back to a list of the things it is installing. and try again without the USB thumb drive.

Even if you tell the install to install on sdB it tries to install grub on sda !!
Since the files are already copied to the drive, pull the USB, and try again - it will now see your former sdb drive as the new sda, and complete grub install.

Worked like a charm. - no extra installs, no nothing - just tricked the install into thinking sda was the SSD.

Good advice Markess....

well if I just would have seen that before. After the failure I installed lilo and it worked. What is better Grub or Lilo for OMV?

ähm my comment was meant, that I would have been better off, if I would have searched the forum before I installed omv the first time. Nothing more. Its wired that the USB is making so much problem for me. Its a supermicro mainboard and now I cant even install any more on a usb stick. Installation crashes. I thought I bought a mainboard which fits omv well.... I am on the way to wipe the HD entirly, which i used for the first install. In future I will buy a new USB 3.0 to SATA atapter. Even if this takes days until it runs again, I wont be angry at OMV or so. I am happy that I get the help I need.