Installing Ubuntu on Blank SSD

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StevieT

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#190632 7-Jan-2016 10:00

Hi there

I swapped out my dying HDD from my HP laptop, and put in a blank SSD. I've tried installing Ubuntu 15.10 server, 15.10 server OEM, 15.10 desktop, and now 14.03.3 LTS. All seems to install fine, except when it comes to rebooting, I get a 'Boot Device Not Found. Please install an operating system on your hard disk.'

The latest attempt at installing Ubuntu (14.03.3 LTS), I followed these instructions: http://ivanblagojevic.com/how-to-install-ubuntu-14-04-lts-on-an-empty-hard-disk-tutorial/ (at step 5 clicking on the 'Something else' option), but I get the same result.

How do I get this OS to boot? Much frustration....

Many thanks for any assistance,
Stevie

knoydart

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#1464938 7-Jan-2016 10:12

Stupid question, have you got the boot order in the BIOS changed over so that the SSD is looked at first, before the removable media (from which you have used to carry out the installation) is looked at?

gzt

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#1464949 7-Jan-2016 10:23

Take a look at it with gparted see if the correct partition is marked for boot. Check the boot manager as well. Maybe it is that simple.

If it is some weird situation where everything is perfect then maybe go this way:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootPartition

MadEngineer

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#1464951 7-Jan-2016 10:28

Are you accepting the boot install (the last question at the end of the setup iirc)?

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

StevieT

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#1464967 7-Jan-2016 10:43

knoydart: Stupid question, have you got the boot order in the BIOS changed over so that the SSD is looked at first, before the removable media (from which you have used to carry out the installation) is looked at?

When I restart, I first take out the DVD which contains the ISO to install Ubuntu. I gather if no DVD/CD is detected, it then looks at the hard drive. Otherwise if the DVD is in, it will start from that.

StevieT

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#1464979 7-Jan-2016 10:45

gzt: Take a look at it with gparted see if the correct partition is marked for boot. Check the boot manager as well. Maybe it is that simple.

If it is some weird situation where everything is perfect then maybe go this way:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootPartition

I'll give that a go.

MadEngineer: Are you accepting the boot install (the last question at the end of the setup iirc)?

If the above doesn't work, I do a re-install and get carefully examine what is being asked and what answer I am providing.

gzt

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#1464989 7-Jan-2016 10:52

StevieT:
knoydart: Stupid question, have you got the boot order in the BIOS changed over so that the SSD is looked at first, before the removable media (from which you have used to carry out the installation) is looked at?

When I restart, I first take out the DVD which contains the ISO to install Ubuntu. I gather if no DVD/CD is detected, it then looks at the hard drive. Otherwise if the DVD is in, it will start from that.

That would be correct if you made no bios changes to the boot order. Is it a standard sata ssd?

Btw what is your machine brand and model?

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StevieT

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#1465013 7-Jan-2016 11:17

gzt:
StevieT:
knoydart: Stupid question, have you got the boot order in the BIOS changed over so that the SSD is looked at first, before the removable media (from which you have used to carry out the installation) is looked at?

When I restart, I first take out the DVD which contains the ISO to install Ubuntu. I gather if no DVD/CD is detected, it then looks at the hard drive. Otherwise if the DVD is in, it will start from that.

That would be correct if you made no bios changes to the boot order. Is it a standard sata ssd?

Btw what is your machine brand and model?

Hi gzt

This is the SSD I got: http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=HDDSDK1121&name=SanDisk-120GB-SSD-Plus--2.5-SATA-III-SSD-%28-SDSSDA-

I followed the instructions you gave in the link. At step 6 after clicking 'Apply' I got 'GPT detected. Please create a BIOS-Boot partition >1MB, unformatted filesystem, bios_grubu flag. This can be performed via tools such as Gparted. Then try again.'

:/

Stevie

EDIT: forgot the info about the laptop. It is a HP Beats Special Edition 15-p007au.

gzt

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#1465125 7-Jan-2016 13:28

Ok we may just be creating a bigger mess at this point. My suggestion is use Gparted to delete everything on the disk then rerun your preferred OS installation accepting default options. After that use Gparted to see the correct partition is marked bootable.

StevieT

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#1465159 7-Jan-2016 14:21

Magic! Did that, restarted dreading the No OS on Hard Disk message, but Ubuntu loaded! Thank you :D

gzt

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#1465183 7-Jan-2016 14:29

Ok I'm not 100% sure it was anything I said but good result : ).

StevieT

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#1465237 7-Jan-2016 15:53

Before your post, I did think about deleting the partitions created during the previous install. I ran Ubuntu off the DVD and deleted them accordingly. Upon restart it was when you had posted, and I read to use default settings. So I did that.

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gzt

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#1465321 7-Jan-2016 18:54

Yeah I will guess the wrong partition got marked bootable first time around.

afe66

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#1465330 7-Jan-2016 19:17

I've got two ssd's, one with w8.1 on it the other unused.

Since dual boot seems to have disappeared, there's no issue with installing Ubuntu by changing the boot order to list the empty ssd before the w8.1 and install ubuntu on to the empty ssd.
And then changing the boot order when I want to play with ubuntu ?

A.

gzt

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#1465369 7-Jan-2016 20:20

That's a good way to do it as any.

Going a bit further in bios you could change your windows ssd drive port from 'auto detect' to 'none'. So your Ubuntu install will not even see the windows disk.

The vice versa when you want to boot your windows drive.

This is not really needed but prevents one or other operating system marking the other o/s disk or any random accidents or incidents.

richms

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#1465399 7-Jan-2016 20:47

It will still see the drive once the controller is initilized by the drivers in the operating system. Well at least it has for me. The only way to get drives to not be seen was to power them off or unplug the sata cable.

Richard rich.ms