Ubuntu Bootloader Help Needed!

[Lucifer666]

Hey guys, so I've gone for half a year straight without a laptop. I got mine back last week, and I want to get myself back into using Ubuntu.

My laptop already had 11.10 installed, but it was a messy install and the OS was overall quite messed up.

I went over to Disk Manager (on Windows 7), and deleted the entire partition Ubuntu was on, and restored it to its original hard disk.

I then downloaded the Ubuntu 12.4 Long Term Support version and created a bootable USB flash disk.

I used that to install Ubuntu and split the partitions again and everything, but when Ubuntu finished installing it said "could not install bootloader", which is definitely a bad thing. Having hit 'retry' several times, it still refuses to install a bootloader.

I reboot my dual-boot laptop and selected Ubuntu, and sure enough, there is no GRUB. Nothing, just a black screen.

I went back to Windows and used EasyBCD to remove Ubuntu's entry from dualboot and re-added it, but it still won't work. I need to somehow manually install GRUB. Where should I do it from (Windows or Ubuntu, booted by a USB), and how?

This is really urgent. Thanks in advance

 

[RodrigoDavy]

If you want to install grub, it is always through Ubuntu via pendrive or live CD. Then you google something like "restoring grub2 ubuntu" it should give you the steps to install it.

Are you sure, you didn't mess something up when managing the partitions? Is ubuntu installed in a primary partition?

 

[Jamstruth]

What Rodrigo said. I've had to do this several times when I messed with the Win8 Beta (messed up my boot record no end). If I remember there's also a GUI tool that will restore it if you don't want to do it through terminal (it was called GRUBFixer or BootFixer or similar). Since Ubuntu is installed anyway you should just be able to run that from your LiveDisk.

Also have you tried remaking your USB Key? Or redownloading the ISO then remaking your USB key?