ok, did a bit more researching, then tried
cp -b /mnt/boot-sav/sda1/EFI/{ubuntu/grub,Boot/boot}x64.efi

still booted windows.
so i similarly replaced EFI/{Windows/Boot,dell/SOS}/bootmg{r,fw}x64.efi

while i don't recommend this solution, it now boots ubuntu.


On Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 11:46 AM gregrwm <tclug1 at whitleymott.net> wrote:

> sheesh.  no error from grub-install, but it still boots into windows.
>
> curious that i find these in /boot:
> vmlinux-4.13.0-28-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-36-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-36-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.13.0-37-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-37-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.13.0-38-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-38-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.13.0-39-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-39-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.13.0-41-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-41-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.13.0-43-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-43-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.13.0-45-generic
> vmlinux-4.13.0-45-generic.efi.signed
> vmlinux-4.15.0-29-generic
> vmlinux-4.15.0-30-generic
> vmlinux-4.15.0-32-generic
> ,,,
> vmlinux-4.15.0-62-generic
> vmlinux-4.15.0-64-generic
> vmlinux-4.15.0-65-generic
>
> curious that *.efi.signed doesn't exist for -28-, does for -36- thru -45-,
> but then no others.  and curious that /boot/efi is empty.   but,
> /boot/grub/x86_64-efi exists and is populated, and no other /boot/grub/*
> directory exists, so it looks like it was installed as efi.  sort of.  i
> don't have other EFI installations handy to inspect.  do y'all?  this is
> xenial.  how does it look on yours?
>
> well this is what i did, in a terminal in boot-repair-disk:
> mkdir /mnt/boot-sav/sda7/mnt/a1
> mount --bind /mnt/boot-sav/sd{,a7/mnt/}a1
> mount -oro -tproc {,/mnt/boot-sav/sda7}/proc
> mount -oro --bind {,/mnt/boot-sav/sda7}/sys
> mount -oro,rbind {,/mnt/boot-sav/sda7}/dev
> mount -oro,bind {,/mnt/boot-sav/sda7}/lib/modules
> chroot /mnt/boot-sav/sda7
> grub-install --uefi-secure-boot --target=x86_64-efi --no-nvram
> --efi-directory=/mnt/a1 /dev/sda
>
> it said something like:
> Installing for x86_64-efi platform.
> Installation finished. No error reported.
>
> but it still boots into windows.  any ideas?
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 13, 2019 at 7:09 PM gregrwm <tclug1 at whitleymott.net> wrote:
>
>> thank you for the replies.  surprise, his linux partitions are still
>> there.  but we're not out of the woods yet.  tried chroot and
>> grub-install, got "error: /usr/lib/grub/i386-pc/modinfo.sh doesn't
>> exist."  then downloaded boot-repair-disk and added it to my thumb drive
>> of handy iso's.  it quickly identified a sensible repair, but failed to
>> perform it, saying "The current session is in Legacy mode. Please reboot
>> the computer, and use this software in an EFI session. This will activate
>> the function. For example, use a live-USB of Boot-Repair-Disk-64bit, after
>> making sure your BIOS is set up to boot USB in EFI mode."
>>
>> so i'm guessing that means my friend's disc was setup as an EFI boot,
>> meanwhile my handy thumb drive didn't boot in EFI mode, either for the live
>> ubuntu i used to chroot and try grub-install, nor for the boot-repair-disk
>> iso, and i'm guessing the bios in it's unquestionable wisdom is entirely
>> inflexible, like if it's booted one way, it can't perform any operation on
>> the other format, regardless that they are two separate discs, and grub, in
>> it's unquestionable wisdom, uses the bios instead of direct i/o.  have i
>> got that about right?  if so i guess i need to get another thumb drive for
>> booting in EFI mode?  or is there a way to tell grub to switch modes after
>> grub boots up and before booting the iso?
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 12, 2019, 19:25 gregrwm <tclug1 at whitleymott.net> wrote:
>>
>>> a dear friend is bringing his laptop over tomorrow morning at 8:30am to
>>> see if we can find anything he had on it (in ubuntu) before it died and he
>>> took it to best buy for warranty service.  they replaced the motherboard
>>> and installed windows 10.  how thoughtful.  for starters i'll look at the
>>> partitioning and see what might be there, but i rather expect to find
>>> windows 10 was told to take the whole disk for scratch.  i've never used
>>> autopsy or anything like it so am entirely open to recommendations of what
>>> approaches would be most likely (even if rather unlikely) to bring joy for
>>> my friend.
>>> tia,
>>> greg
>>>
>>
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