This article aims to help users resolve GRUB booting issues when installing Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Xubuntu 20.04 on a single machine with a NVME drive.
Introduction
Dual booting allows users to run two operating systems on the same computer, giving them the flexibility to choose between different environments and software packages. In this scenario, let's assume you have successfully installed Xubuntu 20.04 on a partition, say, /dev/nvme0n1p3, and now wish to add another partition to load Ubuntu 24.04 with a /mountpoint.
Creating a new partition
To begin, launch the GParted application, which is pre-installed on Xubuntu. This tool helps you manage your disk partitions effectively.
Using GParted to create a new partition
Follow these steps to create the new partition:
- Launch GParted via the terminal by typing
sudo gpartedand entering your password. - Select the NVME disk by identifying it with the correct size in the upper right corner.
- Shrink the existing Xubuntu partition by right-clicking it and selecting "Resize/Move."
- Create space for the Ubuntu partition by sliding the bar to the left.
- Click "Apply" to apply the changes.
- Once the resizing is done, right-click on the free space and select "New."
- Set the file system to ext4 and the partition label to anything memorable.
- Set the "Create as" option to "Primary Partition" and the alignment to "Cylinder" or "MiB."
- Click "Add" and then "Apply" to create the new partition.
Installing Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Xubuntu 20.04
With the new partition created, you can proceed with installing Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Xubuntu 20.04 using a bootable USB/CD.
Installing Ubuntu alongside Xubuntu
During the Ubuntu installation, follow these steps:
- Proceed with the installation until the "Installation Type" screen appears.
- Choose "Something else" to manually partition the disk.
- Select the new partition you created with GParted.
- Set the mount point to "/" by hitting the change button.
- Ensure the partition format remains ext4 and the "Mount point" is set to "/."
- Click "OK" and proceed with the installation steps until completion.
Fixing the GRUB issue
After installing Ubuntu 24.04, you might encounter a GRUB issue during boot-up. To resolve this, boot into Xubuntu 20.04 and use the following commands:
Fixing GRUB using Boot-Repair
Open a terminal in Xubuntu and install Boot-Repair:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y boot-repair
After installation, launch Boot-Repair via the terminal with the boot-repair command and follow these steps:
- Choose "Advanced options."
- Ensure the main OS is Xubuntu 20.04.
- Confirm that the " separately from my OS" option is checked.
- Click "Apply" and note down the URL that Boot-Repair provides at the end.
Summary & References
In this article, we covered how to add a new partition for Ubuntu 24.04 alongside an existing Xubuntu 20.04 system, as well as fixing the GRUB issue.