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I have an ubuntu installation (amd64) on a SSD "A" and I copied the whole harddisk to another SSD "B" , (GPT, sda1=BIOS Boot partion , sda2 = ntfs (windows) sda2=ext4 (ubuntu), sda3 = linux swap)

I wrote the grub bootloader to the disk (on System with i7 970 CPU) with 

grub-install /dev/sda

everything worked fine! On the i7 architecture I can now boot from the copied SSD "B".

But how can I use the copied SSD "B" on another architecture like the i5 LGA1150. Booting on this architecture does not work, the bootloader is not found somehow (black screen with one underline). Do I need to install the grub bootloader on the new architecture first, and will the copied ubuntu installation work then or is there still some inconsistencies?

UPDATE: Using Drive "B" : GPT Formated SSD

I have the following motherboard with the i5 CPU (does not work so far): http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87PRO/

For the i7 I have the Asus P6T7 (boots successfully): http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P6T7_WS_SuperComputer

Might that be the reason?

UPDATE2: So far, i disabled secure boot and turned on legacy boot in the bios of the Z87PRO, and changed the SSD "B" back to an MBR format, i installed grub on the i5 platform with the live cd (chroot method) and when trying to boot from "B" I could not boot into the bootloader, just black screen and returning to BIOS, any ideas?

My Boot Repair Dum is here, the correct one now> http://paste.ubuntu.com/7185224/

Solution: Finally I was able to boot the SSD "B" drive (architecture was no problem) but I still had a GPT partition table, which was a problem: I Changed the GPT to MBR (here: https://askubuntu.com/questions/84501/how-can-i-change-convert-a-ubuntu-mbr-drive-to-a-gpt-and-make-ubuntu-boot-from) then I reinstalled Grub from a Live CD Ubuntu 13.10 , (SSD "B" system is 13.04) from here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1581099 (with the chroot method!) rebooted, and finally the Grub worked! and also I could boot the kernels on the i5 architecture!

Rui F Ribeiro
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Gabriel
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  • I imagine the problem is not so much with the different processors (`amd64` should work on all but very specialised 64 bit desktop processors). More likely is that the BIOS on your LGA1150 machine doesn't support the GPT partition table that you have on the disk. – Graeme Mar 30 '14 at 17:58
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    As Graeme implies, the i5 and the i7 are *not* different architectures. It's possibly because the i7 is on a (newer) UEFI motherboard and the i5 is on a (older) BIOS style motherboard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFI UEFI and GPT go hand in hand. – goldilocks Mar 30 '14 at 18:25
  • @goldilocks, 'architecture' is a very broad term which can cover a number of differences between the processors. Usually from a software perspective when we talk about architecture we really mean instruction set. It is safe to assume that they both support the `AMD64` instruction set even if there are other differences in their architecture. – Graeme Mar 30 '14 at 18:39
  • Actually this may also be a secure boot issue, which is maybe more likely given that the LGA1150 socket is less than a year old. Are the machines that your SSD won't work on fairly new? Did they come with Windows 8 pre-installed? – Graeme Mar 30 '14 at 19:15
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    The i5 board is certainly UEFI (technically UEFI replaces BIOS, although it seems many vendors are using the term 'UEFI BIOS' to sidestep the confusion). UEFI is required to support GPT, so changing the partition table definitely won't help. I would try disabling secure boot in the UEFI menu to see what happens. – Graeme Mar 30 '14 at 20:51
  • If it does work with secure boot disable, I *think* you can re-enable it after following the instructions here - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/SecureBoot#Manual_Secure_Boot_VM_setup. Either that or just leave it disabled - it won't be any more insecure than any other system that doesn't have it. – Graeme Mar 30 '14 at 20:58
  • Thanks for the information! I try the secure boot stuff tomorrow – Gabriel Mar 30 '14 at 21:18
  • Ok, So far, i disabled secure boot, and changed the SSD "B" to an MBR format, i installed grub on the i5 platform with the live cd (chroot method) and I could not boot into the bootloader, just black screen, i am a bit desperate... any ideas? – Gabriel Mar 31 '14 at 13:23
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    Hmm, the first line the Boot Repair Dump says `Grub2 (v1.99) is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda`, but the Drive/Partition Info says `GUID Partition Table detected.` This is a concern. Does the drive still boot in your `i7` box? – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 14:14
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    Ok, at least this is all MBR now! If it still doesn't work, I would go ahead and carry out the `Recommended-Repair`. I don't know if this will solve the issue, but it won't do any harm. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 15:30
  • Thanks it worked now :-)! Read above :-) Thanks for the help! graeme! – Gabriel Mar 31 '14 at 15:33
  • So maybe this was a grub issue all along then... If it works now, that's great. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 15:45
  • It was a GRUB and GPT issue, with two different systems (UEFI or BIOS) – Gabriel Mar 31 '14 at 17:20

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If there is no specific reason you are using a GPT style disk beyond the fact that you have a UEFI system, you might want to try converting it to the regular MBR style. From wikipedia:

For backwards compatibility, most of the UEFI implementations also support booting from MBR-partitioned disks, through the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) which provides legacy BIOS compatibility.In that case, booting Linux on UEFI systems is the same as on legacy BIOS-based systems.

I.e., at this time using an MBR is bound to be more portable than GPT or the hybrid methods, etc. I have an Asus mobo w/ a UEFI AMI "BIOS" and the boot ssd (the only internal drive) uses MBR. I don't think I had to do anything special in the BIOS set-up, either. It just worked.

See here for how to convert GPT back to MBR. Since you can convert them back and forth (the only hassle being your grub setup), it is worth a try. Make sure that the issue really is that the i5 system does not support GPT first (if it is not UEFI, it doesn't).

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goldilocks
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  • I have the following motherboards (added in the post). might that be the problem, that it does not work in th i5 setup? :-), i think I ve created the BIOS Boot partition only for the i7 setup (where it works) and not for the i5 setup ( partitioned with gparted using gpt, no bios system partition) I think thats the problem? – Gabriel Mar 30 '14 at 20:25
  • I was under the impression you were trying the *same drive* ("B") on both machines. If not, you should clarify which drive is being used on which machine in the question. – goldilocks Mar 30 '14 at 20:54
  • added some information, to clarify in the information above :-) – Gabriel Mar 30 '14 at 21:04
  • Alright, I took "created the BIOS boot partition only for the i7 setup" to mean there was some other disk without this partition you were using on the i5. But they are the same disk after all. If Graeme's solution doesn't work, ditch the BIOS partition and switch the disk to MBR (unless you are also dual-booting windows). That's the easy trouble-free option and will work on both systems. – goldilocks Mar 30 '14 at 21:32
  • @goldilocks, the motherboard is about as up-to-date as it gets. Pretty sure this isn't a GPT issue. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 00:46
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    @Graeme : Specification for the P6T7 board from the link provided by the OP describes the BIOS as **"16 Mb Flash ROM AMI BIOS, Green, PnP, DMI v2.0, Wfm2.0, ACPI v2.0a, SMBIOS v 2.4"** -- nothing about UEFI, vs. the other one, which mentions UEFI explicitly. It looks like a pretty specialized thing. Anyway, I too doubt it is a GPT issue since it's the i5 UEFI board that doesn't work. – goldilocks Mar 31 '14 at 02:33
  • @goldilocks, thankyou, I read that. I was meaning the board where the problem is. The [LGA1150 Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1150) lists it as a CPU socket that was only released last June. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 14:03
  • @Graeme The CPU socket has nothing to do with UEFI, and hence, nothing to do with secure boot either. The BIOS is an independent chip on the motherboard -- but the issue could be secure boot since it is the UEFI system that is the problem. If the P6TZ really is non-UEFI, it's odd that it does work with the preportedly GPT disk, of course, but it could have been set up as a GPT hybrid (using a "BIOS partition" implies this, since they are for systems that have been fed a pseudo MBR, I believe). – goldilocks Mar 31 '14 at 14:21
  • @goldilocks, yes, thankyou, I did read both links and I do know the difference between between a BIOS/UEFI chip and a CPU socket. However the two are related as I seriously doubt any manufacturer would release a motherboard with as new technology as this that doesn't support GPT. Of course the fact that the Z87PRO specs clearly state UEFI is the most solid piece of information to go on. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 14:40
  • The BIOS boot partition is required for GRUB on GPT and shouldn't indicate a hybrid. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 14:45
  • @Graeme : It doesn't indicate an Apple style hybrid, you're right, sorry -- but a [BIOS boot partition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS_Boot_partition) is used *"by legacy BIOS-based systems in order to boot, when the actual boot device contains a GUID Partition Table (GPT)"*, which explains why it works on the P6T7 (which also uses an older LGA 1366 socket), even though it isn't UEFI and probably would not otherwise support GPT. – goldilocks Mar 31 '14 at 14:57
  • Ok, so either the P6T7 BIOS supports GPT (seemingly some BIOSes do) or the disk was a hybrid to begin with. – Graeme Mar 31 '14 at 15:19
  • @goldilocks and gaeme: BIOS boot partition was used when it worked with the i7 P6T7 MO – Gabriel Mar 31 '14 at 17:18