Can't Make Zorin Default Boot Option

I have three GNU/Linuxes and one Windows on my computer. I have always been able to change which OS boots by default by using the following commands:

<sudo update-grub> then <sudo install-grub /dev/sda1>

Suddenly, now when I try the second command, I get an error message about EXT2, embedding, blocklists etc. It won't let me change the order. I want Zorin to be default (naturally! also I spend almost my time on it). I don't have EXT2 anywhere on my system, so this is really confusing. Is there a way around it?

Thanks, Mike

Does this thread help?:

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=24113

Alternatively install NeoSmart EasyBCD (the free one) on Windows so that your mbr does not get messed up and you can select which boots from that (Easy BCD).

Don't know if this helps either:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/143678/ ... -install-u

I have used this method (non UEFI), from a live USB session Terminal paste the first line and press enter then the next line and press enter and assuming you want grub on sda.

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda

I see your methods second command specifies sda1 rather than just sda, I was of the opinion that normally grub was installed at sda and not sda1 but do not know what the differences is just that the commands I use above normally fix a broken grub for me. Not on a UEFI system though.
Interestingly I just posted on your other thread about Naming of Partitions (viewtopic.php?f=5&p=58486#p58486 ) and in the process of that I installed LXLE (sda4) on a drive that had a 500MB 'boot' partition at sda1 and Linux Mint on sda3, I put grub in the sda1 partition during install but it failed to boot into lxle until I boot up Mint and updated its grub.

With this in mind if you have removed some of the drives and reconnected them into different ports (see my post on your other thread viewtopic.php?f=5&p=58486#p58486 ) then your Linux my not be at sda or sda1 anymore and the errors could be because is is trying to install it onto the windows partitions, just a thought!

Swarfendor437 wrote:Does this thread help?:

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=24113

Alternatively install NeoSmart EasyBCD (the free one) on Windows so that your mbr does not get messed up and you can select which boots from that (Easy BCD).

Don't know if this helps either:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/143678/ ... -install-u

Hi Swarfendor437, just thought I would comment as I have used EasyBCD on my notebook with dual boot Windows 10 and Linux Mint and from memory it would boot half way into Windows before showing the boot menu and then restarting into Mint, it worked and did what it was intended to but long boot times for Linux. I have since learn't how to repair MBR for windows if needed and now just use grub for faster boot times, my 2 cents

Thanks z10 and 437. I tried Easy BCD, which I already had on Windows, but like z10 said, it was a rather convoluted way to boot. But I thought I'd give it a try before going to the somewhat intimidating terminal method. But it worked perfectly. I can now boot directly to Zorin, and all the other distros are there as well. There was nothing wrong with the Zorin grub, I just couldn't get it to be default. Incidentally, I came across an Ubuntu forum thread that said that this problem seems to be caused by your system incorrectly reading EXT4 as EXT2 in some instances. One suggestion was to force the command that makes Zorin (or other) the default boot drive/partition. But I'm even more wary of using that command. Fortunately, z10's commands worked.

I have used Grub Customizer ( https://launchpad.net/~danielrichter200 ... customizer ) which gives a GUI for all this stuff and makes it easier to configure and as the name says "Customize". Boot order, splash screen art/pictures, timeouts and so on. Some people say it causes some other problems, which I never had, for me a problem is when I cant boot my system!