On 9/16/2018 5:41 PM, JBI wrote:
On 09/16/2018 07:54 PM, Paul wrote:
JBI wrote:
On 09/16/2018 01:40 PM, Paul wrote:
JBI wrote:
Ok, I've been using a dual boot configuration for years (like I am
now), but recently wanted to do a fresh install of 16.04 alongside
Win 7 in a dual boot set up like I've always had (except right now
I'm on 14.04).

I followed the instructions he

https://opensource.com/article/18/5/dual-boot-linux

As suggested, partitioning the drive during Win set up so that I
could install 16.04 afterwards. Set up seemed to go well, except
now I am often getting the following message at start up:

"No boot sector on internal hard drive

No bootable devices--strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility
Press F5 to run onboard diagnostics."

I am on a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop. I don't get the message every
time as sometimes I am presented with the GRUB menu to select
either OS, but I am getting the message often. If I press F1, I
then seem to get the GRUB menu to make the selection and boot goes
as normal.

Ideas as to the cause and remedy would be welcome. I currently
have the free version of EasyBCD installed on Windows and have been
manipulating it a bit, but not too much as I'm afraid of making the
condition worse.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Jon

Well, you know it's not a software setup issue,
because... it works sometimes. Re-installing something
isn't going to help.

Paul

Good point, and that being said, I don't like how the drives are
plugging in/ unplugging. Takes several tries each time to get it
plugged in correctly and recognized, even with my current drive. Not
good because I don't know how to remedy. I do have an adapter for
the DVD drive that allows another drive to be used in its place. I'm
tempted to install this drive into that and boot to see what happens.

You should be allowed to do that.

Plug into the adapter, then enter the BIOS
and verify the boot order is OK.

Paul

It wouldn't show in the BIOS, just as a device but wouldn't boot. What
I ended up doing, since I bought two identical WD drives, was reinstall
everything on the other unused new one. Since then, no more issues. My
guess is that there's something wrong with the initial drive, so I'm
going to wipe and then either return or exchange it. Thanks for your help.

Dual boot is a minefield because both operating systems think they want
to control the boot process.
If you install both OS's in the correct order, it should work...right up
until the time that it quits working. That will likely be at the next
update of either system.

In the old days, you could use two drives and use the bios boot
menu to select which. Newer operating systems can trash each other's
boot system anyway.

I gave up on dual boot. I put in two different drives with power switches
so that only one can run at a time. That solved most of my boot issues.

Suggest you clone your working drive to the non-working drive and swap
them. I bet that it will work as well as the good system...up until
the next major update.