No GRUB menu to choose Win 7 or Linux at boot [Solved]

[Black]

Hi,

Just to clarify, I'm new to LInux.

I just installed Linux 17 Mate 64-bit on a separate hard drive for my computer [these are not in a dual boot configuration]. I wanted to make it so I had the option to choose either when I first turn on my computer, and I thought GRUB would handle this. I followed this guide (guide is the first comment other than OP):

http://askubuntu.com/questions/274371/i ... oot-option

I followed this to a "T", I think, however when I went into my bios to change the linux drive to the 1st priority drive, it didn't give me an option to do so. It didn't show up on the main Bios page (btw, it is an Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 Mobo). I had to go into "Advanced Mode" and go to my "Boot" tab and then to "Hard Drive BBS Priorities" and switch to my linux drive in order to boot into it the Linux OS. Still, no option for an OS is given even though I was lead to believe the GRUB bootloader, supposedly installed on the drive, would take care of that.

Also, when I moved my Linux drive from Boot Option #2 to #1, it replaced my Win 7 drive at the main bios page and now it doesn't show up.

Did I not install GRUB somehow during installation? How can I fix this so I can choose which OS to boot to?

Note: I also have a third storage hard drive, but I have kept this drive disconnected during installation of Linux and booting so far. I'm not sure if that will have a effect on any 'final' solution.

Any help would be greatly appreciated so I can finally enjoy Linux without all these installation hiccups.

[Mark Phelps]

IF you had BOTH drives connected when you installed Linux, then most likely, GRUB got written to the Windows drive -- as the installer may have seen it as "first" in the sequence of hard drives. That would explain why, when you boot from the Linux drive, that does not work as GRUB is not installed there.

I would do the following:
1) Have only the Linux drive connected
2) Reboot with your Linux install media and install GRUB, using the details in the link: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Recov ... ingWindows
3) Reboot without the install media inserted. You should now be able to boot into Linux
4) Shutdown the PC, reconnect the Windows drive, but continue to boot from the Linux drive
5) Open a terminal and enter "sudo update-grub" and see if it detects Windows.

When you then reboot, you should get a GRUB menu with the entries needed.

[Black]

Thanks for the reply.

After doing a list of recommended updates a day after installation, I believe the problem solved itself. I'm unsure of exactly what did it, but GRUB now gives me an option to choose which OS to boot into.