I recently installed Linux Mint first and later added Kubuntu to set up a dual boot with KDE Plasma. However, after the installation, I've noticed that my GRUB menu has changed — it doesn't show Linux Mint anymore, only Kubuntu. I've tried running `sudo update-grub` but it doesn't recognize Linux Mint. I also attempted using `os-prober`, but that didn't work either, and when I checked with `efibootmgr`, it only shows Kubuntu alongside some other boot options. I can see the Linux Mint partition and access its files without any issue. Any advice on how to get Linux Mint back on the GRUB menu would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
When dual booting, the last installed Linux distro generally takes over GRUB. If you'd like to see both distributions in the GRUB menu from Kubuntu, just ensure that `os-prober` is enabled and then run `sudo update-grub` along with `sudo grub-install /dev/sda` or the respective disk. If you wish to restore Mint’s GRUB, you can boot from a Super GRUB Disk to do so. Essentially, both distros should be able to recognize each other in the GRUB menu once everything is configured correctly.
It seems like your EFI System Partition (ESP) might have been formatted or misconfigured. Check the `/etc/fstab` file in your Mint partition to see if the ESP is properly mounted to `/boot` or `/boot/efi`. If it looks wrong, you can comment that line out and reinstall the kernel from a chroot environment. After that, running the `os-prober` from your Kubuntu GRUB should work better. Also, consider uninstalling GRUB from Mint as it may cause redundancy issues.
To resolve this, you might want to chroot into your Linux Mint partition using a live Linux USB. Once there, reinstall the GRUB bootloader specifically for Mint. Make sure to follow the instructions under the first "For UEFI" section from relevant guides. Use `lsblk` to identify your EFI boot partition and your Linux Mint partition, and run the GRUB install command like this: `grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=mint`. You can check out this [detailed guide](https://forum.level1techs.com/t/reinstall-grub/134056) for more help.
Could you clarify what `/dev/sda` refers to? I have a 1GB partition for boot that is actually `sdd1`. Should I be using that instead?