Repairing bootloader for kali linux 2.0

Question

I'm trying to repair the boot loader for kali 2.0. I'm not sure what caused it but it doesn't show up in the bios anymore. I found this code:

mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
mount --bind /dev/pts /mnt/dev/pts
mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
chroot /mnt
grub-install /dev/sda
update-grub
exit
umount /mnt/dev/pts
umount /mnt/dev
umount /mnt/proc
umount /mnt/sys
umount /mnt

Anyway I have loaded the live usb and am attempting to fix it. Now for the question... I have kali installed on a second hard drive on my laptop with partition being sdb3 and am not sure what to put in for when I install grub. Here's the trick. Half of the drive 500gb is kali's the other half is ntfs file system for windows. Where do I install grub at. On the second hard drive? or the first hard drive? And what partition do I put It in(I know not in the ntfs partition), But maybe in the EFI system partition on the second hard drive?

Sec hard drive partitions:

/dev/sdb1 ntfs 500gp msftdata /dev/sdb2 fat32 513mb boot,esp /dev/sdb3 ext4 442.06gb /dev/sdb4 Linux-swap 24gb

Ok so I just tried grub-install on /dev/sdb2 figuring its flagged boot. This is what came up: grub-install error: cannot find EFI directory.

Solution

Boot from the Kali Linux live USB, and launch GParted so that you can get to see on which partition Kali Linux was installed. Usually it's in the file system that ends with ext4, depending on the file system you used during the installation. In your case the Kali Linux file system was installed on /dev/sdb3, but it varies with different systems.

If this doesn't work you can also repair the bootloader using the Boot Repair Disk.

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Boot Repair Disk

Boot Repair Disk is a rescue disk that includes the Boot Repair tool.

• Runs Boot-Repair rescue tool automatically at start-up
• Also contains OS-Uninstaller and Boot-Info tools
• Repairs recent (UEFI) computers as well as old PCs that have BIOS

How to get and use the disk

1. Download boot-repair-disk
2. Make a Boot Repair live USB flash drive using Rufus. Rufus is a Windows utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB flash drives, memory sticks, etc. (Do not burn it on a CD/DVD if your PC came with Windows 8 or Windows 10.)
3. Insert the Boot Repair disk, remove all other USB disks, and reboot the PC. Select the Boot Repair live USB flash drive as the device to boot from.
4. Choose your language.
5. Connect to the internet if possible.
6. Click Recommended repair.
7. Reboot the PC.

This solves the majority of boot sector/GRUB/MBR problems.

Comments

[chx101]

700MB just to use one little software component? You can't be serious

[Blaizz]

@chx101 I am a firm believer in that wonderful 700MB Boot-Repar disk. Boot-Repair is a lifesaver for someone who just bought a new 8-core computer and can't get anything to install the GRUB bootloader on this brand new hardware which seems to have been designed for Windows only. Boot the computer from the Boot-Repair live USB, click the big Recommended Repair button, and five minutes later my computer boots to a new Linux desktop.

[chx101]

If the terminal alternative isn't working for me, mostly likely boot-repair won't either.

[Blaizz]

Rescatux is powerful new alternative to Boot-Repair that is especially good at solving Windows boot problems in a dual boot. When the boot problem is frustrating and discouraging, you need to use a tool that works automatically to get you unstuck. I've been there myself, so I know what a black dog feels like.

[chx101]

Mmm. Ok, I'll check it out. By the way, I'm not dual booting. Lubuntu works on this laptop and it installs grubx64.efi but Kali-Linux doesn't install EFI version of grub. It only works in legacy mode. In either case, no bootable drive is found after installing Kali. Hence why I'm trying these methods.

[Blaizz]

If EFI version of grub works on another distro, it is better to go with the EFI version of grub than to go with legacy mode.

[chx101]

The problem is the Kali team either don't support it or don't mention it anywhere

[Blaizz]

Let us continue this discussion in chat.