The BIOS seems to be defaulting to the new Grub start-up which is now stored on the USB external HD. How do I get the normal windows start-up to run automatic?
I have gone through the BIOS and told it to boot from internal HD but to no avail. I haven't done anything to the Grub program yet because I don't really know what I'm doing with it.

sounds like you've got the wrong item selected in /boot/grub/menu.lst
it probably looks something like this
default 2
#
# linux 1
root (hd1,0)
# windows
root (hd0, 0)
# linux 2
root (hd2, 0)

change the default number to the windoz selection

grub is probably on the MBR of your windows disk.

It is looking for the grub configuration files it needs to boot the available OSs. These are linux files, not windows files, so if the USB disk is unplugged, it cannot find them, and will fail.

You don't say if you are using grub-0.97 "Grub Legacy" or grub-1.97 "grub2". They are very different in their configuration and behaviour. Next time you post, please provide more details about your chosen distro and the versions of programs you are using.

Easiest solutions:

• Install linux to a non-USB HDD, that's internal to your PC, and always connected.
  
• Use your distro's installer to shrink your windows partition to make enough space for at least a linux root partition [5GB should be sufficient, but 6GB would be better] because you can always have /home on a USB disk, if you just remember to plug it in before you boot to linux or you'll only be able to log in as the root user.
  
• Ignore the problem: Boot to win (but who would want to do that?) with the USB drive plugged in, and once win is running you can safely remove the USB drive.

Thanks for all your help.

Not sure if im allowed to post this link but if anyone else has this porblem the best answer can be found at:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1418411

Sorry, but this does not fit at all. According to the OP, he is not seeing the Windows option at all---it's not a question of which is the default.

Regardless of which version of GRUB is installed, it still is going to look for it's files on the external drive.

As suggested by tredegar: Don't install Linux on an external drive unless it will always be there.

YOU INSTALLED THE MBR TO THE HDD USB....


ALWAYS INSTALL ON YOUR PRIMARY HARDDRIVE (desktop)...

talalpro

thanks for trying to help but did you know that each drive has a mbr.....even GPT drives?

I know what you are trying to say tho....you think the OP chose to install grub(1or2) to the mbr of the usb hd.

However, if that is all OP did....and had no linux installed earlier....the mbr of the internal drive should be untouched and likely to be windows ntldr etc.

but there may be a fault with the internal drive..so bios has to jump to its first bootable device in bios boot order.

garryonapc

forgive my English but you say "Grub start-up which is now stored" which I infer means that it was previously installed internally.

You have not mentioned if you reclaimed the free space after getting linux off the internal drive.

2) disconnect usb drive...insert your windows disk and run the rescue mbr command to see if that gets you back windows mbr into internal drive.

3) Pls specify what application did you use to resize or whatever....when you moved/copied/installed linux from internal drive to external........

4) If rescue of windows bootloader works.....redo grub into usb mbr....set bios boot order to usb the internal and do not have usb hd cable inserted if you want to boot windows

Hi Garry, it's simple really.

You need to use your Windows restore disk to fix your Windows bootloader. (I am not a Windows user so I'm afraid I can't talk you through it.)

And you can use the Ubuntu Live CD to install GRUB on your external drive: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto

In the future, you can avoid this mistake with one simple step: When you are installing Ubuntu, and you get to the last step of the installer, click the Advanced button and choose to install Grub to your external drive (for example, /dev/sdb instead of the default /dev/sda ... this is just an example, you'll need to use fdisk -l or similar to get the correct device name).

I believe that is not correct.....I think he put GRUB on the MBR of the internal drive, with the config file automatically going on the Linux (external) drive.

also, you don't "install the MBR"---you install code TO the MBR.

Hello all.

I am very surprised by the amount of misinformation and guess work that has been posted to this page. The truth is that this issue was fixed on the 3rd of march when i posed a link to the solution here.

Sudo fdisk -l

this shows where the boot loaders are...

sudo grub-install /dev/sdb

to put grub2 (the bootloader) on the ext hdd. Right now it's on the internal while its config files are in the ubuntu partition on the ext and that's why you can't boot without it.

To put generic mbr on /dev/sda so you can boot windows directly from it, run:

sudo apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr

Job Done!

MBR is only one sector in size, so it cannot hold much code. Grub does not reside on the MBR. The MBR only has enough code to 'point' to the code (usually to first sector of the partition that grub resides on.) If mbr is on the internal hard drive then it cannot find grub to load usb drivers and the file system of the external drive.