Kubuntu 22.04 – Fix GRUB Issue After Portabilizing Installation

bootdual-bootgrub2kubuntuusb

What have I done:

  • I used a live kubuntu usb to install kubuntu on a usb drive using computer A.
  • The kubuntu installation was on the USB drive, but the grub was tied to the ssd of computer A (coexisting with windows), so the installation was not portable, and only worked on that PC

a few months have passed

  • I took the USB drive on which kubuntu was installed and from another computer B, I formatted it and followed this tutorial to install kubuntu in a truly portable way https://itsfoss.com/intsall-ubuntu-on-usb/
  • Everything worked fine, kubuntu starts from a USB stick on computer B.
  • On computer A, however, when I try to boot kubuntu from the usb drive, I get a "reset system" message and the system reboots.
  • Trying to boot a kubuntu live USB on computer A I get the problem "Verification failed: (0x1A) Security Violation"
  • Trying to boot from the "ubuntu" entry that I used to start the old installation (therefore the grub on the local SSD) I get the grub screen with the terminal.

What I would like to do:

  • Remove the grub from computer A and use the one on the USB drive to portabilize the installation.

What I can't do:

  • Format the SSD

What I wouldn't want to do if not literally indispensable:

  • Disassemble computer A to extract the SSD and modify its contents on another computer.

I apologize for my English as I am not a native speaker.

Best Answer

I solved the problem. It seems that there was more than one problem, and this obviously complicated the resolution.

First I removed the grub from the SSD of computer A following this procedure: https://askubuntu.com/a/869888/1748690. However, the problem was not yet resolved.

After reading this page (Verification failed: (0x1A) Security Violation from 22.04.1 live USB) I checked the kubuntu versions more carefully. In the first installation of kubuntu on computer A I must have used Kubuntu 22.04.3. I think this changed the secure boot certifications on computer A. In the second installation made from computer B I used Kubuntu 22.04.1, which instead has different/obsolete secure boot certifications, which is why the USB drive did not load the operating system and the live distribution gave the error "Verification failed: 0x1A security violation".

I rebuilt a live distribution with Kubuntu 22.04.3 and reinstalled kubuntu on the usb drive using computer A and everything works now.​

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