Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: Error: no such partition - when starting up my laptop

Error no such partition occurs when starting up a dual-boot laptop with Windows 10 and Ubuntu 20.

Quick Answer: Check the boot order in BIOS settings to ensure that the correct drive is set as the first boot device.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🔍 Why This Happens
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

When starting up your laptop, you are encountering an error that displays a black screen with the message 'Error: no such partition. Press any key to continue'. This issue affects both Windows 10 and Ubuntu 20 dual-boot installations.

This problem is frustrating because it prevents you from accessing either operating system, making it difficult to work on projects or complete tasks. The goal of this troubleshooting guide is to help you diagnose and potentially fix the issue.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The first main reason for this error is that the GRUB bootloader, which manages the boot process, is unable to find a valid partition to load the operating system from. This can occur due to various reasons such as a misconfigured or missing boot partition, a damaged or corrupted boot sector, or an incorrect boot order in the BIOS.
  • Another alternative reason could be related to a problem with the disk partitioning table, which might have been altered during the installation process or by an external factor. However, given that you've already installed Ubuntu and Windows successfully before, this is less likely to be the cause.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Rebooting in Safe Mode and Checking Disk Errors

  1. Step 1: Restart your laptop and immediately hold down the Shift key while booting up. This will take you to the GRUB menu, where you can select the 'Safe Mode' option for both Windows and Ubuntu.
  2. Step 2: If the issue persists in Safe Mode, proceed to the next step. If it doesn't, this may indicate a problem with your system configuration or drivers.
  3. Step 3: Once in Safe Mode, check for any disk errors using the built-in tools for each operating system. For Windows, use the 'Check Disk' tool (chkdsk) and for Ubuntu, you can use the 'fsck' command.

Re-Partitioning and Re-Installing GRUB

  1. Step 1: If Safe Mode doesn't resolve the issue, it's possible that there was a problem with your disk partitioning. Try re-partitioning your hard drive to its original or default settings.
  2. Step 2: After re-partitioning, install the GRUB bootloader again using the 'grub-install' command for both Windows and Ubuntu.

✨ Wrapping Up

If you've completed these steps without success, it may be necessary to seek further assistance from a professional repair service. However, given that your issue seems to have been resolved by re-installing GRUB (as hinted in the accepted answer of the provided question), investigating deeper into your partition configuration could provide more clues about what's causing this error.

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