How to get to the GRUB menu at boot-time, on a single-boot system (not dual-boot)?

Posted by fred.bear on Ask Ubuntu See other posts from Ask Ubuntu or by fred.bear
Published on 2010-12-03T15:04:21Z Indexed on 2011/01/03 23:58 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 181

Filed under:

boot

|

grub

|

menu

This issue came up recently for me (and I've been prompted to lodge it as a specific question about it):

My system is not dual-boot, I run a standard Ubuntu desktop system "on the metal" (I think running it in a VM is the same).

Pressing "C" while booting does not cause the GRUB menu to appear (which I believe it does for a dual-boot system).

How can I get the GRUB-menu to present itself on a single-boot system?

© Ask Ubuntu or respective owner

Related posts about boot

Dual Boot issues with Windows 7 and Ubuntu

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I'm finding myself in a rather unique situation. I've read through just about every resource I can find about this and while things have helped me understand some background, I haven't yet been able to find a solution. So I'm asking here. I originally had just a Windows 7 64-bit OS installation on… >>> More
Windows 7 wont boot from any boot loader except for 'Windows Boot Manager' after partition resize

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I have a triple boot system on a single SSD. OSX, Windows 7, and Ubuntu. I use Chimera (basically another version of Chameleon) as my boot loader. Usually I can boot all 3 without any issue, but after using GParted to make my Ubuntu partition 2 Gigs larger, Windows 7 throws me an error when trying… >>> More
Unable to boot Windows 7 after installing Ubuntu

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I have Windows 7 on my machine and then installed Ubuntu 12.04 using a live CD. I can see both Windows 7 and Ubuntu in the grub menu, but when I select Windows 7 it shows a black screen for about 2 seconds and the returns to the Grub menu. But if I select Ubuntu it's working fine. This is the contents… >>> More
12.04 upgrade broke grub? (not wubi related)

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I just updated from 11.10 to 12.04, with no major problems (it took a while to get past a request to restart ssh, mysql and some other services, but I did no fiddling by myself, everything was done by the installer). However, after restarting, grub can't do anything. Picking the new linux installation… >>> More
Another "Windows 7 entry missing from Grub2" Question

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
Like many before me had the following problem that after installing Ubuntu (with windows 7 already installed), the grub boot loader wouldnt show windows 7 as a boot option, though i can boot fine if I use the "Choose Boot Device" options on the x220. The difference is that I try using UEFI only so… >>> More

Related posts about grub

grubx64.efi cannot find grub config or grub files, boots to grub console

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
Sony VAIO with Insyde H2O EFI bios will not boot into GRUB EFI The answer to this question was immensely helpful to me and my new Vaio Z3. The issue that I am having now is that after replacing bootmgfw.efi with grubx64.efi and renaming, it boots directly to grub console. I dont even get a menu where… >>> More
Dual booting on separate hard drives

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I have windows XP professional installed on 1 hard drive and Ubuntu 10.10 on my second hard drive. On start up the computer completely skips the grub menu and boots straight into 10.10. I have tried running os-prober with the windows hard drive mounted and then updating grub but it didnt work. Any… >>> More
When I shutdown the computer, it restarts

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I am unable to shutdown. Whenever I try to shutdown, it reboots. I am running Ubuntu 12.10. I have run the boot-repair and this is the result: Boot Info Script 0.61.full + Boot-Repair extra info [Boot-Info November 20th 2012] ============================= Boot Info Summary: =============================== … >>> More
How to fix GRUB after Windows breaks it, and how to edit the GRUB menu

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I had Windows XP and Ubuntu both installed. I could easily boot into either until Windows "fixed" the bootloader so that it now only boots into Windows. I guess there is no way to prevent Windows from doing this. So instead when it happens how do I quickly restore the GRUB bootloader? Also while… >>> More
Server Hangs on booting grub, Just displays "GRUB C"

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
Hi I have install oracle linux 4.5 on server twice but having same problem. The server hangs on booting just displays "GRUB C" i don't know why is it happening. Please advice is it the drive issue. >>> More