If you’re an Ubuntu 22.04 user and have recently run the apt upgrade command, you may have encountered a warning message about os-prober. This article will explain why this warning appears and how you can address it.
The warning about os-prober after running apt upgrade on Ubuntu 22.04 appears because the GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER variable is set to "true" or "auto". You can address this warning by either ignoring it if you don’t plan on adding other operating systems, setting GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER to "false" in the /etc/default/grub file, removing the executable bit from /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober, or editing the script itself.
Understanding the Warning
The warning message you’re seeing likely reads something like this: “os-prober will not be executed to detect other bootable partitions.” This message is generated because the script /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober is checking the value of the GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER variable.
The os-prober tool is designed to detect other operating systems installed on your machine. It adds these systems to the GRUB boot configuration, allowing you to choose which system to boot into when your computer starts.
The warning message appears because the GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER variable is set to either “true” or “auto”. If it’s set to “true”, the warning is displayed and the script exits. If it’s set to “auto” and there are no existing entries for os-prober in the /boot/grub/grub.cfg file, the warning is also displayed and the script exits.
Addressing the Warning
Now that we understand why this warning appears, let’s look at how to address it.
Option 1: Ignore the Warning
The simplest option is to ignore the warning. It’s just a warning and doesn’t affect the functionality of your system. If you only have Ubuntu 22.04 installed and don’t plan on adding other operating systems, the warning can be safely ignored.
Option 2: Set GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER to false
You can stop the warning from appearing by setting GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER to “false”. This can be done by editing the /etc/default/grub file.
To do this, open the terminal and type the following command:
sudo nano /etc/default/grubThis command opens the grub file in the nano text editor with superuser permissions. Once the file is open, find the line that reads GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER and change its value to “false”.
After making the change, save and close the file. Then, run the following command to update the GRUB configuration:
sudo update-grubOption 3: Remove the Executable Bit from /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober
Another option is to prevent the script from executing by removing the executable bit. This can be done with the following command:
sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/30_os-proberThis command changes the permissions of the file, removing the ability for it to be executed. This will stop the warning from appearing, but also disable the functionality of os-prober.
Option 4: Edit the /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober Script
The final option is to edit the script itself. By commenting out the lines with grub_warn, the script will run without issuing these warnings. However, modifying system scripts is not recommended unless you fully understand the implications.
Conclusion
The os-prober warning that appears after running apt upgrade on Ubuntu 22.04 is not a cause for concern. It’s simply a notification about the configuration of your system. You can choose to ignore the warning or modify the configuration to disable it. However, if you plan on installing another operating system alongside Ubuntu, os-prober is a useful tool to have enabled.
os-prober is a tool in Ubuntu that detects other operating systems installed on your machine and adds them to the GRUB boot configuration.
The warning appears because the GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER variable is set to either "true" or "auto" in the /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober script.
No, the warning is just a notification and can be safely ignored if you don’t plan on adding other operating systems.
You have a few options. You can set GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER to "false" in the /etc/default/grub file, remove the executable bit from /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober, or edit the script itself.
You can open the /etc/default/grub file and find the line that reads GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER. Change its value to "false", save the file, and run sudo update-grub to update the GRUB configuration.
You can use the command sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober to remove the executable bit and prevent the script from executing.
Yes, you can comment out the lines with grub_warn in the script to prevent the warnings from appearing. However, modifying system scripts is not recommended unless you fully understand the implications.
If you plan on installing another operating system, it’s recommended to have os-prober enabled. In that case, you can choose to set GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER to "false" or leave it as "auto" to allow os-prober to detect the new operating system.
