Cannot install GRUB

Hello,
I cannot install grub to my ESP it seems. I have a PC with both Windows 8.1 and Debian installed and I can only boot into Windows since GRUB is not installed on my PC.

I am using a Ubuntu Live USB to install GRUB on /dev/sda1 (my ESP).

I am using the following commands from Ubuntu Live USB-:

 sudo mount /dev/sda7 /mnt
sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount --bind /dev/pts /mnt/dev/pts
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
sudo chroot /mnt /bin/bash
 

After this I am executing-:

 grub-install /dev/sda1
 

After executing that I am getting the following output-:

 root@ubuntu:/# grub-install /dev/sda1
Unrecognized option `/dev/sda1'
Usage: grub-install [OPTION]
Install GRUB on your EFI partition.

  -h, --help              print this message and exit
  -v, --version           print the version information and exit
  --modules=MODULES       pre-load specified modules MODULES
  --root-directory=DIR    install GRUB images under the directory DIR
                          instead of the root directory
  --grub-mkimage=FILE     use FILE as grub-mkimage
  --grub-mkdevicemap=FILE use FILE as grub-mkdevicemap
  --grub-probe=FILE       use FILE as grub-probe
  --no-floppy             do not probe any floppy drive
  --recheck               probe a device map even if it already exists

grub-install copies GRUB images into the DIR/boot directory specified by
--root-directory.

Report bugs to bug-grub@gnu.org.
 

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong ? Why is /dev/sda1 a unrecognized option ? I am at my wits end with this. Unless GRUB is installed I cannot use Debian I can only use Windows.

Try :

$ sudo mount /dev/sda7 /mnt
$ sudo grub-install --root-partition=/mnt /dev/sda1

Ben's technical blog : /installing-debian-gnulinux-and-windows-dual-boot-under-uefi.html

Any good?

Do I do this before chrooting into my Debian system from my Ubuntu Live USB ? Or do I execute this after chrooting into my Debian system.

When I execute-:
$ sudo grub-install --root-partition=/mnt /dev/sda1 won't it install GRUB to /mnt and not my ESP ? Also won't it install the GRUB version found in Ubuntu, rather than the one found in Debian which is the one I am trying to install ?

---------- Post updated at 09:43 PM ---------- Previous update was at 09:21 PM ----------

I executed the following commands-:

sudo mount /dev/sda7 /mnt 
sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev 
sudo mount --bind /dev/pts /mnt/dev/pts 
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc 
sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys 
sudo chroot /mnt /bin/bash
Then I executed-:

$ grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda1

The got the following output for that-:

root@ubuntu:/# grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda1
Unrecognized option `/dev/sda1'
Usage: grub-install [OPTION]
Install GRUB on your EFI partition.

  -h, --help              print this message and exit
  -v, --version           print the version information and exit
  --modules=MODULES       pre-load specified modules MODULES
  --root-directory=DIR    install GRUB images under the directory DIR
                          instead of the root directory
  --grub-mkimage=FILE     use FILE as grub-mkimage
  --grub-mkdevicemap=FILE use FILE as grub-mkdevicemap
  --grub-probe=FILE       use FILE as grub-probe
  --no-floppy             do not probe any floppy drive
  --recheck               probe a device map even if it already exists

grub-install copies GRUB images into the DIR/boot directory specified by
--root-directory.

Report bugs to <bug-grub@gnu.org>.

When I ran the following command-:

grub-install --root-directory=/mnt

I got the following output-:

/mnt/boot/grub doesn't look like an EFI partition.

It seems its a problem with the Grub configuration.

Unless /dev/sda7 is a FAT32 fileystem, GRUB is going to complain.

Can you give the correct command?? I am new to Linux.

Take another look at the link I posted in my post #3.

That guy had a EFI partition, like you. He installed Debian, like you.
He found that a bootloader was not installed, like you.
He was trying to dual boot Windows, like you.

He spent a lot of time but was good enough to publish his solution.

Here's another link you may find useful:
Managing EFI Boot Loaders for Linux: EFI Boot Loader Installation

I have tried both the links that you have specified. The first link has one difference to my problem. The person there was converting a BIOS installation to UEFI but I am already in UEFI. Plus, the command line options for grub-efi-amd64 like --bootloader-id and --removable are no longer supported. If you want I can probably provide my man page to you.

The second link does not tell me how to make the grub bootable image. I need to know that since update-grub fails for me.

Hmmmmm......I've been thinking about this....and I need to understand more......

How did we get here??

You had a system with Windoze already installed?
It had a EFI partition.

You then installed Debian with the aim of dual booting but it didn't install Grub on install?

You are trying to use Ubuntu Live USB to sort the problem?

Exactly.

So you installed Debian. 32 bit or 64 bit?

You are using Ubuntu Live USB to attempt Grub install. 32 bit or 64 bit?

Have you seen this:

Debian: switch to UEFI boot - Tanguy Ortolo

It seems to say that the Debian install won't install Grub and that you have to do it yourself.

I solved the problem. Now I am running Debian Wheezy and Windows 8.1 x64.

How?