Arch Linux

j9x.inca

Member

From: Ft.Drum, NY

Registered: 2013-03-24

Posts: 2

rEFInd stopped working after BIOS flash

So I have successfully installed Windows 8 on my SSD while having Arch linux installed on my other internal hard drive. I have been using rEFInd as the boot loader and it was working great until today when i flashed my BIOS to a custom version so I could overclock my GPU. Now when it boots it goes straight into Windows 8 and not to rEFInd. I have no idea why. I know I have flashed the BIOS so i had to reenter the settings I had before such as:
SATA Operations = AHCI
Disabled Secure Boot
Disabled Fast Windows 8 Boot
Enabled UEFI and Disabled Legacy
Disabled Legacy ROM support

These are the same settings I was using before. Please help. I'm sure my Arch install is still there and in tact, i just think my BIOS/UEFI isn't recognizing that rEFInd is installed.

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"You think that's air you're breathing?"
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Running Arch Linux 2013.03.01 on a Alienware M14X R2 w/upgraded 16GB Corsair Vengeance RAM (2 DIMMS), 512GB SSD Crucial m4, 1TB 5400RPM HDD (replaced optical drive with caddy), Nvidia GT650M 2GB (DDR5), and the i7-3740QM.

s1ln7m4s7r

Member

Registered: 2013-02-22

Posts: 262

Re: rEFInd stopped working after BIOS flash

I think you need also to recreate your refind UEFI boot entry!

Boot the arch install cd, chroot into your system and create a new uefi entry with "efibootmgr". Or run efi-shell from the arch iso and create it with "bcfg".

Last edited by s1ln7m4s7r (2013-03-24 20:26:34)

swordfish

Member

Registered: 2012-01-14

Posts: 160

Re: rEFInd stopped working after BIOS flash

I think the BIOS update has cleared the nvram. Just boot with your Archiso in UEFI mode, mount your partitions and arch-chroot into the Arch on your harddrive. Then use efibootmgr to check and write a new entry to the nvram.

I mean something like this:

# efibootmgr -c -g -d /dev/sdX -p Y -w -L "rEFInd" -l '\EFI\refind\refind_x64.efi'

Where X and Y denote the drive and partition of the UEFISYS partition. For example, in /dev/sdc5, X is "c" and Y is "5".

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Arch_x64 on Thinkpad Edge E520 (Intel Core i5, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB Crucial M4 SSD) + ITX-Desktop (Asrock H77M-ITX, Intel Core i3-2120T, 8GB RAM, 64 GB Samsung 830 SSD)

j9x.inca

Member

From: Ft.Drum, NY

Registered: 2013-03-24

Posts: 2

Re: rEFInd stopped working after BIOS flash

I think the BIOS update has cleared the nvram. Just boot with your Archiso in UEFI mode, mount your partitions and arch-chroot into the Arch on your harddrive. Then use efibootmgr to check and write a new entry to the nvram.

I mean something like this:

# efibootmgr -c -g -d /dev/sdX -p Y -w -L "rEFInd" -l '\EFI\refind\refind_x64.efi'

Where X and Y denote the drive and partition of the UEFISYS partition. For example, in /dev/sdc5, X is "c" and Y is "5".

Thank you that fixed it. I didn't even think about using efibootmgr dur dur dur

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"You think that's air you're breathing?"
------------------------------------------
Running Arch Linux 2013.03.01 on a Alienware M14X R2 w/upgraded 16GB Corsair Vengeance RAM (2 DIMMS), 512GB SSD Crucial m4, 1TB 5400RPM HDD (replaced optical drive with caddy), Nvidia GT650M 2GB (DDR5), and the i7-3740QM.

s1ln7m4s7r

Member

Registered: 2013-02-22

Posts: 262

Re: rEFInd stopped working after BIOS flash

That was quite easy. So be a friend and mark your thread as [SOLVED]!

srs5694

Member

From: Woonsocket, RI

Registered: 2012-11-06

Posts: 719

Website

Re: rEFInd stopped working after BIOS flash

I realize that this is solved, but I'll point out for anybody who reads it in the future that it's also possible to do this from Windows by using the "bcdedit" command:

http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/installing.html#windows

That documentation describes the whole install process; you'd just need to do steps #1-2 and 10. This might be handier or more comfortable for some people, so it deserves mention.