[SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

FreddoNotAFrog · 2015-07-29 05:35:42

Hi all,

I've bought a new Windows 8 tablet, and I'm wanting to boot Arch from a USB. Problem is though, none of my current Arch USB's will boot on it. I'm happy to make a fresh install but am running into problems (will explain later). Essentially I have three questions, as follows:

1. Is there a way to 'convert' existing USB's such that the tablet will boot from them? - They're configured for a BIOS system, and don't boot on most of the newer tablets/laptops that I've tried.
2. If yes, what is the best way to go about that?
3. If no, how can I make a fresh installation? This thread had the a similar problem with the Arch iso (except I have the latest one - 2015_07), but the solution didn't work for me.
This image is a photo of the screen I get - sorry for the poor quality. What can I do to get around this and to make it boot as it should? I'm not all that experienced with this sort of thing so fairly simple steps would be preferred if that's at all possible

Tablet specs:

Dell Venue Pro 11 - model 5130
Intel Atom z3795
2GB RAM
UEFI motherboard.

Thanks,
Freddo

Last edited by FreddoNotAFrog (2015-08-02 05:06:55)

WebReflection · 2015-07-29 10:57:02

do you have these options in your BIOS ?

Fast Boot ( try to turn it off )
Legacy Boot ( try to turn it on )
Secure Boot ( try to turn it off )
Boot from USB ( looks like it's already on )

Trilby · 2015-07-29 11:01:06

FreddoNotAFrog wrote:

Problem is though, none of my current Arch USB's will boot on it.

That's too bad. Our isos have been working with UEFI for quite some time. Have you tried the current iso from the download page?

Some tablet have other issues: they disallow booting from usbs, but this is not due to UEFI.

Gusar · 2015-07-29 11:05:27

It's very likely the UEFI is 32bit. So you need to add a 32bit UEFI loader to your USB stick. Search the wiki, you'll probably find appropriate instructions there.

@Trilby: The official Arch ISOs don't have a 32bit UEFI loader. No distro supports 32bit UEFI out of the box.

Trilby · 2015-07-29 11:09:09

I stand corrected on the generallity of my claim, but from what I can turn up, the z3795 is 64-bit, isn't it?

EDIT: upon rereading your post it seems the UEFI system may be 32 bit even if the processor is capable of 64. That seems likely - as the default system on many of these 64-bit-capable atom processers seems to be 32-bit. If that's the case, I appologize for the noise I added to this thread. But it remains a simple check: Freddo, have you tried using the most recent isos from the download page?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-07-29 12:20:17

Gusar wrote:

'No distro supports 32bit UEFI out of the box.

Actually, Debian jessie does

@OP: Can you boot the Debian 8.1 ISO image in UEFI mode?
http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unoff … -firmware/

EDIT: The relevant kernel configuration option is CONFIG_EFI_MIXED and is supported by the (current) Arch kernel:

empty@Arch ~ % zcat /proc/config.gz|grep CONFIG_EFI_MIXED
CONFIG_EFI_MIXED=y

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2015-07-29 12:31:54)

Gusar · 2015-07-29 12:30:49

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Actually, Debian jessie does

Oh? That'd be new. And cool . Perhaps Arch should follow that example, these Baytrail thingies are quite popular. And it's not just the tablets, even some Celeron and Pentium branded laptops have 32bit UEFI.

Edit: @Head_on_a_stick: That kernel setting isn't enough, you still need a 32bit syslinux or grub. From the description of that kernel setting:

Note that it is not possible to boot a mixed-mode enabled kernel via the EFI boot stub - a bootloader that supports the EFI handover protocol must be used.

Last edited by Gusar (2015-07-29 12:48:37)

ukhippo · 2015-07-29 12:37:45

Am I missing something? The screenshot shows the system is booting off the USB stick - it has run the hooks.
It seems like the disk label is missing/unreadable. How was the ISO written to the USB stick?

Gusar · 2015-07-29 12:42:48

ukhippo wrote:

Am I missing something?

No, *I* am. I didn't click on the picture. Oops! So it seems the issue isn't UEFI bitness, it's something else.

FreddoNotAFrog · 2015-07-30 00:15:21

Hey all,
Thanks for the fast responses - I'm at varsity now so can't do much until this evening, but hopefully can answer some questions:

@WebReflection; it doesn't support legacy boot but the other options are all already as you've said.

@Gusar; There is a Fedora remix called Fedlet that's designed for Bay Trail tablets. I'm downloading that as I type but would much rather run Arch! (nothing against Fedora, it's just unfamiliar). It does boot but doesn't get very far once the Arch iso starts up.

@Head_on_a_Stick; I should be able to download the Debian iso tomorrow and will get back to you about that then.

@ukhippo; First I tried LinuxLive from Windows, then dd from an existing arch install on a different computer on a different USB, both with the same result.

Updates to come when I get home

Cheers,
Freddo

FreddoNotAFrog · 2015-08-02 05:02:57

Well, things happen. It turned out to be the keyboard after all, I think.

After re-burning the ISO several times using different methods, I settled on Rufus (a Windows program) and tried to boot without success.

Tried it plugged directly into the tablet's single USB port, and it booted fine. That meant that there was no plug left for a keyboard, so found an old USB adapter and split the connection. That 'sr0' part of the code wasn't coming through with the keyboard. So now it installs, but the wireless isn't going. I'll start a new thread for that when I have time and once I've read everything there is to know about Dell Venue 11 pro wifi cards.

What doesn't work (for me)
Tablet ---> USB keyboard ---> USB key

What does work (for me)
Tablet ---> USB Splitter ---> USB key and keyboard

Thanks for all the help :-)

Cheers,
Freddo

Arch Linux

#1 2015-07-29 05:35:42

[SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#2 2015-07-29 10:57:02

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#3 2015-07-29 11:01:06

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#4 2015-07-29 11:05:27

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#5 2015-07-29 11:09:09

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#6 2015-07-29 12:20:17

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#7 2015-07-29 12:30:49

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#8 2015-07-29 12:37:45

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#9 2015-07-29 12:42:48

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#10 2015-07-30 00:15:21

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

#11 2015-08-02 05:02:57

Re: [SOLVED] - Arch installation on UEFI Tablet

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