SP4 Arch Linux Dual Boot Issues

strikegently · 2016-01-13 23:17:44

I'm an Arch Linux newbie and I can't seem to get beyond the reboot portion of the installation. I am simply thrown to a black menu screen with "Windows Boot Manager, EFI Default Loader, Reboot into Firmware Interface" none of which boot Arch. I am thinking perhaps I missed a step but I've looked over the beginners guide and can't seem to find where I've gone wrong. I try to go back to my USB installer but it's riddled with these blk_update_request errors when I try to arch-chroot (see below).

Device: SP4
OS: Windows 10 / Arch Linux 4.3.3 - 2016.01.01
Method: Arch Linux USB Installer

[ OK ] Shrink volume on Windows 10 (by 64GB)
[ OK ] Boot into Arch Linux USB installer, lsblk

I noticed most installations have /dev/sda for their main drive, Arch Linux recognizes my USB drive as /dev/sda while my SSD is recognized as /dev/nvme0n1

[...]
nvme0n1      259:0 0 238.5G 0 disk
|- nvme0n1p1 259:1 0 260M 0 part
|- nvme0n1p2 259:2 0 128M 0 part
|- nvme0n1p3 259:3 0 174.8G 0 part
|- nvme0n1p4 259:4 0 830M 0 part

[ OK ] Partitioned nvme0n1 for Linux Swap using gdisk /dev/nvme0n1 and added +2GB and used 8200 for Hex code or GUID. I then formatted as a swap using mkswap /dev/nvme0n1p5 and turned the swap on using swapon /dev/nvme0n1p5 and verified using free -m

[ OK ] Partition nvme0n1 for Linux filesystem using gdisk /dev/nvme0n1 and used all the defaults. Then formatted using mkfs.ext4 /dev/nvme0n1p6

What does it look like now?

gdisk -l /dev/nvme0n1

1 2048 534527 260.0 MiB EF00 EFI system partition
2 534528 796671 128.0 MiB 0C01 Microsoft reserved...
3 796672 367343615 174.8 GiB 0700 Basic data partition
4 498417664 500117503 830.0 MiB 2700 Basic data partition
5 367343616 371537919 2.0 GiB 8200 Linux Swap
6 371537920 498417663 60.5 GiB 8300 Linux Filesystem

[ OK ] Mount Linux filesystem and EFI system

mount /dev/nvme0n1p6 /mnt
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /boot

[ OK ] Install base packages via pacstrap

pacstrap -i /mnt base base-devel

[ OK ] Generate fstab

genfstab -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

[ OK ] Login to arch-chroot

arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash

[ OK ] Configured the Locale as per beginners guide

vim /etc/locale.gen
vim /etc/locale.conf

[ OK ] Added time zone information

ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/US/Pacific /etc/localtime

[ OK ] mkinit

mkinitcpio -p linux

[ OK ] Install systemd-boot (which I needed to exit arch-chroot to perform)

bootctl install

[ OK ] added hostname

echo [hostname] > /etc/hostname

[ OK ] umounted and rebooted

umount -R /mnt

reboot

Unplug USB installer

[ ISSUE ] No Arch Linux
Opening Screen

Plug in USB installer

[ ISSUE ] Boot into Arch Linux USB installer

mount /dev/nvme0n1p6 /mnt
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /boot
arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash

[ 810.212319] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 388837816
[ 810.213798] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 388658288
[ 810.215365] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 372370064
[ 810.215822] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 372372256
/usr/bin/arch-chroot: line 309: 571 Segmentation fault (core dumped) SHELL=/bin/sh unshare --form --pid chroot "$chrootdir "$@"

Apologies for information overload.

mwillems · 2016-01-14 00:39:02

For your first issue: you skipped a step with systemd-boot (or skipped it in describing what you did anyway). You didn't set up the bootloader entries as described here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy … figuration

Once you make those entries an arch entry will show up. The good news is that the screen you're seeing is systemd-boot, which means you're seeing the linux bootloader so you're 90% of the way there.

For your second error, you have a syntax error in your commands, you're trying to mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 on /boot instead of /mnt/boot. /boot is where the USB sticks boot partition is, you don't want to mount anything there.

I also run arch on an SP4, and you might have a few more wrinkles once the kernel loads, just FYI. You might find you have trouble booting (or boot to a black screen after the kernel loads, or boot to a black screen every other boot). If that happens, make sure to add nvme and i915 to the modules in your mkinitcpio.conf file, adding them fixed those issues for me. You might also need to do some added kernel configuration to get the backlight control to work (or you might not), ask if you have trouble.

The surfacepro3 kernel in the aur has support for the type cover 4 in it, by the way, so I'd advise installing it once you get booted into a usable system if you have a type cover

Last edited by mwillems (2016-01-14 03:11:49)

tom.ty89 · 2016-01-14 07:54:29

strikegently wrote:

[ OK ] Mount Linux filesystem and EFI system
mount /dev/nvme0n1p6 /mnt
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /boot

Wrong. mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot

strikegently · 2016-01-14 21:49:30

Okay I performed a reinstall. (I deleted the swap and filesystem partition via cfdisk, there was no recommended method I could find)

On this installation I made the appropriate changes when mounting and added the details to the bootloader entry and was actually able to boot into something on reboot! However, I was met with this error which forces me to manually shutdown because all input is disabled.

running early hook (udev)
starting version 228
running hook (udev)
Triggering uevents…
Waiting 10 seconds for device /dev/disk/by-partuuid/5d2c3fed-31fa-49be-a913-2c725e4ca4a0
performing fsck on ‘5d2c3fed-31fa-49be-a913-2c725e4ca4a0’
/dev/nvme0n1p6: clean 174/3972672 files, 352992/15859712 blocks
mounting /dev/disk/by-partuuid/5d2c3fed-31fa-49be-a913-2c725e4ca4a0’ on real root
running cleanup hook (udev)
ERROR: Root device mounted successfully, but /sbin/init does not exist/
Bailing out, you are on your own. Good luck.

sh: can’t access tty: job control turning off
[rootfs /]#

When I boot in via the USB installer and check the /sbin directory there is an init inside... should there be one under /mnt/etc ?

ls /etc/sbin/

...
infocmp
infotocap
init
insmod
...

ls /mnt/etc
fstab

Listing off some directories because it seemed important to have these files where they are.

ls /mnt/boot/EFI/boot
bootx64.efi HashTool.efi loader.efi

ls /mnt/boot
EFI initramfs-linux-fallback.img initramfs-linux.img loader vmlinuz-linux

ls /mnt/boot/loader
entries loader.conf

I'm not entirely sure what loader.conf is supposed to do. In the wiki it states default is the "default entry to select". What I'm assuming is that it governs which boot entry to pick. When I vim'd into the file it looked like this

#timeout 3
default c0adcc5850664cdeada13edb36202bb0-*

Since I want to boot from the arch.conf boot entry, I changed it to this.

default arch
timeout 3

And lastly, here is my arch.conf file.

vim /mnt/boot/loader/entries/arch.conf
title    Arch Linux
linux    /vmlinuz-linux
initrd    /initramfs-linux.img
options    root=PARTUUID=5d2c3fed-31fa-49be-a913-2c725e4ca4a0 rw

Additional: I should note that when booting from the USB installer I cannot arch-chroot in.

mount /dev/nvme01np6 /mnt
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot
arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash
mount: mount point /mnt/etc/resolv.conf does not exist
==> ERROR: failed to setup resolv.conf

tom.ty89 · 2016-01-14 21:55:26

can you run blkid in arch live and paste the output here? (Or just tell which partition is PARTUUID=5d2c3fed-31fa-49be-a913-2c725e4ca4a0 belong to)
Wait, what exist under /mnt after all? Seems you've pacstrap'd to a wrong place?

Last edited by tom.ty89 (2016-01-14 21:56:32)

strikegently · 2016-01-14 22:03:44

Did I miss a step this time around? Here is /mnt

ls /mnt

boot dev etc lost+found proc run sys tmp var

And here is the blkid for that partition

blkid

...
/dev/nvme0n1p6: UUID="1bee930-0b23-41c0-8295-e5cb0b1eb90b" TYPE="ext4" PARTLABEL="Linux filesystem" PARTUUID="5d2c3fed-31fa-49be-a913-2c725e4ca4a0"
...

tom.ty89 · 2016-01-14 22:06:36

strikegently wrote:

pacstrap -i /mnt base base-devel

Missed this? :S

strikegently · 2016-01-14 22:25:24

I ran pacstrap /mnt base base-devel and it replied with

error:failed to commit transaction (conflicting files)
linux: /mnt/boot/vmzlinuz-linux exists in filesystem
Errors occured, no packages were upgraded.
==> ERROR: Failed to install packages to new root
pacstrap /mnt base base-devel 3.66s user 3.07s system 3% cpu 3:15:91 total

Last edited by strikegently (2016-01-14 22:25:53)

strikegently · 2016-01-15 01:11:37

Somewhat success, turns out even though I had erased the root and swap partitions for the reinstall I had forgotten about the additional files in my boot partition, namely vmlinuz-linux. This was causing pacstrap to fail installing during the reinstall, once it was removed the files successfully installed.

So now I can boot into the Arch Linux login screen although now I am faced with the fact that I can't login using either root/password or the user I added "amc"/password. Maybe it's because it has nothing to go to beyond that since I had not installed gnome or anything else but I know that it's recognizing my password because if I type in garbage it says invalid password. So I went to install gnome using the USB installer and wouldn't you know arch-chroot is giving me hell like always. I will say there has never been a time where I've installed/rebooted and been able to arch-chroot after.

mount /dev/nvme0n1p6 /mnt
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot

arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash
[root@archiso /] pacman -h
[ 592.257243] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 447695896
[ 592.257538] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 447691288
[ 592.267025] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev nvme0n1, sector 447691032
...
Inconsistency detected by ld.so: ../sysdeps/x86_64/dl-machine.h: 497: efl_machine_rela_relative: Assertion `((reloc->r_info) & 0xffffffff == 8' failed!

tom.ty89 · 2016-01-15 06:51:38

strikegently wrote:

but I know that it's recognizing my password because if I type in garbage it says invalid password

What do you mean by you can't login then? What does it say instead?

Well you can try systemd-nspawn if you really think if has something to do with arch-chroot. e.g.

systemd-nspawn -D /mnt

although it appears to me that it has more to do with driver/hardware.

Last edited by tom.ty89 (2016-01-15 06:51:47)

strikegently · 2016-01-15 19:51:41

It quite literally does nothing. I type in my username and then my password and it just displays the login prompt again. No error, no messages.

Correct password

Arch Linux 4.3.3-2-ARCH (tty1)

strikegently login: username
Password:

strikegently login:

Incorrect password

strikegently login: username
Password: 
Login incorrect

strikegently login:

On occasion when I boot into the login screen I'll get some error messages as seen below or the "...blk_update_request: I/O error..." and this is before even touching the keyboard.

Arch Linux 4.3.3-2-ARCH (tty1)

strikegently login: [ 9.263224] [drm:  intel_cpu_fifo_underrun_irq_handler [i915]] *ERROR* CPU pipe A FIFO underrun
[18.763728] hid-multitouch 0003:045E:07E8.0001: usb_submit_urb(ctrl) failed: -1

mwillems · 2016-01-16 04:45:28

Did you give the user you made a shell when you created it? Do you get the exact same behavior when you try to login as root? Did you follow my advice about the mkinitcpio.conf modules above? If not, that probably explains the I/O errors you're seeing.

Secondary question: did you make a new Archiso after you tried to overwrite the boot partition of the USB on your previous attempted install? If you're still using the same Live USB it's possibly damaged at this point, so I'd advise making a new one (that may be what's behind the arch-chroot issue). I can confirm that I have no problem arch-chrooting into my installation on my Surface Pro 4, so it is possible.

Fo your reference, the hid multitouch error you're seeing is being generated by the Type Cover (045E:07E8 is the device code for the Type Cover), that should go away once you install a kernel that supports the Type Cover. The i915 errors are integrated graphics errors, and I still see those (skylake support is new), they should be harmless (I don't think you're seeing a graphics issue here, it's almost certainly a configuration issue, or possibly a harddrive issue).

Last edited by mwillems (2016-01-16 04:49:02)

strikegently · 2016-01-17 18:15:57

I feel like I'm missing something big and obvious here but I don't know what it is. I've combed through the installation steps and I've included everything you've said from creating bootloader entries to editing mkinitcpio.conf. I've even downloaded Arch Linux from a different source and then re-made the live USB via Rufus.

To answer your first question this is how I created my user:

useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash myusername

but it's of no matter because even trying to login as root gives me the same result.

I just know there is something fishy going on because I can never arch-chroot using the live usb once I've run the install and rebooted for the first time. Are there any other pitfalls I might be running into?

When I want to reinstall I delete the filesystem partition and the swap partition (via cgdisk), there are also some files I delete in the EFI partition like the initramfs imgs and the vmlinuz-linux file along with the /loader folder. I was wondering if I'm still retaining items from previous installs and that's what is mucking it up? I'm really at a loss for options, I can't imagine what I'm doing wrong at this point.

Arch Linux

#1 2016-01-13 23:17:44