Arch Linux

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

[Solved] bootctl install hanging

So I have seen this problem many times but no answer was functionning. After i enter the command

bootctl --esp-path=/efi install

the programm freezes on

random seed file /efi/loader/random-seed succesfully written (512 bytes).

. However, after i restart the laptop, when I enter

bootctl is-installed

it returns yes but the bios doesn't detect anything

Last edited by Bestinbest (2021-04-03 19:49:53)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,086

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

What BIOS/UEFI? If it's MSI then it's likely that's just an MSI issue, copy /efi/EFI/systemd/systemd-bootx64.efi to /efi/EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi and recheck whether a boot off of the drive rather than an entry works.

Maybe post the output of

sudo efibootmgr -v

after the installation.

Off topic to the issue at hand, but are you sure you want to use /efi as the ESP path? You will have to ensure that kernel images land on /efi instead of /boot for this to properly work which will include some manual scripting.

romstor

Member

Registered: 2018-08-18

Posts: 54

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

Off topic to the issue at hand, but are you sure you want to use /efi as the ESP path? You will have to ensure that kernel images land on /efi instead of /boot for this to properly work which will include some manual scripting.

I found that bind mounts work really well. I'd mount ESP partition to /efi and have a few folders on the same partition with different kernels (for different bootable btrfs snapshots in my case, but can be other installations as well). I'd bind mount the folder from ESP to /boot so `bootctl update` will always work correctly - no configuration changes or scripts required. Bind mount is done via /etc/fstab. Here is an article that describes the approach in more detail:

Multi Boot Linux With One Boot Partition

Last edited by romstor (2020-12-24 02:30:00)

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

Off topic to the issue at hand, but are you sure you want to use /efi as the ESP path?

You're right, I don't actually want to do that but I thought it was better because one of the solutions I had found was using it...

Here is an article that describes the approach in more detail:

Thank you for the article, I don't think I'll do that right now, I don't have enough experience to deal with possible problems. But I think I'll try it when I'll finally have arch installed on my laptop because I found the article interesting and well explained.

So I rebooted to use /boot to make it more simple, but I had to redownload the system, that's weird... Anyway after I reinstalled it, when checking the fstab file, I see no /dev/sda1 (my boot partition) but two /dev/sda4, one mounted with /, and the other with /home, and /dev/sda3 is mounted with / as I want it to be. No problem with /dev/sda2, it's my swap partition but I prefer to precise it.
Knowing that my orginal problem was that bootctl install didn't detect any EFI partition, maybe it comes from this. I want to change the fstab file manually but I don't know the UUID of the /dev/sda1 partition, where can I find it?

Maybe post the output of sudo efibootmgr -v after the installation.

I didn't arch-chroooted yet so do you still want the output of this command?

nd925a

Member

Registered: 2017-01-30

Posts: 43

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

I want to change the fstab file manually but I don't know the UUID of the /dev/sda1 partition, where can I find it?

Run as root.

blkid

or

blkid /dev/sdXY

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

Run as root.

blkid

or

blkid /dev/sdXY

Thank you. When I run

efibootmgr -v

arch-chrooted, I have a very long response :

 BootCurrent: 0000
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 0001,2001,2002,2003
Boot0000* USB Device etc...
Boot0001* EFI Hard Drive etc...
Boot2001* EFI USB Device Rc
Boot2002* DVD/CDROM RC
Boot2003* EFI Network RC 

Ashley2020

Banned

Registered: 2020-12-11

Posts: 30

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

So I have seen this problem many times but no answer was functionning. After i enter the command

bootctl --esp-path=/efi install

the programm freezes on

random seed file /efi/loader/random-seed succesfully written (512 bytes).

. However, after i restart the laptop, when I enter

bootctl is-installed

it returns yes but the bios doesn't detect anything

For me not understandable how V1del explained. Unreasonably difficult meaning, but this not his fault.
We cannot post a video guides at the forum, but we can recomend you search some on YouTube: "Arch Linux 2021 — Installation on encrypted partition in 10 min. [UEFI + DHCP + SUDO + Rankmirrors]"
It's nice for me

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,086

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

What's unreasonably difficult about copying one file from one location to another? As this is a non standard abnormal issue, your youtube video guide is going to lead to exactly nothing that's not already known here

But the problem seems quite clear here and a wrong association of partitions in the fstab.

Last edited by V1del (2020-12-25 00:45:21)

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

So I have to manually write the fstab file... I know what to write for the UUID, the directory, the type, but what should I write in dump and pass?

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,086

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fstab#Usage

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

So I finally had a good fstab file, but the command

bootctl --esp-path=/boot install

is still hanging after the succesfull generation of the random seed file.

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

Help

2ManyDogs

Forum Fellow

Registered: 2012-01-15

Posts: 4,646

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

Help

Please don't do that.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,086

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

Try with the --graceful option:

--graceful
           Ignore failure when the EFI System Partition cannot be found, or when EFI variables cannot be written.
           Currently only applies to random seed operations.

If that doesn't help, answer my first question of the thread and disclose what board you are trying this on (... and whether the approach I've mentioned  would fix it? You didn't mention whether you tried my suggestion of copying the relevant EFI file).

And aside from that there are tons of other options here, if this simply plainly will not work with bootctl, how about giving grub a shot?

Last edited by V1del (2021-01-25 00:54:33)

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

I've just realised the wifi on my boarding school requires to register with a browser... So I can't test that until Friday sorry.
And I didn't try to copy paste the files because I thought it was because of the fstab file.

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

So I have tried with the gracefull option... still stops after generating the seed file. I have a HP probook x360 11 G1 EE that was given to me by my school. But windows was messing up with it and the school had blocked windows so I couldn't reset it. I copied the files and it still doesn't work. And is grub easy to install? I think it will be easier than my problem anyway...

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

I think I'll try another boot loader and then tell if this works. Is clover a good one?

Last edited by Bestinbest (2021-02-06 10:26:44)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,086

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

I'd also see a possibility that the school has locked this down in a way that will prevent this from being possible. Can you access the UEFI is secureboot or so enabled? If you plain don't have the ability to adjust NVRAM entries and it won't boot from the BOOTx64.efi path you are likely SoL here.

Also just pick one, it really shouldn't matter and if neither GRUB nor systemd-boot worked I doubt that clover will.

Last edited by V1del (2021-02-06 10:47:41)

Bestinbest

Member

Registered: 2020-11-28

Posts: 35

Re: [Solved] bootctl install hanging

So a friend of mine found the solution, he opened a new terminal with ctrl+alt+f2 and sigkilled the task, and then he continued the installation with --gracefull added to the command.

Last edited by Bestinbest (2021-04-04 07:51:27)