newbie grub install woes

ggenovez · 2021-10-19 23:38:21

Yes. I know RTFM. Been there done that still have issues.

I'm installing the latest arch on Virtualbox. I've enabled EFI. created the drive with mkfs.ext4. built the OS. Tried to install grub and it needs FAT. Loveley. so rebuilt everything and made the drive with mkfs.fat. Since the files downloded use ext4 format like ":" for iptables it fails the install.

Ok. now what? so I rebuild everything, leave a 2GB drive for a fat drive for grub and build everything again. grub comes up and stops. no error no nothing.

how have others resovled this issue?

ggenovez · 2021-10-20 01:03:36

Just a little more color.

I got the system to boot when I used the following grub entries
root=(hd0,2)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sdb3
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
boot

*** EDIT ***

I take that back. it worked once.

Last edited by ggenovez (2021-10-20 01:05:18)

walkingstickfan · 2021-10-20 01:08:43

I can't provide a specific resolution for your issue. However, I recently installed Arch Linux under VirtualBox to test out the upgrade experience for a few months before committing to installing it on an actual drive. The following resources were very helpful to me in getting Arch Linux installed under VirtualBox and then on an actual computer:

The Actual Installation of Arch Linux Phase 1 - BIOS -- ArcoLinuxD

The Actual Installation of Arch Linux Phase 1 - UEFI -- ArcoLinuxD

The Actual Installation of Arch Linux Phase 2 - Enable Multilib Repo, Install bash-completion, Create Personal Account -- ArcoLinuxD

The Actual Installation of Arch Linux Phase 3 - Let's Get Graphical -- ArcoLinuxD

How to Install Arch Linux [Complete Guide] -- FOSS Linux

VirtualBox/Install Arch Linux as Guest -- Arch Linux Wiki

Setting Up Arch Linux in Virtual Box -- michaelghens.com

Just understand that there will be things you may not need to do under VirtualBox that you will need to do on an actual computer. Take copious notes because you'll need to refer back to them if you decide to install Arch Linux on an actual computer.

Last edited by walkingstickfan (2021-10-20 01:12:14)

jasonwryan · 2021-10-20 01:27:14

walkingstickfan wrote:

The following resources were very helpful to me in getting Arch Linux installed under VirtualBox and then on an actual computer

And, apart from a solitary Arch wiki page, none of those are supported here. ArcoLinux has their own forums, please post there.

seth · 2021-10-20 07:06:44

Tried to install grub and it needs FAT. Loveley. so rebuilt everything and made the drive with mkfs.fat.

Nonsense. Where did you get that BS? Certainly not TFM nor TFW.
The ESP needs to be FAT, but that's not related to grub, nor is an ESP required and most certainly that doesn't mean the root partition should be FAT (as a matter of fact, trying to run POSIX systemd from a FAT root is a massive PITA)

RTFM again and also RTFW.

ggenovez · 2021-10-20 13:24:28

@seth.

That's where I'm at. root is ext4 and EFI is Fat. And I get a Grub prompt. I can get it to boot by manually entering the grub commands sometimes.

seth · 2021-10-20 13:35:29

And what happens if it does notwork™?
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=57855

Don't use sda3 as root, use the part UUID (the enumerated devices are not necessarily deterministic, ie. sdb and sda can change roles, depending on which shows up first)

Also why didn't you use grub-mkconfig? And if you did, what does your grub.cfg look like and how does it fail to boot.

Did you actually read https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Grub ?

walkingstickfan · 2021-10-21 15:24:41

jasonwryan wrote:

walkingstickfan wrote:
The following resources were very helpful to me in getting Arch Linux installed under VirtualBox and then on an actual computer
And, apart from a solitary Arch wiki page, none of those are supported here. ArcoLinux has their own forums, please post there.

Supported or not, the pages were helpful to me and may be to others and they are about installing Arch Linux, not ArcoLinuxD. Unfortunately, the Arch Wiki was not very helpful to me when it came to installing GRUB, which led me to the aforementioned pages. I'm more interested in helping people than suggesting only what is in the Arch Wiki. If that ruffles your feathers, so be it.

Last edited by walkingstickfan (2021-10-21 15:35:32)

Arch Linux

#1 2021-10-19 23:38:21

newbie grub install woes

#2 2021-10-20 01:03:36

Re: newbie grub install woes

#3 2021-10-20 01:08:43

Re: newbie grub install woes

#4 2021-10-20 01:27:14

Re: newbie grub install woes

#5 2021-10-20 07:06:44

Re: newbie grub install woes

#6 2021-10-20 13:24:28

Re: newbie grub install woes

#7 2021-10-20 13:35:29

Re: newbie grub install woes

#8 2021-10-21 15:24:41

Re: newbie grub install woes

Board footer