You are not logged in.

#1 2012-12-06 12:21:11

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Boot USB installation as EFI

Hello!

Before I have installed arch linux successfully using dvd and usb stick on my old bios based computer.
I have currently an efi motherboard (asus maximus v gene) and I can't get the installation media (archiso) to boot.
I'm currently using Windows 7 x64 and desperately trying to switch back to arch.
This time there is the EFI directory on the iso file ARCH_201212 necessary to boot on efi platform.

I have tried multiple different things to make it boot:

1. On Windows: format as FAT32, extract the content of the iso to the usb stick.
2. Install arch to vmware directly from iso.
----a. dd iso to usb stick
----b. set disk type to ef00 (EFI), mkfs.vfat -F32 partition 1, extract contents of the iso to usb
----c. set disk type to 0700 (Microsoft basic data), mkfs.vfat -F32 partition 1, extract contents of the iso to usb

None of these boot on my real hardware. Most of the time I go to bios, pick boot override: UEFI usb stick and it will just blink one time and return to the boot override -menu.
One time (I don't remember which one of the above) it tried to boot and just printed
boot0: gpt
boot0: error
boot0: gpt
boot0: error
This time I thought that it was close to boot, but couldn't find out a way to fix this so I continued to try different things.

I have also set up efi firmware on vmware. Vmware does not boot directly off the usb. I have to wait for the efi shell, then change to the usb stick, cd to EFI/boot and run bootx64.efi manually.
Next it still won't boot but instead drop to interactive shell since it cannot access the files on usb stick it already mounted. So, I unmount the usb stick, mount it back and exit the shell. After this Arch booted successfully on vmware.

So, I can get it to boot on vmware manually, but not on real hardware.

Why is it so damn hard to get this to boot?
Are those iso installation files created automatically without any testing whether they work or not?
How do I make it to boot from an usb stick?

Last edited by Wilhelm (2012-12-06 14:54:38)

Offline

#2 2012-12-06 14:35:59

drenninghoff
Member
Registered: 2012-11-28
Posts: 34

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UE … B_from_ISO

dd'ing the iso disables EFI boot.

On Windows, just follow these steps:

1. Format the USB stick with FAT32 in Explorer, make the Label ARCH_201212 (depends on the iso you're using, this one is for 12/2012)
2. Extract the contents of the ISO to the USB stick (for example using 7zip)
3. Boot!

Offline

#3 2012-12-06 15:31:49

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Still not booting. As I told I have already tried that (number 1).

Here's what I did:
Format the usb stick as FAT32 and label according to iso: format_usb_for_arch.png
Extracted iso's content to usb stick.


Here's a video where I try to boot from the usb stick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zep4llyj1KM

Last edited by Wilhelm (2012-12-06 15:32:23)

Offline

#4 2012-12-06 15:44:27

drenninghoff
Member
Registered: 2012-11-28
Posts: 34

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Do you have Secure Boot disabled?

Offline

#5 2012-12-06 16:01:07

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Ok, so Secure Boot was enabled. I changed it from Windows into Other OS and it booted from the stick, but not into Arch.

It said something about config files in /LOADER/ENTRIES/*.CFG and that it couldn't load those.

Last edited by Wilhelm (2012-12-06 17:54:08)

Offline

#6 2012-12-06 17:54:19

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

OK, so I tried again and took a photo:
06122012002.jpg

Message:
No loader found. Configuration files in \loader\entries\*.conf are needed.

Offline

#7 2012-12-06 18:08:39

drenninghoff
Member
Registered: 2012-11-28
Posts: 34

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Look in \loader\entries\archiso-x86_64.conf and check if the label of the usb stick is correct. Maybe try a different usb stick. Also, this thread might help you:
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1199868 (last post, you want the Archiso config file)

Good luck smile

Offline

#8 2012-12-06 18:42:25

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

I mounted the usb stick to arch on vmware,
copied /usr/lib/refind/refindx64.efi to /EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi,
created /EFI/BOOT/refind.conf with the contents as suggested in the above post AND also changed the archisolabel to ARCH_201212.

Now, it boots to refind,
I picked boot arch,
After printing normal stuff on the screen it reported that ARCH_201212 was mounted successfully to /run/archiso/bootmnt
and right after it told that it couldn't access the files on /run/archiso/bootmnt.

Occasionally it waits for a device for 30 seconds and after timeout it begins again waiting. This goes on forever.
Sometimes it drops directly to interactive shell, but this time I couldn't get it working as I got it in the vmware (see the first post).

Offline

#9 2012-12-06 19:19:08

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Here's the current situation:

arch.jpg

Offline

#10 2012-12-06 19:32:28

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

After booting another time:

arch_test_2012_12_06_21_30_38.jpg


I have so far tried also another usb stick with similar results.

EDIT: I have checked the sha1sum of the iso and it's correct.

Last edited by Wilhelm (2012-12-06 20:18:07)

Offline

#11 2012-12-07 00:59:49

cfr
Member
From: Cymru
Registered: 2011-11-27
Posts: 7,130

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

So it can't setup the loop device?

The first one looks like an fs error, though.

Do you get the same error with both USB sticks you tried? Did you prepare them in the same way? Are they the same type of stick?


CLI Paste | How To Ask Questions

Arch Linux | x86_64 | GPT | EFI boot | refind | stub loader | systemd | LVM2 on LUKS
Lenovo x270 | Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz | Intel Wireless 8265/8275 | US keyboard w/ Euro | 512G NVMe INTEL SSDPEKKF512G7L

Offline

#12 2012-12-07 07:21:39

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

The error is somewhat variable everytime. Sometimes it's the same and sometimes it changes. Sometimes it's not even dropping to the interactive shell but waits forever as in the second picture (post #10).
I get all these cases on both sticks,
I prepared them exactly the same way (using Windows 7 x64: format fat32, label ARCH_201212, extract iso to usb, create refind.conf to EFI/BOOT/ with the content suggested above, using arch on vmware: copy refindx64.efi [as bootx64.efi] to EFI/BOOT/),
The sticks are of different types. The first I tried was 1Gb and the second 8Gb.

Last edited by Wilhelm (2012-12-07 07:30:36)

Offline

#13 2012-12-07 11:00:59

drenninghoff
Member
Registered: 2012-11-28
Posts: 34

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Sorry, I can't help you with that sad I don't get these errors. I don't even have to use refind to boot the usb stick.

Offline

#14 2012-12-07 23:58:10

cfr
Member
From: Cymru
Registered: 2011-11-27
Posts: 7,130

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Wilhelm wrote:

The error is somewhat variable everytime. Sometimes it's the same and sometimes it changes. Sometimes it's not even dropping to the interactive shell but waits forever as in the second picture (post #10).
I get all these cases on both sticks,
I prepared them exactly the same way (using Windows 7 x64: format fat32, label ARCH_201212, extract iso to usb, create refind.conf to EFI/BOOT/ with the content suggested above, using arch on vmware: copy refindx64.efi [as bootx64.efi] to EFI/BOOT/),
The sticks are of different types. The first I tried was 1Gb and the second 8Gb.

Yes, but what software etc. did you use? Did you follow one of the recommended methods detailed in the wikifor creating USB installation media?


CLI Paste | How To Ask Questions

Arch Linux | x86_64 | GPT | EFI boot | refind | stub loader | systemd | LVM2 on LUKS
Lenovo x270 | Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz | Intel Wireless 8265/8275 | US keyboard w/ Euro | 512G NVMe INTEL SSDPEKKF512G7L

Offline

#15 2012-12-08 09:07:31

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

cfr wrote:
Wilhelm wrote:

The error is somewhat variable everytime. Sometimes it's the same and sometimes it changes. Sometimes it's not even dropping to the interactive shell but waits forever as in the second picture (post #10).
I get all these cases on both sticks,
I prepared them exactly the same way (using Windows 7 x64: format fat32, label ARCH_201212, extract iso to usb, create refind.conf to EFI/BOOT/ with the content suggested above, using arch on vmware: copy refindx64.efi [as bootx64.efi] to EFI/BOOT/),
The sticks are of different types. The first I tried was 1Gb and the second 8Gb.

Yes, but what software etc. did you use? Did you follow one of the recommended methods detailed in the wikifor creating USB installation media?

I'm using Windows' own basic tools as suggested (Right click on drive -> format). I have written the steps I have gone through in the above posts.

Offline

#16 2012-12-09 03:44:10

cfr
Member
From: Cymru
Registered: 2011-11-27
Posts: 7,130

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

None of that sounds like any of the methods described in the wiki for this.


CLI Paste | How To Ask Questions

Arch Linux | x86_64 | GPT | EFI boot | refind | stub loader | systemd | LVM2 on LUKS
Lenovo x270 | Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz | Intel Wireless 8265/8275 | US keyboard w/ Euro | 512G NVMe INTEL SSDPEKKF512G7L

Offline

#17 2012-12-10 13:55:43

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

cfr wrote:

None of that sounds like any of the methods described in the wiki for this.

On the wiki there's 2 times suggested dd for writing the image. As I have described above, I've already tried that even that it was pointed out that it won't work.
I have also tried flashnul and unetbootin already. Not working.

I will continue trying with those random little programs and report back.

Last edited by Wilhelm (2012-12-10 13:57:37)

Offline

#18 2012-12-10 21:52:15

teateawhy
Member
From: GER
Registered: 2012-03-05
Posts: 1,138
Website

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Wilhelm wrote:

I'm using Windows' own basic tools as suggested (Right click on drive -> format).

It could be that there is a certain incompatibility regarding the filesystem when using Windows tools to format the drive. As you have a running arch linux on virtualbox, is it possible for you to use its linux utilities like cgdisk for formatting the usb media?

Wilhelm wrote:

On the wiki there's 2 times suggested dd for writing the image.

No, it is definitly not suggested for UEFI boot. To make it more clear for you (and others ) i added a note to the wiki now:

wiki wrote:

Note: This method does not work with UEFI boot.

Offline

#19 2012-12-10 23:50:39

peacemira
Member
From: Czech Republic
Registered: 2011-11-13
Posts: 6

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Hi!
I don't know if it's your case, but I've had very similar problem that I've solved by creating a partition on my USB stick that was max. 2GB and formating to FAT16. With FAT32 I've also experienced problems with files, that cannot be found.
Hope that It'll help you

Offline

#20 2012-12-10 23:55:12

srs5694
Member
From: Woonsocket, RI
Registered: 2012-11-06
Posts: 719
Website

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

peacemira wrote:

With FAT32 I've also experienced problems with files, that cannot be found.

What brand of motherboard do you have? I ask because I've run into this on just one of my four "real" EFI computers, which happens to have an Intel motherboard. It's possible that this is an Intel-specific bug; or maybe it's triggered by something else. I've experienced symptoms that are superficially similar on another computer (with a Gigabyte motherboard), but those are caused by a case-sensitivity bug in the firmware.

Offline

#21 2012-12-11 01:03:24

cfr
Member
From: Cymru
Registered: 2011-11-27
Posts: 7,130

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

Wilhelm wrote:
cfr wrote:

None of that sounds like any of the methods described in the wiki for this.

On the wiki there's 2 times suggested dd for writing the image. As I have described above, I've already tried that even that it was pointed out that it won't work.
I have also tried flashnul and unetbootin already. Not working.

I will continue trying with those random little programs and report back.

Have you read the part of the wiki I linked to?

As others have said, dd will not work for EFI usb media.

To quote the wiki:

UNetbootin
Warning: DO NOT USE UNETBOOTIN. This program writes over the default syslinux.cfg and breaks the loading process. Please use a different program or method.

flashnul is mentioned - did you follow the instructions there? Have you tried any of the other three methods recommended for doing this on Windows?

Did you follow these instructions?


CLI Paste | How To Ask Questions

Arch Linux | x86_64 | GPT | EFI boot | refind | stub loader | systemd | LVM2 on LUKS
Lenovo x270 | Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz | Intel Wireless 8265/8275 | US keyboard w/ Euro | 512G NVMe INTEL SSDPEKKF512G7L

Offline

#22 2012-12-11 10:55:31

peacemira
Member
From: Czech Republic
Registered: 2011-11-13
Posts: 6

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

srs5694 wrote:
peacemira wrote:

With FAT32 I've also experienced problems with files, that cannot be found.

What brand of motherboard do you have? I ask because I've run into this on just one of my four "real" EFI computers, which happens to have an Intel motherboard. It's possible that this is an Intel-specific bug; or maybe it's triggered by something else. I've experienced symptoms that are superficially similar on another computer (with a Gigabyte motherboard), but those are caused by a case-sensitivity bug in the firmware.

I have GIGABYTE GA-M61PM-S2. I don´t really know what was the source of problem so it looks like it was caused by the same bug as yours ;-)

Last edited by peacemira (2012-12-11 10:57:56)

Offline

#23 2012-12-11 13:40:05

Wilhelm
Member
Registered: 2012-12-06
Posts: 38

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

My motherboard is Asus Maximus V Gene.

When I told the methods I've tried, I knew that not all of them should work, but since I had already tried other methods, I wanted to try them just to be sure. (dd and unetbooting)

I have also tried cgdisk (and cfdisk) + mkfs.vfat.

Cfr: I have tried those instructions also.

I have tried this with both 1Gb and 8Gb usb stick, so the partition size shouldn't be the cause.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I have pointed out, I can get it to boot. Check post #10.
But how to get past these errors? (Waiting 30s for the device ---> Successfully mounted ---> Can't access)

Offline

#24 2012-12-11 16:10:43

srs5694
Member
From: Woonsocket, RI
Registered: 2012-11-06
Posts: 719
Website

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

peacemira wrote:

I have GIGABYTE GA-M61PM-S2. I don´t really know what was the source of problem so it looks like it was caused by the same bug as yours ;-)

I just took a look at the manual for your motherboard, as found on Gigabyte's site. It's dated 2006 and makes no mention of EFI, so I'm skeptical that it's an EFI implementation or that the Gigabyte Hybrid EFI bug I encountered is related to the problem you had with FAT32. Since Wilhelm has an ASUS board, it's even less likely that he's running into that problem. That's not to say that filesystem damage or bugs in filesystem handling couldn't be contributing to the problem, though.

Offline

#25 2012-12-11 18:14:54

peacemira
Member
From: Czech Republic
Registered: 2011-11-13
Posts: 6

Re: Boot USB installation as EFI

srs5694 wrote:
peacemira wrote:

I have GIGABYTE GA-M61PM-S2. I don´t really know what was the source of problem so it looks like it was caused by the same bug as yours ;-)

I just took a look at the manual for your motherboard, as found on Gigabyte's site. It's dated 2006 and makes no mention of EFI, so I'm skeptical that it's an EFI implementation or that the Gigabyte Hybrid EFI bug I encountered is related to the problem you had with FAT32. Since Wilhelm has an ASUS board, it's even less likely that he's running into that problem. That's not to say that filesystem damage or bugs in filesystem handling couldn't be contributing to the problem, though.

You´re right. Mine doesn´t have EFI firmware. I´ve just mentioned it because very similar symptoms that I had with booting with FAT32  formated USB stick. Eg. sucesfully mounted but unavailability of some files, that were actually present. I know that it shouldn´t been  the same problem because of different firmware, but who knows.

I have tried this with both 1Gb and 8Gb usb stick, so the partition size shouldn't be the cause.

And did you tried it with FAT16? I´ve mentioned the partition size because of FAT16 size limit. 1GB stick can be formated to FAT16 without problem.

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB