Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

wildeyes · 2013-12-13 17:40:43

I am trying to install Arch on my latitude 3330, burned arch to a usb, and got it to boot, though not in EFI mode.

It won't boot in UEFI mode. I checked "UEFI Boot Mode : Secured Boot OFF" (Through the BIOS).

I followed Create UEFI bootable USB from ISO guide (On windows, with the rufus+syslinux part, carefully working through all the commands) to create the USB, and checked with zgrep that EFI is included.

I tried `modeprobe efivars`: that gave me "No module efivars".
I tried `modprobe efivarfs`: no output, `/sys/firmware/efi` still doesn't exist, so I can't mount anything to it. (https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1349414)K

I read UEFI_Variables but to no avail.

What should be my next step in trying to get arch booting in UEFI mode?

mcloaked · 2013-12-13 19:44:05

Did you use the dd method or manual formatting of the usb key? It is known that in some cases the dd method yields a key that won't boot to uefi on some systems and then the alternate method of writing the iso to the key is needed. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=173559

Last edited by mcloaked (2013-12-13 19:45:54)

wildeyes · 2013-12-13 20:06:59

Manual. Tried dd, didn't work, both from an Arch installation and from a WinDD.

mcloaked · 2013-12-13 20:37:27

By the way I don't have the efivars module loaded on my uefi system - however even if the modprobe command you tried yields nothing the command, as root:

efivar -l

Does yield a load of output.

When you have booted your key in uefi mode try the command above - if it gives a lot of output then I think you are already booted correctly as uefi. So maybe the wiki is out of date?

Also try the command

 ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars

That should also give a load of output if you are booted to uefi.

Last edited by mcloaked (2013-12-13 20:41:10)

wildeyes · 2013-12-15 20:05:21

I don't remember exactly what efivar -l outputs, but I remember trying it and it not working. I just tried booting Ubuntu from a USB, and it says, according to Ubuntu guide for UEFI booting that if you're getting the screen with the keyboard, you're not booted to UEFI - That means it's not an arch specific issue, but a Linux one.

Then it occured to me. When I press F12 to go into the "one-time boot menu", booting the usb is under "Legacy boot". I have no option to boot from USB in UEFI. the only thing under the "UEFI boot" header is 'Windows Boot manager"

I am going to complain to Dell and report back. Anyone encountered problems like this before?

mcloaked · 2013-12-15 21:05:17

What if you interrupt the boot process and check your BIOS settings - I know you said that UEFI boot is selected, but some BIOSes also have whether uefi or legacy is booted first?

Last edited by mcloaked (2013-12-15 21:10:06)

wildeyes · 2013-12-16 07:56:59

I am not sure how this damn thing worked, but for future reference: disabling the ability to boot old legacy ROM's, and removing all the bootloaders from the "UEFI Boot load manager" in the BIOS did the trick. I worried I'd lose the ability to boot windows, but it automatically rediscovered windows, as it did with my USB key.

Mark it as solved, thanks for the attention Mike.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-12-13 17:40:43

Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

#2 2013-12-13 19:44:05

Re: Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

#3 2013-12-13 20:06:59

Re: Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

#4 2013-12-13 20:37:27

Re: Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

#5 2013-12-15 20:05:21

Re: Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

#6 2013-12-15 21:05:17

Re: Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

#7 2013-12-16 07:56:59

Re: Issues booting arch from USB in UEFI mode : Latitude 3330

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