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#1 2017-07-29 17:36:54
- orrin5250
- Member
- Registered: 2016-10-12
- Posts: 39
Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
I am struggling to get up and running with Arch on my new system.
In preparation I manually created and formatted partitions as follows:
parted /dev/sda print
Model: ATA WDC WDS250G1B0A- (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 250GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags:Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
1 1049kB 538MB 537MB fat32 boot, esp
2 538MB 217GB 216GB ext4
3 217GB 250GB 33.6GB linux-swap(v1)
I ran through the installation guide seemingly without hiccups then attempted to set up grub as directed on the Arch GRUB page (UEFI systems):
mount /dev/sda1 (my EFI partition) /boot.
installed grub and efibootmgr
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot --bootloader-id=grub
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Unfortunately on boot up I am just getting the grub command shell.
The EFI system partition was empty before all of the above and here is what grub placed:
root@lubuntu:/mnt# tree
.
├── EFI
│ └── grub
│ └── grubx64.efi
└── grub
├── fonts
│ └── unicode.pf2
├── grub.cfg
├── grubenv
├── locale
│ ├── ast.mo
│ ├── ca.mo
│ ├── da.mo
│ ├── de_CH.mo
│ ├── de@hebrew.mo
│ ├── de.mo
│ ├── en@arabic.mo
│ ├── en@hebrew.mo
│ ├── en@piglatin.mo
│ ├── en@quot.mo
│ ├── eo.mo
│ ├── es.mo
│ ├── fi.mo
│ ├── fr.mo
│ ├── gl.mo
│ ├── hr.mo
│ ├── hu.mo
│ ├── id.mo
│ ├── it.mo
│ ├── ja.mo
│ ├── ko.mo
│ ├── lt.mo
│ ├── nb.mo
│ ├── nl.mo
│ ├── pa.mo
│ ├── pl.mo
│ ├── pt_BR.mo
│ ├── ru.mo
│ ├── sl.mo
│ ├── sr.mo
│ ├── sv.mo
│ ├── tr.mo
│ ├── uk.mo
│ ├── vi.mo
│ ├── zh_CN.mo
│ └── zh_TW.mo
├── themes
│ └── starfield
│ ├── blob_w.png
│ ├── boot_menu_c.png
│ ├── boot_menu_e.png
│ ├── boot_menu_ne.png
│ ├── boot_menu_n.png
│ ├── boot_menu_nw.png
│ ├── boot_menu_se.png
│ ├── boot_menu_s.png
│ ├── boot_menu_sw.png
│ ├── boot_menu_w.png
│ ├── COPYING.CC-BY-SA-3.0
│ ├── dejavu_10.pf2
│ ├── dejavu_12.pf2
│ ├── dejavu_14.pf2
│ ├── dejavu_16.pf2
│ ├── dejavu_bold_14.pf2
│ ├── README
│ ├── slider_c.png
│ ├── slider_n.png
│ ├── slider_s.png
│ ├── starfield.png
│ ├── terminal_box_c.png
│ ├── terminal_box_e.png
│ ├── terminal_box_ne.png
│ ├── terminal_box_n.png
│ ├── terminal_box_nw.png
│ ├── terminal_box_se.png
│ ├── terminal_box_s.png
│ ├── terminal_box_sw.png
│ ├── terminal_box_w.png
│ └── theme.txt
└── x86_64-efi
├── acpi.mod
├── adler32.mod
├── affs.mod
├── afs.mod
├── ahci.mod
├── all_video.mod
├── aout.mod
├── appleldr.mod
├── archelp.mod
├── ata.mod
├── at_keyboard.mod
├── backtrace.mod
├── bfs.mod
├── bitmap.mod
├── bitmap_scale.mod
├── blocklist.mod
├── boot.mod
├── boottime.mod
├── bsd.mod
├── bswap_test.mod
├── btrfs.mod
├── bufio.mod
├── cacheinfo.mod
├── cat.mod
├── cbfs.mod
├── cbls.mod
├── cbmemc.mod
├── cbtable.mod
├── cbtime.mod
├── chain.mod
├── cmdline_cat_test.mod
├── cmp.mod
├── cmp_test.mod
├── command.lst
├── configfile.mod
├── core.efi
├── cpio_be.mod
├── cpio.mod
├── cpuid.mod
├── crc64.mod
├── cryptodisk.mod
├── crypto.lst
├── crypto.mod
├── cs5536.mod
├── ctz_test.mod
├── datehook.mod
├── date.mod
├── datetime.mod
├── diskfilter.mod
├── disk.mod
├── div.mod
├── div_test.mod
├── dm_nv.mod
├── echo.mod
├── efifwsetup.mod
├── efi_gop.mod
├── efinet.mod
├── efi_uga.mod
├── ehci.mod
├── elf.mod
├── eval.mod
├── exfat.mod
├── exfctest.mod
├── ext2.mod
├── extcmd.mod
├── fat.mod
├── file.mod
├── fixvideo.mod
├── font.mod
├── fshelp.mod
├── fs.lst
├── functional_test.mod
├── gcry_arcfour.mod
├── gcry_blowfish.mod
├── gcry_camellia.mod
├── gcry_cast5.mod
├── gcry_crc.mod
├── gcry_des.mod
├── gcry_dsa.mod
├── gcry_idea.mod
├── gcry_md4.mod
├── gcry_md5.mod
├── gcry_rfc2268.mod
├── gcry_rijndael.mod
├── gcry_rmd160.mod
├── gcry_rsa.mod
├── gcry_seed.mod
├── gcry_serpent.mod
├── gcry_sha1.mod
├── gcry_sha256.mod
├── gcry_sha512.mod
├── gcry_tiger.mod
├── gcry_twofish.mod
├── gcry_whirlpool.mod
├── geli.mod
├── gettext.mod
├── gfxmenu.mod
├── gfxterm_background.mod
├── gfxterm_menu.mod
├── gfxterm.mod
├── gptsync.mod
├── grub.efi
├── gzio.mod
├── halt.mod
├── hashsum.mod
├── hdparm.mod
├── hello.mod
├── help.mod
├── hexdump.mod
├── hfs.mod
├── hfspluscomp.mod
├── hfsplus.mod
├── http.mod
├── iorw.mod
├── iso9660.mod
├── jfs.mod
├── jpeg.mod
├── keylayouts.mod
├── keystatus.mod
├── ldm.mod
├── legacycfg.mod
├── legacy_password_test.mod
├── linux16.mod
├── linux.mod
├── loadbios.mod
├── loadenv.mod
├── loopback.mod
├── lsacpi.mod
├── lsefimmap.mod
├── lsefi.mod
├── lsefisystab.mod
├── lsmmap.mod
├── ls.mod
├── lspci.mod
├── lssal.mod
├── luks.mod
├── lvm.mod
├── lzopio.mod
├── macbless.mod
├── macho.mod
├── mdraid09_be.mod
├── mdraid09.mod
├── mdraid1x.mod
├── memdisk.mod
├── memrw.mod
├── minicmd.mod
├── minix2_be.mod
├── minix2.mod
├── minix3_be.mod
├── minix3.mod
├── minix_be.mod
├── minix.mod
├── mmap.mod
├── moddep.lst
├── modinfo.sh
├── morse.mod
├── mpi.mod
├── msdospart.mod
├── mul_test.mod
├── multiboot2.mod
├── multiboot.mod
├── nativedisk.mod
├── net.mod
├── newc.mod
├── nilfs2.mod
├── normal.mod
├── ntfscomp.mod
├── ntfs.mod
├── odc.mod
├── offsetio.mod
├── ohci.mod
├── part_acorn.mod
├── part_amiga.mod
├── part_apple.mod
├── part_bsd.mod
├── part_dfly.mod
├── part_dvh.mod
├── part_gpt.mod
├── partmap.lst
├── part_msdos.mod
├── part_plan.mod
├── part_sun.mod
├── part_sunpc.mod
├── parttool.lst
├── parttool.mod
├── password.mod
├── password_pbkdf2.mod
├── pata.mod
├── pbkdf2.mod
├── pbkdf2_test.mod
├── pcidump.mod
├── play.mod
├── png.mod
├── priority_queue.mod
├── probe.mod
├── procfs.mod
├── progress.mod
├── raid5rec.mod
├── raid6rec.mod
├── random.mod
├── read.mod
├── reboot.mod
├── regexp.mod
├── reiserfs.mod
├── relocator.mod
├── romfs.mod
├── scsi.mod
├── search_fs_file.mod
├── search_fs_uuid.mod
├── search_label.mod
├── search.mod
├── serial.mod
├── setjmp.mod
├── setjmp_test.mod
├── setpci.mod
├── sfs.mod
├── shift_test.mod
├── signature_test.mod
├── sleep.mod
├── sleep_test.mod
├── spkmodem.mod
├── squash4.mod
├── syslinuxcfg.mod
├── tar.mod
├── terminal.lst
├── terminal.mod
├── terminfo.mod
├── test_blockarg.mod
├── testload.mod
├── test.mod
├── testspeed.mod
├── tftp.mod
├── tga.mod
├── time.mod
├── trig.mod
├── tr.mod
├── true.mod
├── udf.mod
├── ufs1_be.mod
├── ufs1.mod
├── ufs2.mod
├── uhci.mod
├── usb_keyboard.mod
├── usb.mod
├── usbms.mod
├── usbserial_common.mod
├── usbserial_ftdi.mod
├── usbserial_pl2303.mod
├── usbserial_usbdebug.mod
├── usbtest.mod
├── verify.mod
├── video_bochs.mod
├── video_cirrus.mod
├── video_colors.mod
├── video_fb.mod
├── videoinfo.mod
├── video.lst
├── video.mod
├── videotest_checksum.mod
├── videotest.mod
├── xfs.mod
├── xnu.mod
├── xnu_uuid.mod
├── xnu_uuid_test.mod
├── xzio.mod
├── zfscrypt.mod
├── zfsinfo.mod
└── zfs.modAnd here are the contents of /boot:
root@lubuntu:/mnt/boot# tree
.
├── grub
│ ├── grub.cfg
│ └── grub.cfg.example
├── initramfs-linux-fallback.img
├── initramfs-linux.img
└── vmlinuz-linux
1 directory, 5 filesI find it strange there are 2 grub.cfg files - one in /boot and one in the ESP (and they are not the same).
I attempted to manually boot from the grub command shell as directed here but the files don't seem to match up...I am not certain this process applies to Arch.
Lastly here are the 2 grub.cfg files...1st from the EFI system partition:
root@lubuntu:/mnt/grub# cat grub.cfg
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
insmod part_gpt
insmod part_msdos
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
if [ "${next_entry}" ] ; then
set default="${next_entry}"
set next_entry=
save_env next_entry
set boot_once=true
else
set default="0"
fi
if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
menuentry_id_option=""
fi
export menuentry_id_option
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi
function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}
function load_video {
if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
insmod all_video
else
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod ieee1275_fb
insmod vbe
insmod vga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
fi
}
if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
font=unicode
else
insmod part_gpt
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,gpt2'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt2 b3c7c8e0-1a27-4adf-bad1-f785c6ec902b
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root b3c7c8e0-1a27-4adf-bad1-f785c6ec902b
fi
font="/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi
if loadfont $font ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_input console
terminal_output gfxterm
if [ x$feature_timeout_style = xy ] ; then
set timeout_style=menu
set timeout=5
# Fallback normal timeout code in case the timeout_style feature is
# unavailable.
else
set timeout=5
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f ${config_directory}/custom.cfg ]; then
source ${config_directory}/custom.cfg
elif [ -z "${config_directory}" -a -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###And from the /boot directory:
root@lubuntu:/mnt/boot/grub# cat grub.cfg
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
insmod part_gpt
insmod part_msdos
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
menuentry_id_option=""
fi
export menuentry_id_option
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi
function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}
function load_video {
if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
insmod all_video
else
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod ieee1275_fb
insmod vbe
insmod vga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
fi
}
if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
font=unicode
else
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos5'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5 ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
fi
font="/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi
if loadfont $font ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_input console
terminal_output gfxterm
set timeout=5
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-true-ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos5'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5 ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467 rw quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
}
menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel (Fallback initramfs)' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-fallback-ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos5'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5 ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467 rw quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f ${config_directory}/custom.cfg ]; then
source ${config_directory}/custom.cfg
elif [ -z "${config_directory}" -a -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###And for what it's worth, here are my components:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver - 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($5.84 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AB350-GAMING 3 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($91.77 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston - FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($148.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $663.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-29 13:34 EDT-0400
Any ideas? I have gone through the process 3 times without any luck. I am not sure what I am missing.
Last edited by orrin5250 (2017-07-31 11:30:08)
Offline
#2 2017-07-29 17:59:19
- V1del
- Forum Moderator
- Registered: 2012-10-16
- Posts: 24,071
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
Well if you want GRUB to apply it's configuration and show you the correct entries it you will likely have to make sure that the correct grub.cfg is on the ESP as well. The example in the wiki assumes you are using /boot for your ESP. Why are you separating your ESP and /boot anyway? You can technically do that with GRUB but it leads to a few avoidable gotchas
Last edited by V1del (2017-07-29 18:05:55)
Online
#3 2017-07-29 18:04:06
- ewaller
- Administrator
- From: Pasadena, CA
- Registered: 2009-07-13
- Posts: 20,350
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
I find it strange there are 2 grub.cfg files - one in /boot and one in the ESP (and they are not the same).
...
Any ideas? I have gone through the process 3 times without any luck. I am not sure what I am missing.
I boot directly from uefi or I use rEFInd, so I am not much help with grub. Sorry.
But, your statement about differences between /boot and the contents of the the ESB volume being different is a huge indicator of a problem. The reason being, the ESP partition is supposed to be mounted on /boot; the contents of /boot are (supposed to be) the contents of the ESP. That they are different means the ESP volume is not mounted, so /boot is a common directory, not a mount point. The install tools write things to /boot with the implication being that they are being written to the ESP. You should clean up your system by ensuring nothing is mounted on /boot, cleaning out that directory, fixing your /etc/fstab to ensure that the ESP gets mounted on /boot, mount ESP on /boot, and reinstall grub. See how far that gets you.
Lastly, I see you've a tendency to run things logged in as root. It might be just because of the state of your machine, so I'll cut you some slack 
Never-the-less, logging in as root is generally not required and is a bad habit to get into.
Edit: Too slow.
Last edited by ewaller (2017-07-29 18:04:38)
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Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
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Offline
#4 2017-07-29 18:05:46
- Slithery
- Administrator
- From: Norfolk, UK
- Registered: 2013-12-01
- Posts: 5,776
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
You say you mounted your EFI partition just before you installed GRUB, was is mounted before this?
You need to mount your root partition, and then your boot (EFI) partition before you run the pacstrap command - this is because the linux package installs the kernel to your EFI partition.
Personal opinion - Is there a reason you've chosen GRUB for your bootloader? For a simple system like yours I'd just use systemd-boot instead, it's a lot less complicated and doesn't require the installation of any additional packages (like GRUB).
Last edited by Slithery (2017-07-29 19:23:53)
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#5 2017-07-29 18:25:10
- orrin5250
- Member
- Registered: 2016-10-12
- Posts: 39
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
OK wow, thanks for the speedy replies. I am going to study this and try again tomorrow. My eyes (and brain) are crossed for now.
Some quick responses:
The example in the wiki assumes you are using /boot for your ESP. Why are you separating your ESP and /boot anyway?
You say you mounted your EFI partition just before you installed GRUB, was is mounted before this?
You need to mount your root partition, and then your boot (EFI) partition before you run the pacstrap command - this is because the linux package installs the kernel to your EFI partition.
I must have missed something in the install guide or it went over my head. I most certainly did not mount the EFI partition to /boot before running pacstrap. I will definitely give that a try.
Lastly, I see you've a tendency to run things logged in as root. It might be just because of the state of your machine, so I'll cut you some slack wink Never-the-less, logging in as root is generally not required and is a bad habit to get into.
Thanks for the steps you recommended...I will work on them. As far as the root thing goes, I generally avoid it. But I was on an ubuntu live cd and getting sloppy. 
I will give a progress report tomorrow. And I'm certainly open to using systemd-boot if I can get up and running. I've used grub for years as I like to play around with different OSs and distributions.
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#6 2017-07-29 21:46:16
- Blasphemist
- Member
- From: Colorado
- Registered: 2013-01-17
- Posts: 160
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
We can clear up the confusion. When installing arch or when using arch-chroot to fix a problem, we mount the new root partition to /mnt, make the directory /mnt/boot to mount the $ESP to, mount the $ESP to /mnt/boot and then use arch-chroot to cause our environment to see what we just mounted as our root and $ESP partitions. Even after you've mounted partitions to /mnt and /mnt/boot but before you've run arch-chroot, your / and /boot directories are on your iso. After you've run arch-chroot, if you look at the contents of directories, you are looking at what you are installing or have installed. Seeing /boot and /mnt/boot tells me you hadn't run arch-chroot. After you run that you wan't any longer have a /mnt/boot directory.
Simple and Open
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#7 2017-07-31 11:29:19
- orrin5250
- Member
- Registered: 2016-10-12
- Posts: 39
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
As an update, I scrubbed the installation and tried again, this time with root partition mounted to /mnt and boot partition mounted to /mnt/boot. All this BEFORE running pacstrap.
Everything went smoothly and grub is now happy.
I may try out the systemd-boot strategy down the line.
Thanks everybody.
----------
As an aside, reviewing installation guide:
Mount the file systems
Mount the file system on the root partition to /mnt, for example:# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
Create mount points for any remaining partitions and mount them accordingly, for example:
# mkdir /mnt/boot
# mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot
At least to me this is a pretty broad reference -- it doesn't make it clear that the EFI partition MUST be mounted to /mnt/boot before proceeding. I guess I am in need of a bit more hand holding. 
Thanks again.
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#8 2017-08-02 09:13:25
- V1del
- Forum Moderator
- Registered: 2012-10-16
- Posts: 24,071
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
Well the thing is that it isn't a MUST, it's good practice and will minimize customizations on your side. The setup you had originally would technically work as well and make sense if you e.g. intend to have multiple distributions installed and don't want their respective kernels pollute your ESP. However you would've had to make sure that the grub.cfg contains all entries (from all distributions) and reside on the ESP, were grub will read it and provide access to the kernels on your other partitions. if you make the ESP your /boot a lot of automatisms will simply work which you might have to check up on if your ESP and /boot are seperate.
However glad to hear you managed to resolve this.
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#9 2017-08-02 10:03:34
- orrin5250
- Member
- Registered: 2016-10-12
- Posts: 39
Re: Stuck at grub command shell [SOLVED]
@V1del -- clarification and explanation much appreciated.
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