Arch Linux

ikidd

Member

Registered: 2018-01-15

Posts: 27

Installing GRUB

Up until now I've been relying on (and updating) grub via my older Manjaro install.  I'm ready to blow that install out and stay on vanilla Arch, so I need to get GRUB installed and configured via the Arch install.  I tried to simply grub-install since I don't have a UEFI bios (old system, 2009ish) but I get the error:

Installing for i386-pc platform.
grub-install: warning: this GPT partition label contains no BIOS Boot Partition; embedding won't be possible.
grub-install: warning: Embedding is not possible.  GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists.  However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and their use is discouraged..
grub-install: error: will not proceed with blocklists.

Obviously, the boot disk is a GPT-partitioned disk.  My understanding is that there needs to be a small boot partition put on these and set to BIOS-Boot but I'm perplexed how the existing setup is booting then.

parted /dev/sdd print

Model: ATA Corsair Force GS (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdd: 240GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    File system     Name     Flags
 1      17.4kB  75.5GB  75.5GB  ext4             Manjaro
 4      182GB   230GB   47.7GB  ext4             Arch
 2      230GB   240GB   10.5GB  linux-swap(v1)

Theres also a SDD with Win7 on it, but if I pull the drive off completely it still boots fine (though Arch fails as it's referencing the / mount by device name and not UUID but that's a different issue I should probably fix).

Last edited by ikidd (2018-01-16 01:24:08)

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: Installing GRUB

Personally I'd skip grub and use syslinux instead. It's config is easier to understand and it doesn't need any special extra partitions.

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

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fsckd

Forum Fellow

Registered: 2009-06-15

Posts: 4,173

Re: Installing GRUB

Please use code tags for config files and terminal output. Also, it is "genuine Arch" not "vanilla Arch".

No idea what weird stuff Manjaro does. If you want to copy their setup, ask their devs what they did. Otherwise, follow the ArchWiki.

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ikidd

Member

Registered: 2018-01-15

Posts: 27

Re: Installing GRUB

Guess I'm just trying to understand "why" instead of "how". Fixed the code tags.

Last edited by ikidd (2018-01-16 01:22:14)

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,858

Re: Installing GRUB

Guess I'm just trying to understand "why" instead of "how".

  You did not find the answer to why in GRUB#GUID_Partition_Table_.28GPT.29_specific_instructions?

ikidd

Member

Registered: 2018-01-15

Posts: 27

Re: Installing GRUB

I'm wondering why the original install works when it seems that there's no BIOS Boot partition.  Is it because I'm wrong in my assumption that this is a typical GRUB on a GPT/BIOS and not UEFI?  Yet UEFI seems like it needs an extra partition as well, to mount as /boot/efi.  But no EFI partition exists either.

Neither of the methods mentioned in the wiki article you link (and that I've read a few times already) seem to be able to get away without that partition, yet that's what seems to be working here.  I thought maybe it was on the second SSD with Win7, but taking that drive off doesn't affect it booting except for the obvious reordering of the SDX devices and breaking Arch (which incidentally is fstabbed as a UUID so not quite sure where that breaks down).

Didn't want to go ahead and break the system because I was misunderstanding what was going on here and do it the wrong way.

fsckd

Forum Fellow

Registered: 2009-06-15

Posts: 4,173

Re: Installing GRUB

Are you sure Manjaro uses GRUB? GRUB on GPT and BIOS cannot function without a BIOS boot partition. Either Manjaro is not using GRUB or they patched their's heavily to behave differently from upstream. Either way, to figure out what Manjaro did, you'll need to ask on their support forums.

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ikidd

Member

Registered: 2018-01-15

Posts: 27

Re: Installing GRUB

Yes, it uses GRUB, I usually clean it up after an update-grub in Grub Customizer.

Ah well, maybe I'll run into the answer in some other way.