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#1 2021-01-20 16:07:08

rpeasal
Member
Registered: 2021-01-20
Posts: 6

[SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

I’m trying to install Arch on an Acer Aspire ES15 computer with UEFI (secure boot disabled), on which I changed the HD to an SSD and I had dual boot with Windows.  I went basically by the installation guide on the Arch website.

I used fdisk.  I first entered g to make a gpt table.  I then made three partitions:
sda1: type 1 (EFI) 500M
sda2: type 19 (swap) 8G
sda3: type 20 (Linux file system) the rest of the drive (more than 200G)

I then ran:

mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1
mkswap /dev/sda2
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3

mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
swapon /dev/sda2
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/EFI
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/EFI
mkdir /mnt/etc

I generated the fstab and then continued with the Arch installation guide.

I used grub for the bootloader.  I ran:

pacman -S grub efibootmgr mtools dosfstools os-prober
grub-install /dev/sda --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/EFI --bootloader-id=grub_uefi
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Instead of reboot I ran

shutdown now

so I could remove the usb before I restarted the computer.

On boot, I got:

Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed.
Insert Recovery Media and Hit any key
Then Select ‘Boot Manager’ to choose a new Boot Device or to Boot Recovery Media
OK

Doing some checking, I found that there is a good grub.cfg file in /boot/grub

I ran

efibootmgr -v

and found the bootloader id grub_efi is defined as 0001, but that number does NOT appear in the boot order.  I tried changing the boot order with

efibootmgr -o 0000,0001,2001,2002,2003

and 

efibootmgr -O -o 0000,0001,2001,2002,2003

But changes to efibootmgr, including boot order, don’t persist.  After reboot the original boot order is again restored.

I found that there is a directory /boot/EFI that is empty.

I have no idea how to get this installation to boot.

Last edited by rpeasal (2021-01-20 18:38:26)

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#2 2021-01-20 16:19:20

Head_on_a_Stick
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From: London
Registered: 2014-02-20
Posts: 7,680
Website

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

Add the --removable option to the grub-install command (or manually copy grubx64.efi to /EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi on the EFI system partition).

Reference: https://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloade … ive-naming

EDIT: you don't need to specify a block device for the UEFI grub-install command, it will just be ignored anyway.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2021-01-20 16:20:11)

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#3 2021-01-20 16:27:26

Slithery
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From: Norfolk, UK
Registered: 2013-12-01
Posts: 5,776

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

rpeasal wrote:
mkdir /mnt/etc

Where did you get this from?

It's definitely not from our Installation Guide but it's the second time I've seen it today.


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

aur - dotfiles

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#4 2021-01-20 16:43:46

Head_on_a_Stick
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From: London
Registered: 2014-02-20
Posts: 7,680
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Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

^ Good spot Slithery, I missed that.

I also missed this:

rpeasal wrote:

I found that there is a directory /boot/EFI that is empty.

/boot/EFI on /dev/sda3 should be empty because the contents are on /dev/sda1.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2021-01-20 16:44:03)

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#5 2021-01-20 16:46:31

rpeasal
Member
Registered: 2021-01-20
Posts: 6

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

This isn't my first Arch install.  I've done it several times before from a variety of tutorials, both written and video.  As I said, I "basically" followed the installation guide, but the parts about partitioning and the bootloader, not so much.

It certainly seemed like if I was going to write the fstab file to /mnt/etc, I should create it first.  I'm pretty sure I saw that in one or more of the many tutorials I've watched, but I don't know off hand which one(s).

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#6 2021-01-20 16:49:00

rpeasal
Member
Registered: 2021-01-20
Posts: 6

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Add the --removable option to the grub-install command (or manually copy grubx64.efi to /EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi on the EFI system partition).

Reference: https://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloade … ive-naming

EDIT: you don't need to specify a block device for the UEFI grub-install command, it will just be ignored anyway.

Thanks.  I've read several pages of his website.  I'll give your suggestion a try, probably tonight.  Don't have time right now.

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#7 2021-01-20 16:52:22

Head_on_a_Stick
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From: London
Registered: 2014-02-20
Posts: 7,680
Website

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

rpeasal wrote:

I "basically" followed the installation guide, but the parts about partitioning and the bootloader, not so much.

And that's why you're having problems: read the "Tip" section here.

rpeasal wrote:

It certainly seemed like if I was going to write the fstab file to /mnt/etc, I should create it first.  I'm pretty sure I saw that in one or more of the many tutorials I've watched, but I don't know off hand which one(s).

The tutorial was bollocks then because fstab is supposed to be generated after pacstrap installs the filesystem package, which supplies /etc.

EDIT: I wish I could type sad

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2021-01-20 16:53:09)

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#8 2021-01-20 18:34:04

rpeasal
Member
Registered: 2021-01-20
Posts: 6

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

The tutorial was bollocks then because fstab is supposed to be generated after pacstrap installs the filesystem package, which supplies /etc.

Be that as it may, I've done the installation, successfully, at least 4 times using the order: mkdir /mnt/etc, then generate the fstab and then do the pacstrap.  But in the future, I won't make /etc and I'll pacstrap before gen fstab.

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#9 2021-01-20 18:36:40

rpeasal
Member
Registered: 2021-01-20
Posts: 6

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Add the --removable option to the grub-install command

Thanks, Head on a Stick.  That solved the proble.  Hard to believe it was that simple.

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#10 2021-01-20 18:43:37

rpeasal
Member
Registered: 2021-01-20
Posts: 6

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

And that's why you're having problems.

Actually, that wasn't the problem at all.  I did it in the same order and the only thing I changes was I added --removable to the grub-install command and that completely solved the issue.

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#11 2021-01-20 19:00:34

Head_on_a_Stick
Member
From: London
Registered: 2014-02-20
Posts: 7,680
Website

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

My point was that if you had bothered to follow the ArchWiki for the bootloader installation rather than some crappy random interweb guides then you would have been aware of the --removable trick and this thread wouldn't have been needed at all.

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#12 2023-04-10 16:40:23

scragnoth
Member
Registered: 2023-04-10
Posts: 17

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

I have the same issue and I tried the solution to add "--removable" to the grub install command already to no avail.

The device I'm trying to install arch on is a Lenovo "YOGA Tablet 2-851F", it has an Intel Atom / Baytrayl Architecture (32 bit EFI bootloader, 64 bit CPU). I was able to install other linux distros (and got them to boot) on this machine before (if the iso supported that 32 bit bootloader / 64 bit CPU combination). I never got the sound hardware to be recognized on those distros though, I found out that there is a package for arch linux that could make it work.

I installed arch twice, on the second attempt I followed the official installation guide. In the beginning I wanted to install by using "archinstall" but it never worked.

One quirk I noticed is that my storage device is sometimes called "mmcblk1" and sometimes "mmcblk2". It changes after a reboot into the live system, I notice it when I type "fdisk -l". Therefore my partitions are called mmcblk1p1 and mmcblk1p2 or mmcblk2p1 and mmcblk2p2.

I only created a root and a boot partition, the boot partition has a size of 300 MB.

Is there anything else I can look for / try?

In the official guide I read "Check the resulting /mnt/etc/fstab file, and edit it in case of errors." I couldn't find out what an error in that file would look like in my case.

Last edited by scragnoth (2023-04-10 17:37:09)

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#13 2023-04-10 19:08:05

Head_on_a_Stick
Member
From: London
Registered: 2014-02-20
Posts: 7,680
Website

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

This should really be in a new thread but:

scragnoth wrote:

32 bit EFI bootloader

So did you use the i386-efi target for the grub-install command?

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#14 2023-04-10 22:17:37

2ManyDogs
Forum Moderator
Registered: 2012-01-15
Posts: 4,645

Re: [SOLVED] "Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed."

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

This should really be in a new thread

Yes, it should. scragnoth, please do not necrobump, especially threads marked SOLVED.

Instead, please start a new topic and refer back to this one if you think it applies.

Closing.


How to post. A sincere effort to use modest and proper language and grammar is a sign of respect toward the community.

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