Arch Linux

Christil

Member

Registered: 2013-07-02

Posts: 16

[SOLVED]Cannot install Arch on a UEFI SSD windows.

Hi,
I've a new Dell XPS8940 with a 1To hdd and 512 Go SSD. Windows Pro is already on the SSD with the other windows partitions.
I intend to install Arch on the SSD with the installer archlinux-2021.10.01-x86_64.iso.

What i did :
1 - remove fast startup
2 - there is no long sleep
3 - I shrinked the main partition of window using windows disk management. It was placed on disk2 (disk1 is for the 1 To hdd)
4 - I made 3 partitions in the new raw space (one for root, one for home and one for swap) with windows disk management
5 - I burned the installer
6 - i booted with the dvd
7 - I lauched the Arch installation
9 - i did ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars and there were a lot of files
10 - I ping archlinux.org : ok
11 - I typed fdisk -l

fdisk found only /dev/sda which is the 1To hdd and a loop device (which is, maybe, the partition of the installer).
No display for the windows SSD...

Where is the problem and what is bad in the procedure ?

Thank's for your help.
Christil

Last edited by Christil (2021-10-12 20:25:42)

Lone_Wolf

Member

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 11,911

Re: [SOLVED]Cannot install Arch on a UEFI SSD windows.

Does sblk -f show the other disk/partitions ?

If not, check if the SSD is set to AHCI or RAID mode in firmware.

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

Christil

Member

Registered: 2013-07-02

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED]Cannot install Arch on a UEFI SSD windows.

Thank's for your reply.
You were right : raid is on
Christial.

Lone_Wolf

Member

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 11,911

Re: [SOLVED]Cannot install Arch on a UEFI SSD windows.

The simplest workaround is to switch the ssd to AHCI mode, but there are firmwares that block that. Also windows may stop working and/or require re-installation .

Linux does have support for fakeraid, but that doesn't work with all implementations.

If you want to try it we first need to figure out whether linux sees the ssd at all.
post lspci -k  and ls -l /dev
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Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2021-10-12 10:39:22)

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

Christil

Member

Registered: 2013-07-02

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED]Cannot install Arch on a UEFI SSD windows.

Excuse-me, i'm busy and i can't reply shortly...
I'm not much experimented with Arch and I don't know how produce a file for the display of lspci and ls -l /dev from the installer. There are too much lines... But it seems that ls /dev doesn't qhow the SSD .
So, I saw on the Net that it is possible to go from raid to AHCI without re-insatlling windows. I'll try it. It won't be a great pb if it doesn't work and that I have to re-install windows, it's a new one.
Thank you for your help and I close the post.
Christil