[SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 11:23:08

Hi

I have been trying to install arch to my new laptop and after about the fifth attempt it still hasn't worked. I'm installing arch from an EndeavourOS live usb, following the installation guide on the arch wiki exactly. No errors were reported during the install process and I have tried both of the recommended partition schemes (UEFI with GPT and BIOS with MBR) and yes I did then install grub with the right install option depending on which partition scheme I had. When both of these failed a couple of times, giving the error "Invalid Partition Table!" when I rebooted, I then gave up trying to install arch and just used the EndeavourOS installer that comes with the live usb to install EndeavourOS instead. (I had assumed I had messed up my partitions somewhere so I was trying this to verify that). However, after the EndeavourOS installer had done its thing I rebooted and it had the same issue: Invalid Partition Table. This is really odd as I've installed endeavour on one of my family's laptops and it worked fine.
I'm beginning to think this is a hardware issue; I know this is not strictly arch-related only but it was while trying to install arch that I encountered these issues; can anyone help?

Thank you

Last edited by Sue_Perb (2022-01-01 19:02:20)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-01 11:31:50

Sue_Perb wrote:

I did then install grub with the right install option depending on which partition scheme I had

You should probably share the exact commands.

Sue_Perb wrote:

giving the error "Invalid Partition Table!" when I rebooted

Have you disabled Secure Boot? Some UEFI implementations will allow USB sticks to boot even if the live system does not support Secure Boot.

Otherwise please post the output of

# parted --list

^ That can be run from any live environment.

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 11:43:31

Hi thank you for replying so fast

For grub, when I had a bios/mbr scheme i ran

 grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda

and for uefi/gpt i ran

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot --bootloader-id=GRUB

Here is parted --list: (i only sent the output for /dev/sda). This was created by the endeavourOS installer; now that I look at it, it seems weird that sda2 has the legacy_boot flag when its meant to be using uefi? not sure if this is of note. However if it is of note I'm not sure its the issue because when i manually made the partition scheme for installing arch I followed the partition scheme on the installation guide exactly.

[liveuser@eos-2021.08.27 ~]$ sudo parted --list
Model: ATA ST500LM000-1EJ16 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End    Size    File system     Name  Flags
 1      2097kB  539MB  537MB   fat32                 boot, esp
 2      539MB   491GB  490GB   ext4            root  legacy_boot
 3      491GB   500GB  9449MB  linux-swap(v1)        swap

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 11:46:48

I'm not sure about Secure Boot, how can I enable/disable this?

Also forgot to mention that while normal booting results in Invalid Partition Table, if I use F12 for boot options at startup, under "UEFI boot" three new options appeared alongside the option for the endeavourOS live usb: "arch", "GRUB" and "boot".
"arch" and "boot" just booted the endeavourOS live usb, and "GRUB" opened up grub command line.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-01 11:57:41

Sue_Perb wrote:

and for uefi/gpt i ran

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot --bootloader-id=GRUB

Was that run from the chroot? If so was the EFI system partition really mounted under /mnt/boot?

If it was run outside the chroot then you should also have specified --boot-directory=/mnt/boot so that the GRUB modules are installed where GRUB can find them.

Sue_Perb wrote:

it seems weird that sda2 has the legacy_boot flag when its meant to be using uefi?

Yes, it does.

Try un-setting it:

# parted /dev/sda set 2 legacy_boot off

It might also be worth using gdisk to check that the root partition code is "8300".

Sue_Perb wrote:

I'm not sure about Secure Boot, how can I enable/disable this?

There should be an option in the UEFI firmware ("BIOS") menu. Enabling CSM (also known as "Legacy" boot) should disable it if there isn't a specific option.

Sue_Perb wrote:

"GRUB" opened up grub command line.

That looks like the Arch entry. Use the set command (with no options) to list all the variables and see if configfile is pointed to the correct location.

You did remember to create grub.cfg, right? You should probably also share the exact grub-mkconfig command, if you used that. EDIT: and the full content of /boot/grub/grub.cfg on the Arch system.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2022-01-01 11:59:06)

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 12:13:39

Yes, grub install was run from chroot, and the ESP was mounted at /mnt/boot.

I've now unset the legacy_boot flag from /dev/sda2, and I checked with gdisk - it does have the code 8300.

When installing arch i did definitely run grub mkconfig (from inside chroot):

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Currently the operating system installed to my disk is endeavourOS, as I had given up trying with arch. Interestingly when i mount the root and esp of this, there is no grub to be seen anywhere. This intrigues me as surely the endeavourOS automatic installer would have dealt with that? Although this is an issue, I don't think its the issue, because I definitely had grub installed when I manually installed arch.

I will now investigate secure boot.

Thank you again for your help

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 12:22:01

Turns out secure boot was off already, enabling it just made it so that nothing could boot (not even live usb) so I turned it off again.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-01 12:39:41

So what is the content of grub.cfg in the Arch system? Did you remember to install a kernel?

If you only see the UEFI boot options from the firmware menu then we should probably check the NVRAM boot entries as well:

efibootmgr -uv

I'm sorry but I can't advise in respect of endeavorOS because I have absolutely no idea how they handle their installation or configuration.

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 12:53:42

Currently my computer has an endeavourOS install as my 4 arch attempts had failed, however, this can be quickly fixed. I am in the process of installing arch now. I thought of something however: at the stage of generating fstab in my arch install attempts, each time running

genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

had failed saying permission denied, and using sudo on it did not work. So, to fix it i had used

genfstab -U /mnt | sudo tee /mnt/etc/fstab

but maybe this isn't correct and this is the source of my issues?

In addition, this error was encountered when pacstrapping:

Failed to open file "/sys/devices/system/cpu/microcode/reload": Read-only file system
error: command failed to execute correctly

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-01 13:03:03

Sue_Perb wrote:

each time running
genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
had failed saying permission denied, and using sudo on it did not work. So, to fix it i had used
genfstab -U /mnt | sudo tee /mnt/etc/fstab
but maybe this isn't correct and this is the source of my issues?

If you're running genfstab from a non-root shell then the permissions granted by sudo don't persist after the redirection (">>") so that is expected.

I presume you're trying all this from endeavorOS then? If so then obtain a root shell first instead of using sudo for each command:

sudo -i

EDIT: hold on, so endeavorOS boots fine from this drive now?

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2022-01-01 13:05:02)

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 13:09:56

Yes i'm on endeavourOS - the live usb. The drive is still having issues.
I first tried installing arch to it 4 times, then endeavourOS once just to test if that worked - my end goal is arch.
I'm now trying to install arch again.

pipep · 2022-01-01 14:17:33

Have you tried installing arch from arch live USB and not from endeavour live USB?

Trilby · 2022-01-01 14:51:35

Sue_Perb wrote:

Yes, grub install was run from chroot, and the ESP was mounted at /mnt/boot.

I'm not sure how this was glossed over. If you mounted the ESP on /mnt/boot prior to chrooting (which would make sense) then it'd no longer be at /mnt/boot once in the chroot, it'd just be at /boot.

eznix · 2022-01-01 17:07:48

Sue_Perb wrote:
"I've now unset the legacy_boot flag from /dev/sda2, and I checked with gdisk - it does have the code 8300."

The code for an EFI system partition is EF00, not 8300 as you seem to indicate. The EFI system partition should have a GUID of C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B.

Btw, tools like gparted still use the term "boot flag" and "esp flag" - both have to be set in gparted for the partition to be an EFI system partition. The gdisk tool does not use the term "flag," preferring to use the EF00 code for the EFI system partition.

Last edited by eznix (2022-01-01 17:39:55)

Sue_Perb · 2022-01-01 19:01:49

Hello

The issue is now fixed - I tried installing arch again, the only thing different being that I used sudo -i as Head_On_A_Stick suggested to get a root prompt and then ran genfstab, instead of using the workaround with tee. I'm not sure if this is what the issue was but it works now so i'm happy.

Thank you so much for the help

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-02 10:27:36

^ You're welcome

For the other points:

Trilby wrote:

I'm not sure how this was glossed over

I took the OP at their word and presumed the ESP was mounted under /mnt/boot after using arch-chroot. The grub-install command would have failed if the specified directory was not an ESP mountpoint and there would be no "GRUB" boot entry in the firmware menu. But you are quite correct to raise the point and I should probably have pushed further on that. Thanks.

eznix wrote:

The code for an EFI system partition is EF00, not 8300 as you seem to indicate.

/dev/sda2 is the root partition, the ESP is /dev/sda1.

EDIT: I presume the legacy_boot "flag" (GUID code) on the root partition was preventing a successful boot and removing that made things work as expected.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2022-01-02 10:28:41)

eznix · 2022-01-02 16:39:14

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

EDIT: I presume the legacy_boot "flag" (GUID code) on the root partition was preventing a successful boot and removing that made things work as expected.

Thanks for the clarification. I should have looked further up and saw the partition layout.

Last edited by eznix (2022-01-02 16:39:39)

Arch Linux

#1 2022-01-01 11:23:08

[SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#2 2022-01-01 11:31:50

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#3 2022-01-01 11:43:31

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#4 2022-01-01 11:46:48

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#5 2022-01-01 11:57:41

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#6 2022-01-01 12:13:39

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#7 2022-01-01 12:22:01

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#8 2022-01-01 12:39:41

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#9 2022-01-01 12:53:42

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#10 2022-01-01 13:03:03

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#11 2022-01-01 13:09:56

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#12 2022-01-01 14:17:33

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#13 2022-01-01 14:51:35

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#14 2022-01-01 17:07:48

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#15 2022-01-01 19:01:49

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#16 2022-01-02 10:27:36

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

#17 2022-01-02 16:39:14

Re: [SOLVED] Invalid Partition Table error

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