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#1 2022-07-23 22:58:37

kendew
Member
Registered: 2016-11-09
Posts: 41

After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]

Just finished an otherwise successful installation of Arch on a Minisforum HX90 that arrived with Windows 11 installed.  I decided to dual boot Arch as the Minisforum told me their license would not permit using Windows 11 as a VM.  Ended up with:

[kendew@alama ~]$ lsblk
NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1     259:0    0 476.9G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0   100M  0 part /efi
├─nvme0n1p2 259:2    0   128M  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p3 259:3    0  89.4G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p4 259:4    0   1.8G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p5 259:5    0 347.5G  0 part /
└─nvme0n1p6 259:6    0    38G  0 part [SWAP]

Installed grub and os-prober, but on reboot Minisforum booted Windows 11 but no grub screen.  Later I found that on startup using the F7 (for Minisforum) key to show a list of bootable devices, grub was listed there.  If selected, the familiar grub screen appeared and I had the option to boot into either Arch or Windows 11.  Since I prefer to use a Logitech keyboard with a bluetooth connection, this is obviously a problem.  I've installed Arch numerous times but never encountered such a problem.  To be honest, this is the first time installing Arch besides a Windows installation.
I would like to enable the grub screen to appear in its usual fashion for a few seconds on boot, and also to disable it being listed among bootable devices.  What am I missing here?  Something simple I hope.  Any help appreciated.

Last edited by kendew (2022-07-28 01:51:00)

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#2 2022-07-24 01:32:51

JaydenDev
Member
Registered: 2022-07-11
Posts: 172

Re: After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]

So the keyboard is causing a problem, but what problem?


System Specs:
Intel Core i5-2400 Nvidia GTX 1050ti Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury (Mouse) BestBuy Essentials USB Keyboard
Software Specifications:
Desktop Environment: KDE Plasma Window Manager: KWin Operating System: Arch Linux (btw)

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#3 2022-07-24 01:35:38

jasonwryan
Anarchist
From: .nz
Registered: 2009-05-09
Posts: 30,424
Website

Re: After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]


Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

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#4 2022-07-24 21:42:03

kendew
Member
Registered: 2016-11-09
Posts: 41

Re: After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]

JaydenDev, grub is only available to me as a bootable device. This means it doesn't appear automatically just after powering on the computer as it has on any other installation I've done whether Arch or other distributions.  Rather grub is listed as a bootable device in the BIOS just where you'd expect to see your hard drive and any bootable USB devices. On booting the computer I have to go into the BIOS just like we might to choose to boot from a USB device. There I can find grub listed and selecting it as a device to boot from will then bring up the usual grub screen where I can choose to boot Windows 11 or Arch Linux.This is a confusing one for me and perhaps I didn't explain it clearly so please indulge me in this lengthy explanation.
Imagine you put a USB drive into the computer and you want to boot from that drive. It requires a trip to the BIOS. Either you go into the BIOS and rearrange the boot order or use a special key that will take you to a list of bootable devices on the computer where you can choose the USB drive without having to go through the whole bios interface.  For this Minisforum computer I'm working with that key is F7.  Since at this stage it's very early in the boot sequence and Bluetooth or wireless functionality has not loaded yet I  need a wired keyboard.  So I wasn't referring to a keyboard problem really because this is expected behavior, just the inconvenience of having to use two keyboards to have an Arch session since I generally prefer a wireless keyboard.
Jasonwryan, thanks for the link. I looked at that and some other pages linked to from that page. My windows 11 installation doesn't have fast start or hibernation enabled.  I hope to find time to explore other possibilities suggested on that page.
But what I really want to understand is why grub  doesn't open automatically on starting the computer but instead is listed among bootable devices in the BIOS.  I tried installing rEFInd as a possibility too but it also ended up listed among bootable devices in the BIOS.  As I mentioned this hasn't happened to me before and I'd really like to understand what's going on.  There must be someone somewhere who's running to this problem.
So thanks for any help!

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#5 2022-07-28 01:04:25

kendew
Member
Registered: 2016-11-09
Posts: 41

Re: After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]

Have found a little time to work on this, using the recommended wiki page.  The suggestions that can be carried out within Arch didn't work, so I've been trying the suggestions requiring a Windows administrator command prompt.  I have to admit my Windows skills are borderline non-existent and I'm certainly aware this is not a Windows forum, but hopefully I'm not too far out of line here since I'm trying to understand the advice given in the Arch Wiki

Alternatively, you can set a startup script in Windows that ensures that the boot order is set correctly every time you boot Windows.

    Open a command prompt with administrator privileges. Run bcdedit /enum firmware and find your desired boot entry.
    Copy the identifier, including the brackets, e.g. {31d0d5f4-22ad-11e5-b30b-806e6f6e6963}
    Create a batch file with the command bcdedit /set "{fwbootmgr}" DEFAULT "{copied-boot-identifier}"
    Open gpedit.msc and under Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts (Startup/Shutdown), choose Startup
    Under the Scripts tab, choose the Add button, and select your batch file

I'm fine until the 5th step

Under the Scripts tab, choose the Add button, and select your batch file

Choosing the Add button prompts to browse for the batch file, but how can I browse for a file when I have no clue what its name is?  Have spent the better part of the morning doing online searches, but haven't been able to find anything.
Any help appreciated.

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#6 2022-07-28 01:22:19

skunktrader
Member
From: Brisbane, Australia
Registered: 2010-02-14
Posts: 1,538

Re: After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]

Your third line says Create a batch file

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#7 2022-07-28 01:43:49

kendew
Member
Registered: 2016-11-09
Posts: 41

Re: After installation grub only available as "bootable device" [SOLVED]

Thank you!!  For someone with zilch Windows administrative experience, that sentence can be read two ways, and I was reading it the wrong way.
I'm marking this "Solved" since the problem is gone and so far not reoccurring.  Thanks to this problem I've seen where I need to do some research and thanks to contributors on this thread I'm on my way there.

Last edited by kendew (2022-07-28 01:53:40)

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