My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

ruizscar · 2022-10-03 14:32:53

Recently I picked up a very nice 13 inch laptop for a bargain price: https://www.medion-fabrikverkauf.de/not … 9031_4889/

After attempting many distros of all stripes, it seems only four Arch-based ones will boot off the USB stick. These are Endeavour, Archbang, Axyl and Xero. All the others (whether Arch-based or not) don't even give me the live USB boot options, just a black screen.

However, none of the 4 will boot after a successful installation. Just a black screen immediately after selecting to boot the SSD with the install.

I have tried different USB sticks, different live usb creators, different ways of formatting/partitioning the SSD and installing the distros, as well as all of the very limited bios options (AMI aptio 2.20.1270)

The SSD has been completely erased and I don't want to dual boot.

Literally any distro would work for me, but I'm used to Arch. Is there anything I should try with a vanilla Arch install?

Last edited by ruizscar (2022-10-03 14:33:44)

Trilby · 2022-10-03 15:02:01

I'd try adding the "nomodeset" kernel parameter. Note that if this "works" it's not a long term solution, but will greatly narrow down where the problem lies.

Last edited by Trilby (2022-10-03 16:10:08)

ruizscar · 2022-10-03 16:01:46

OK, I've chrooted from the Xero live usb into my Xero install to edit grub with "quiet splash nomodeset" and then updated grub.

Still the black screen when I try to boot the install, no grub options.

Trilby · 2022-10-03 16:11:19

Sorry nevermind that, I didn't realize you were not even getting to the boot loader. If the boot loaders aren't even loading then we need to learn about the firmware / bios. Is this and EFI system? If so, might it be a 32-bit EFI? (Some 64 bit systems have a 32-bit efi which would fail to boot most linuxes without special accomodations).

ruizscar · 2022-10-03 16:29:56

From what I've been googling this could very well be a 32-bit EFI issue.

The bios is AMI aptio 2.20.1270

Trilby · 2022-10-03 16:38:22

If this is the case, all that's really needed on the installed system is a 32bit grub as described in the note here.

Getting a given iso to boot on a 32bit efi system may be a bit more work. It's been ages since I've done it, so I don't know how much things have changed, but previously, to boot the default arch iso on a 32bit efi system one needed to extract the iso, make a handful of changes, and repackage the iso before burning it to the install medium. While I have absolutely no knowledge of or experience with the tool, one user seems to have streamlined this process here: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=260343 (edit: but that user seems to have vanished of off github ... they appear to still be active in the AUR though and you could email them if you were interested in that tool).

Last edited by Trilby (2022-10-03 16:41:16)

ruizscar · 2022-10-04 07:57:53

Do you mean that if I've actually installed a distro from a live usb, I should only need to chroot and modify the grub -- rather than modify an ISO and then install that?

ruizscar · 2022-10-04 10:17:19

OK, I apparently successfully mounted and arch-chrooted:

grub-install --target=i386-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB

then

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

But now the boot option, renamed to GRUB, won't even do anything when selected - not even a black screen

ruizscar · 2022-10-04 11:38:42

I'm now going to attempt the 2021 pre-modded Arch ISO from this page: https://medium.com/@emerino/archlinux-o … a651b661fd

Alternative plan: https://github.com/emerinohdz/arch64-efi32 (the tool used to create the above ISO)

ruizscar · 2022-10-04 19:30:52

The pre-modded ISO booted and the installation was going fine until the 1st reboot. Then same prob: the boot option, GRUB, won't do anything when selected - not even a black screen.

So I might as well persist with the Axyl distro and chroot to edit the grub config until one day it magically lets me boot.

V1del · 2022-10-07 12:14:58

Not sure how 32bit EFIs work to be honest, do they have any concepts similar to secureboot that might have to explictly disable? Check options in your EFI firmware whether you have an option of explicitly adding a trusted entry via it's own interface, some EFIs react allergically to attempts to edit this from the outside.

ruizscar · 2022-10-07 12:36:38

It's weird. I just went into the UEFI shell to execute bootia32.efi manually, and it says

"Image type IA32 is not supported by this X64 shell"

Does this mean I've been wasting several days looking for 32-bit distro and bootloader solutions?

V1del · 2022-10-07 13:04:49

Possibly? I'd find it quite weird for a Windows 11 laptop to be sold with a 32bit EFI tbh. I'd rather check whether some secure boot option is enabled that you might be able to disable.

ruizscar · 2022-10-07 13:47:34

The secure boot enabled refuses to boot USB. Disabled is the only way I've been able to install the Arch-based distros.

Last edited by ruizscar (2022-10-07 13:53:32)

V1del · 2022-10-07 16:06:24

Mhm, but some EFIs are very weird here. e.g. on my Acer laptop I could similarly to you boot the ISO and do the install just fine, but the bootloader would not be available in the UEFIs list of entries. I had to go to UEFI, enable secureboot, which unlocked some new menu options, one of which was "add trusted EFI binary" where I could then add the EFI binary manually, since that was unsigned I had to save there, go back into the EFI and disable secureboot which lifted the signing requirement but retained the EFI/NVRAM entry to boot from. I'm assuming you might have to do similar shenanigans.

Also since we didn't yet talk about it, which boot loader did you install and how exactly and what is your output for

efibootmgr -uv

from a chroot as well as maybe

tree /esp

where you replace /esp with the mount point of your ESP https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_o … n_services

ruizscar · 2022-10-07 17:23:08

Right now I've just done a fresh install of Axyl w/ Calamares, so grub (no options).

https://imgur.com/a/5pY7g4J

Unfortunately the UEFI has no legacy option. Very little apart from boot order, fast boot, secure boot.

ewaller · 2022-10-07 17:54:26

Have you considered an alternative to GRUB? (I'm not a fan of GRUB). I would consider EFISTUB booting or ReFind, in that order. I use EFISTUB;

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/EFISTUB
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/REFInd

ruizscar · 2022-10-07 18:49:01

Already tried ReFind with help from youtube (it seems to have replaced grub successfully, creating a new UEFI boot option) but no difference.

I'll try EFISTUB tomorrow.

V1del · 2022-10-07 21:40:33

I doubt EFISTUB will help if you don't get your EFI to boot any bootloader. I'd test whether you had a similar system like mine and check whether you can enable secure boot, go back into the EFI, have more options to add "trusted" EFI binaries and can then disable it again

ruizscar · 2022-10-08 13:23:48

Cool. That's what I'm more optimistic about. Will send pics of the uefi menu later.

ruizscar · 2022-10-09 09:55:42

https://imgur.com/a/VldH1KU

The only 3 screens from my UEFI that might be useful....

V1del · 2022-10-09 15:53:01

If you go to enroll Efi image, does that not allow you to select one of your installed bootloaders ?

ruizscar · 2022-10-09 16:13:22

Yup, but selecting a bootloader doesn't change anything. I also tried disabling Secure Boot after the fact.

ruizscar · 2022-10-11 12:31:55

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=243612

Don't know if this thread is what I should be doing...

https://habr.com/en/post/446238/

Or this one...

u666sa · 2022-10-13 20:32:40

Your SSD will have one or two system devices. /dev/mmcblk0boo0 and boot1 for example. Make sure you don't touch them during your install. Other than that, be sure to turn off secure boot and if it does not work with EFI, do it with legacy.

On my thinkpad W520 there is EFI option in BIOS, but it will not work with Linux. Works fine with Windows, but not Linux. I didn't even figure out why, I just used legacy mode.

Another thing. You don't have much SSD space. After you figure out your problem, use BTRFS with compression and LUKS1 root with trim enabled, fresh install, not conversion from ext4.

Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 58.24 GiB, 62537072640 bytes, 122142720 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 8A3C7BF6-DADF-2C40-A351-0D62C45AA402

Device            Start       End   Sectors  Size Type
/dev/mmcblk0p1     2048   1128447   1126400  550M EFI System
/dev/mmcblk0p2  1128448  13711359  12582912    6G Linux swap
/dev/mmcblk0p3 13711360 122140671 108429312 51.7G Linux filesystem


Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot0: 4 MiB, 4194304 bytes, 8192 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot1: 4 MiB, 4194304 bytes, 8192 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/mapper/luks_root: 51.7 GiB, 55513710592 bytes, 108425216 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Last edited by u666sa (2022-10-13 20:34:37)

Arch Linux

#1 2022-10-03 14:32:53

My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#2 2022-10-03 15:02:01

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#3 2022-10-03 16:01:46

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#4 2022-10-03 16:11:19

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#5 2022-10-03 16:29:56

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#6 2022-10-03 16:38:22

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#7 2022-10-04 07:57:53

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#8 2022-10-04 10:17:19

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#9 2022-10-04 11:38:42

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#10 2022-10-04 19:30:52

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#11 2022-10-07 12:14:58

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#12 2022-10-07 12:36:38

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#13 2022-10-07 13:04:49

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#14 2022-10-07 13:47:34

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#15 2022-10-07 16:06:24

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#16 2022-10-07 17:23:08

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#17 2022-10-07 17:54:26

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#18 2022-10-07 18:49:01

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#19 2022-10-07 21:40:33

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#20 2022-10-08 13:23:48

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#21 2022-10-09 09:55:42

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#22 2022-10-09 15:53:01

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#23 2022-10-09 16:13:22

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#24 2022-10-11 12:31:55

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

#25 2022-10-13 20:32:40

Re: My new laptop won't boot any Linux (only 4 can even install so far)

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