Arch Linux

tshrpl

Member

Registered: 2022-11-06

Posts: 7

[SOLVED] uefi menu and grub not displayed before booting into arch

hi, this is my first arch forum post

i replaced the hdd in my old laptop `hp 15-bs670tx` with a new ssd and installed arch on it, and everything except secure boot worked, i read some hp manuals online which suggest that to enable secure boot i need to install windows 10 which came preinstalled, then i assume i can safely replace it with arch like i previously did.

i had no use for that hdd so i bought an hdd bay and replaced the CD drive, after rebooting the entire screen is black, the keyboard lights up for a few seconds and then lights up again, after which i get an arch login prompt, i can login and get a wayland session, the amd dgpu works too, and i can mount the old hdd from `/dev/sdb`.

i deleted the efi partition on the hdd so it can't interfere (i doubt that is even possible) but it doesn't help, i can't boot into ventoy usb or archiso usb

i think grub is still working, after pressing a key, it doesn't boot arch, but i can't select either of the usbs (i should've read the wiki and set it up)

so the only way to boot this laptop is arch on `/dev/sda1`, and i am pretty scared to disassemble any of the drives and bork the system even more

please help me!

edit: the arch login prompt and everything after that is visible and working

Last edited by tshrpl (2022-11-29 21:48:32)

tshrpl

Member

Registered: 2022-11-06

Posts: 7

Re: [SOLVED] uefi menu and grub not displayed before booting into arch

i asked for some help in the #archlinux irc

tshrpl:
	i have somehow fixed my blank bios and grub screen issue, took out both drives,
	then just 1, then swapped them, each time the problem started happening exactly
	when i screwed everything in place (not when i closed the backcover), finally i just
	left two open screw holes which are in contact with the cdbay,
	can anyone explain me what just happened ?
bluetail:
	sounds more like percussive maintenance :D

yeah.... i can still reproduce this, putting those screws in and taking the battery (and charger) out makes the uefi menu and grub invisible

here's a picture (culprit screws marked in red): https://pasteboard.co/Fx8Z3DnCdsUx.jpg (hp manual: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05493257)

if anyone knows why these screws broke my bios, i would love an explanation

for now i'll find a new home for them: https://pasteboard.co/IL9N5zuKKtAT.jpg
(i'm pretty sure some mod will put this in the Dustbin)