Arch Linux

apeiron

Member

Registered: 2022-09-14

Posts: 23

Dual Booting Problems! (Removable SSD)

Summing up

Using Arch on Dual Boot(Connect SSD via USB whenever I want to), Initially grubx64.efi isnt on boot options in BIOS. I added it.
But Now, windows isnt bootable, so I reset the BIOS options to default, which destroyed GRUB.

Surprisingly, I can boot into Arch without GRUB, but Windows doesn't boot; It turned into a vicious cycle!!!!

Can I re-install GRUB without Live USB?

Let's assume I did that, or somehow, can I replace the Windows boot manager with GRUB?

I'm trying to solve it; please suggest if you guys have any efficient way!

Last edited by apeiron (2023-05-28 10:15:47)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,096

Re: Dual Booting Problems! (Removable SSD)

If you intend to have a removable drive what will happen with most UEFI implementations is that they will actively discard a registered NVRAM entry. You'll want/need to install GRUB with the --removable flag added to the EFI installation command you're using so the fallback path of esp/EFI/BOOTx64.EFI is populated. That way you can boot the entry corresponding to your SSD from the mainboards internal bootloader. Is Windows on the same drive? If it isn't then any considerations here hold little meaning so you must have broken something else. If it is then this fallback path is actively contested between the two systems and since you can't really control what Windows is doing with the fallback payload the safest would be to actually add GRUB to the Windows bootloader as mentioned in: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Unifie … boot_order

apeiron

Member

Registered: 2022-09-14

Posts: 23

Re: Dual Booting Problems! (Removable SSD)

to populate this fallback path "esp/EFI/BOOTx64.EFI ", where should I install the grub?

here's disk info for reference:
sda = hdd
sdb = ssd which have windows
sdc = ssd (removable media)

Disk /dev/sda: 931.51 GiB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
Disk model: ST1000LM035-1RK1
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 90C09D26-E02D-4BDB-9771-16EDDDBE5B8A

Device      Start        End    Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sda1    2048     264191     262144   128M Microsoft reserved
/dev/sda2  264192 1953521663 1953257472 931.4G Microsoft basic data


Disk /dev/sdb: 119.24 GiB, 128035676160 bytes, 250069680 sectors
Disk model: SanDisk X600 M.2
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: 25D30621-5647-4176-B861-81FABC95F6DD

Device         Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sdb1       2048   1333247   1331200   650M EFI System
/dev/sdb2    1333248   1595391    262144   128M Microsoft reserved
/dev/sdb3    1595392 221444095 219848704 104.8G Microsoft basic data
/dev/sdb4  221444096 223471615   2027520   990M Windows recovery environment
/dev/sdb5  223471616 247767039  24295424  11.6G Windows recovery environment
/dev/sdb6  247769088 250048511   2279424   1.1G Windows recovery environment


Disk /dev/sdc: 465.73 GiB, 500074299904 bytes, 976707617 sectors
Disk model: Extreme 55AE    
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 1048576 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 6721BC4B-EF72-4880-BA43-1E331AB73518

Device        Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sdc1      2048   1048575   1046528   511M EFI System
/dev/sdc2   1050624  41943039  40892416  19.5G Linux filesystem
/dev/sdc3  41943040 976707583 934764544 445.7G Linux filesystem


Disk /dev/zram0: 4 GiB, 4294967296 bytes, 1048576 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 4096 = 4096 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes


Disk /dev/mapper/ainstsdd3: 445.71 GiB, 478582669312 bytes, 934731776 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 1048576 bytes

Last edited by apeiron (2023-05-01 12:21:28)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,096

Re: Dual Booting Problems! (Removable SSD)

To whatever you originally mounted the ESP/sdc1 to, you basically need to mount things like you did when installing, chroot into it and do

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

assuming sdc1 is mounted to /boot

Last edited by V1del (2023-05-01 15:10:10)

apeiron

Member

Registered: 2022-09-14

Posts: 23

Re: Dual Booting Problems! (Removable SSD)

Reinstalling GRUB as removable solved this issue!

Thanks gohan's girl

apeiron

Member

Registered: 2022-09-14

Posts: 23

Re: Dual Booting Problems! (Removable SSD)

So, after another Windows update, the problem persisted, but this time my laptop instructed me to boot from recovery mode( after Physically mounting my SSD).

Again reinstalled Grub, it's not resolved this time.