booting Arch Linux on another computer

hevin · 2025-09-09 16:45:24

I installed Arch Linux on an SSD. The system drive is encrypted, and a password is used as the key. On the computer where the installation was performed, the operating system boots and works. There are no problems. Now I want to remove the SSD from one computer, connect it to another, and boot my operating system on the other computer. And here's the problem: nothing works on the other computer. It says that no boot disk was found. The disk has GPT partitioning, UEFI boot, and systemd-bootd bootloader. The EFI partition is located on the same SSD and is not encrypted. It contains the bootloader itself, its configuration files, the kernel, and initrd. I don't understand what the problem is. Please help.

cryptearth · 2025-09-09 18:03:02

the foreign bios don't know about the systemd-boot and doesn't have a boot entry for it
as I don't know if systemd-boot supports foreign boot grub does via --removable flag

Head_on_a_Stick · 2025-09-09 19:00:45

The OP can check the ESP for EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi, systemd-boot hijacks that location by default.

EDIT: perhaps the new machine has a UEFI implementation with a different bitness, check /sys/firmware/efi/fw_platform_size from a live ISO booted in UEFI mode and confirm it matches the bitness of the removable loader (boot{x64,ia32}.efi).

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2025-09-09 19:03:17)

cryptearth · 2025-09-09 22:51:14

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

EDIT: perhaps the new machine has a UEFI implementation with a different bitness, check /sys/firmware/efi/fw_platform_size from a live ISO booted in UEFI mode and confirm it matches the bitness of the removable loader (boot{x64,ia32}.efi).

although possible I doubt that - simply for the fact that I actually don't know of any system one can install x86_64 arch on which only has a 32-bit uefi

Succulent of your garden · 2025-09-10 00:15:55

Some notebooks in my experience need to enter the grubmkconfig command from an iso to get the bios/uefi able to detect the bootloader properly, the most funny thing is that if you made the installation using a HDD if you put the HDD is always going to work well, but for some reasons the SSD ones, especially nvme, are not going to work, you take it away and the machine bios/uefi is going to forget the bootloader existence. Not sure why is this a thing.

So in my case I just put the SSD and launch arch Linux ISO in a usb stick. Then I try to open the partition using cryptsetup, if you were able to open the partition then probably what I'm saying could be your problem. Then you need to mount the partition properly and chroot. Then probably your grub config file must be there waiting for you. Check that the grub config file is fine. Also do the /etc/fstab configuration and set the file to send the real UUID of the drives so you can boot properly, I think that is done in the grub file ? I can't remember well now and I'm in a hurry writing this. But you get the idea, you need to ONLY check that the /etc/fstab is right and setup the propper UUID chain for the drives[the physical UUID with the other one], so the whole bootloader process can work properly. Then when all of that is done, then you just need to do the grub-mkconfig command and the grub-install with your proper flags. Then reboot, if this is your case, then probably you will see your system booting after sending the psswd.

Hope it helps. Or give some idea, I'm very tired and need to go, time to sleep. If you don't get something well, probably the rest here will help you

Also be sure that your microcode is the same. I mean if your are making the switch from amd to intel then probably this is not going to work

Last edited by Succulent of your garden (2025-09-10 00:16:35)

Arch Linux

#1 2025-09-09 16:45:24

booting Arch Linux on another computer

#2 2025-09-09 18:03:02

Re: booting Arch Linux on another computer

#3 2025-09-09 19:00:45

Re: booting Arch Linux on another computer

#4 2025-09-09 22:51:14

Re: booting Arch Linux on another computer

#5 2025-09-10 00:15:55

Re: booting Arch Linux on another computer

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