GRUB bootloader fails to install on harddrive!

[bepiyi6777]

Being able to find/google a specific error is always good stuff. Getting the feeling it's just something simple and/or silly being overlooked. Doesn't sound like you're-OP all that familiar with partitioning, though am not downloading mb's of files to see something like the layout on someone's hard drive. You're going for uefi/gpt install ? You don't have CSM thing enabled in system uefi or bios, you do have an Esp/EFI partition as the first partition on target drive and it's formatted fat32 ? Really would've helped giving folks a simple image of partitioning layout though.

Can always re-install grub after completing an install cause gnu/nix is awesome-sauce. Couple of best methods, a cool tiny util called supergrubdisk2 thing can detect and boot from disk tons of OS's in situations like bootloader issues and the big daddy, chroot from live session which can help fix all manner of borkage. Can easily install or repair bootloader problems with basic know-how and pokeage. Both are worth knowing about any way it goes. Still get the feeling it's something simple, lines of communication getting crossed here, leading to confusion etc.

Yes, I do agree with the fact that is is possible a simple and rather specific issue for my instance, that could be easily solved by someone knowledgable if they were give 10 minutes on my computer. You can download the file 'disk_2' to see how the guided partioning partioned my harddrive (its around 4.5MB). Yes, I am going for an UEFI install, and I went through the very few existent settings in my BIOS and couldnt seem to find anything 'familiar' that probably needs to be changed. As it is not my main computer, and the need for fix is not that vital, I havent spent too much time on it. Although I have tried different solutions (including one were I tried to install GRUB after using a live session), but I never went super deep into something. I thought I could ask around online, and if that does not work I might try to find some knowledgable friend or family that could help me out.

I do apprecaite everyone trying to help me, and I apoligize for my lack of communication regarding my issue. :p

[Deb-fan]

^ Wasn't really intended as any chastisement but yeah people are not going to go through a lot of clicking/downloading to look over simple stuff to try to help someone. Have seen folks complaining about this or that make/model systems lack of controls in firmware, if you google "install Linux (your PC model)" and get tons of links by people having problems, then yep ... May have a known problem child on your hands, doesn't sound like it cause you can apparently easily disable secureboot on it. Who knows though. Don't think oem's, Mobo makers do it so much maliciously, just for expedience, system's meant to ship out w windows, so focus on it. Time is money, have always stayed with brands known to be better gnu/nix friendly ... so haven't encountered such yet but whatever. Am sure it'll be sorted with enough poking, <end all-over-place dorkness.>

[p.H]

Guys, you are way too verbose. TL;DR.

Sticking to the topic,

I then typed the following '/var/log/syslog'. The return was a message that said 'Permission denied'

/var/log/syslog is a data text file, not an executable nor a command. you must type a command to print the contents file.

Examples :

Code: Select all

cat /var/log/syslog # print the whole file (long)
more /var/log/syslog # prints the whole file and stop after each page (press space to continue)
tail -n 50 /var/log/syslog # print the last 50 lines of the file

Scroll the console up with Shift+PageUp and down with Shift+PageDown.
The "less" command would be more convenient, but I am afraid that it is not available in the installer shell.

[bepiyi6777]

Guys, you are way too verbose. TL;DR.

Sticking to the topic,

I then typed the following '/var/log/syslog'. The return was a message that said 'Permission denied'

/var/log/syslog is a data text file, not an executable nor a command. you must type a command to print the contents file.

Examples :

Code: Select all

cat /var/log/syslog # print the whole file (long)
more /var/log/syslog # prints the whole file and stop after each page (press space to continue)
tail -n 50 /var/log/syslog # print the last 50 lines of the file

Scroll the console up with Shift+PageUp and down with Shift+PageDown.
The "less" command would be more convenient, but I am afraid that it is not available in the installer shell.

From what I was able to tell there is a line that says "Configuring 'grub-installer' failed with error code 1". I could however not scroll, either because there was no more lines to be seen or that it did not work with my keyboard.

EDIT: Found some more information regarding the error (see photo), I can however still not scroll.

https://www.swisstransfer.com/d/0b9e2a5 ... 9394005016

[p.H]

Code: Select all

grub-install: error: failed to register the EFI boot entry: Input/output error

I expected something like this. GRUB failed to create the boot entry in the EFI variables.
I do not know what causes it (UEFI firmware bug ?) nor how to fix it, but there may be a workaround : boot with the removable device path.
In the installer main menu, set the question priority to "low" and install GRUB again. The installer should ask whether to install a copy of GRUB in the removable device path. Accept.
Or : in the shell, copy the contents of /target/boot/efi/EFI/debian into /target/boot/efi/EFI/boot and rename /target/boot/efi/EFI/boot/grubx64.efi or shimx64.efi as bootx64.efi. In the installer main menu, continue without installing a boot loader.

[bepiyi6777]

Code: Select all

grub-install: error: failed to register the EFI boot entry: Input/output error

I expected something like this. GRUB failed to create the boot entry in the EFI variables.
I do not know what causes it (UEFI firmware bug ?) nor how to fix it, but there may be a workaround : boot with the removable device path.
In the installer main menu, set the question priority to "low" and install GRUB again. The installer should ask whether to install a copy of GRUB in the removable device path. Accept.
Or : in the shell, copy the contents of /target/boot/efi/EFI/debian into /target/boot/efi/EFI/boot and rename /target/boot/efi/EFI/boot/grubx64.efi or shimx64.efi as bootx64.efi. In the installer main menu, continue without installing a boot loader.

Okay thank you for your help, I'll give this a try later when I have the time for it, and if it does not work I am just gonna give up for now. Thanks!

[Deb-fan]

@pH ... Sorry what'd you say, TL_DR.

Yeah covering the basics (in a couple paragraphs I might add) is clearly relevant here. Mount the dang EFI partition and see what's there, appropriate files likely sitting there but if you didn't set boot, esp flags on it, nope not working. A 4+gb Esp/EFI partition is kind of excessive, an entire fresh os-install, including boot could fit on that for me but it's your system, shrugs. Can't see any possible use, a separate boot partition yeah and would still personally want it a natively Nix supported filesystem. Ah whatever all this junk is again just obvious signs simple/basic things are being neglected, by someone who hasn't bothered learning what's involved. Hey, I'm randomly pushing buttons and it taint working fellas, errrr ... go figure.

PS, also do vaguely recall some bios-etc where folks disabling secureboot is roughly equiv to enabling legacy, why I bothered to mention it. Some oem's do seem outright hostile to alternatives to Windows too. Ah blah blah.