New helpful info which could be added to installation files.

[Steve.Clay]

Hi. I am new to Debian and have had some issues recently with installing it on an old-ish laptop. The heart of the issue was that the BIOS on my acer laptop did not have the option to select a file for UEFI to trust. Even after updating the BIOS this option was still not available. It appears that without this option an installation of Debian, even if it completes successfully, is unusable because when the laptop is rebooted it displays the error message "No bootable devices".

So I would like to suggest that perhaps, very early on in the installation files, there could just be some text to alert the user to this issue so that they could stop and check if their BIOS has the required option. (If a short bit of text could not explain the issue clearly enough then perhaps a short bit of text plus a url to a page on the Debian site might be better.)

This would save a new user from getting to the point where their laptop no longer boots up. Also, the many hours spent searching for a solution.

I know this is a beginner's problem. I'm sure that old hands know this territory very well but beginner's mistakes are called this because beginners, like me, make them!

No coding is involved : clearly there is no sensible way in which the installations can check for this issue automatically. But with a clear description - and maybe helpful pictures on a web page - even a new user would be helped.

What do you think?

[Fossy]

....
What do you think?

Warning: do not do this until you get confirmation from experienced people in the forum.

I also had this problem once and solved it as follows:
Under windows though :
Disable Windows Boot Manager ( as well as Secure Boot ) , as follows :
Run as administrator : cmd > bcdedit /set {bootmgr} timeout 0

After which the installation is business as usual

As far as this could apply to you?

[Steve.Clay]

Thanks for this Fossy, I will look into it - carefully- and do it if it looks okay to do. To be honest the alternative is looking like dismantling the laptop and scavenging the components!

[Steve.Clay]

Hi - well I have been reading about this problem and especially this problem as it applies to my laptop and would like to delete the post if at all possible. The issue appears to me to result in a minefield of workarounds which work for some people and not for others. Then again, there are folks who have devoted pages of detailed instructions to what to do, instructions far beyond the capabilities of a beginner like me. So, in retrospect, I think my suggestion was just ill-informed and it would be best if the post can be deleted. Thank you for being here and being willing to help.

[Fossy]

Hi - well I have been reading about this problem and especially this problem as it applies to my laptop and would like to delete the post if at all possible. The issue appears to me to result in a minefield of workarounds which work for some people and not for others. Then again, there are folks who have devoted pages of detailed instructions to what to do, instructions far beyond the capabilities of a beginner like me. So, in retrospect, I think my suggestion was just ill-informed and it would be best if the post can be deleted. Thank you for being here and being willing to help.

And that is also true, unfortunately , maybe you had better describe your problem a little more concretely , present your hardware ... nothing prevents you from still doing this ... albeit in an appropriate section : ‘Installation’ , Beginners Questions … ?

I think the forum has more than enough experts to help you de-mine your personal field .

[p.H]

I think my suggestion was just ill-informed

Glad you came to that conclusion by yourself. Unfortunately there are too many flawed BIOS/UEFI implementations in too many ways out there, and the Debian installer just cannot cope with or warn about all of them.

I also had this problem once

No, your problem was completely different.

Disable Windows Boot Manager ( as well as Secure Boot ) , as follows :
Run as administrator : cmd > bcdedit /set {bootmgr} timeout 0

I doubt this command disables Windows boot manager. And it certainly does not disable secure boot.
At best it only hides Windows boot menu.

[Fossy]

...

No, your problem was completely different.

Disable Windows Boot Manager ( as well as Secure Boot ) , as follows :
Run as administrator : cmd > bcdedit /set {bootmgr} timeout 0

I doubt this command disables Windows boot manager. And it certainly does not disable secure boot.
At best it only hides Windows boot menu.
[/quote]
Right , in retrospect :



What this did is that, in my case at least, it made me finally succeed, after many unsuccessful attempts, in getting the iso out and booting on it to install Debian.

Before I ran this ' command' under windows , there was no way I could see my usb stick with the iso ? … and I could shake the installation .

don't have a scientific explanation for it , I'm not a IT/ICT guy .

[LE_746F6D617A7A69]

https://superuser.com/questions/1471937 ... ger-in-efi

But, the error message says "No bootable devices", so it means that the bootloader was not found.
I would say, that since both the GRUB bootloader and the kernel are signed with MS keys (so it should be accepted by the BIOS), the reason for which such message is displayed is that the UEFI BIOS is broken.

Debian installer offers a workaround for this - at the end of the installation process it asks the user whether to install the bootloader in "removable media path".

I'm using only the text installer in expert mode, so I can't tell if this option is available in the default GFX installer mode.

@Steve.Clay: have You tried this?/Have You used this option? IMO there's high chance that it will work.

[sunrat]

But, the error message says "No bootable devices", so it means that the bootloader was not found.
I would say, that since both the GRUB bootloader and the kernel are signed with MS keys (so it should be accepted by the BIOS), the reason for which such message is displayed is that the UEFI BIOS is broken.

Or possibly the installation media was not created correctly.
I didn't notice any mention of Windows in any of OP's posts, not sure why that was even mentioned by other respondents. I have installed Linux as multi-boot with Windows many times and never had to touch Win bootloader.

[p.H]

both the GRUB bootloader and the kernel are signed with MS keys (so it should be accepted by the BIOS)

IIUC, only the shim is signed with Microsoft's key. GRUB and the kernel image are signed with Debian's key.

Debian installer offers a workaround for this - at the end of the installation process it asks the user whether to install the bootloader in "removable media path".
I'm using only the text installer in expert mode, so I can't tell if this option is available in the default GFX installer mode.

Unfortunately this option is available only in expert install, either text or graphical, and is associated with a deterrent message.

[LE_746F6D617A7A69]

both the GRUB bootloader and the kernel are signed with MS keys (so it should be accepted by the BIOS)

IIUC, only the shim is signed with Microsoft's key. GRUB and the kernel image are signed with Debian's key.

Correct.

I just don't use SecureBoot, and my memory is getting more and more volatile...