Endeavour OS fresh install with refind as bootloader

General system EndeavourOS installation
1

Hello,

I have performed a fresh install of Endeavour OS, in parallel with Winblowz 11. Because I also wanted a @snapshots subvolume, I edited the file /etc/calamares/modules/mount.conf on the USB disk and added

- mountPoint: /.snapshots
  subvolume: /@snapshots

as shown in Changing ISO btrfs subvolumes, as I discovered later.

I also wanted to directly install refind as a bootloader instead of the two default options efibootmgr and Grub. I have taken a look at Calamares bootloader github page, then edited the /etc/calamares/modules/bootlader.conf file, and commented line 13

<# efiBootLoaderVar: “packagechooser_packagechoosersr”/>

and inserted

efiBootLoader: “refind”

I chose refind as the bootloader, the installation went smooth until the bootloader install step, and it returned an error code 137 (I hope I remember well). The install log can be seen at Error code 1

I tried once more to reinstall, I edited again the /etc/calamares/modules/bootlader.conf file as done previously, but I chose efibobotmgr as the bootloader instead of refind. I have reproduced the error code, and the install log is available at Error code 2.

I performed the 3rd installation, left the bootloader.conf file untouched, chose efibootmgr and that was it. I could not directly boot into Endeavour OS under these circumstances, I could only boot after installing refind in Winblowz, which has “seen” the linux-zen img.

Is there any way to directly install refind? What am I missing? If I would have booted in arch-chroot mode after the EndeavpurOS installation, was it a better idea to install refind in such manner?

I would like to thank the Endeavour community and programmers, the system saves you a considerable amount of time with respect to a fresh ArchLinux install.

Thank you for your help,
Bogdan

2

Set bootloader to none during the install and then after the install chroot into the install, mount the EFI partition and install(and configure) refind.

Also check and ensure that eos-dracut is installed.

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3

Thank you @dalto

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4

Another way you could set this up would be to add refind to ~/user_pkglist.txt, then set refind-install as a command in ~/user_commands.bash before starting the installation.

https://discovery.endeavouros.com/installation/customizing-the-endeavouros-install-process/

If you prefer to use a manual boot stanza, you can add it with a heredoc in user_commands.bash.

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5

Thank you very much, it is an option that can be easily implemented.

6

Actually user_commands.bash can handle it without user_pkglist.txt.

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7

You would need to create a command that can install it if you wanted to add it to user_commands.bash without using user_pkglist.txt. For example:

pacman -S --noconfirm --noprogressbar --needed --disable-download-timeout refind

You can’t just add a list of packages to user_commands.bash like you would with user_pkglist.txt.

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