Help to install bootloader on dual boot (windows 10/endeavouros)

[pebcak]

Say /dev/sda2 is mounted at /efi.

I should think

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/efi --bootloader-id=EnOS --no-nvram

should work, creating a directory EnOS (next to Microsoft folder) containing grubx64.efi. Though no EFI boot entry will be created in nvram then.

[j_c]

Can I check that? or should I try reboot without the live iso in?

[ricklinux]

But where was it freezing trying to write to which? Or is it because it won’t write the entry in nvram that it freezes?

[j_c]

Think it is because microsoft dont allow you to write in nvram

[ricklinux]

@j_c

Think it is because microsoft dont allow you to write in nvram

This is what I’m thinking also?

[pebcak]

Writing to the ESP partition should work.

The trouble is writing the path to the boot file grubx64.efi into nvram fails

( efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 6 -w -L EnOS -l '\EFI\EnOS\grubx64.efi')

[ricklinux]

@pebcak

/dev/sda

Yes … the boot portion?

Edit: boot sector!

[petsam]

@j_c

Think it is because microsoft dont allow you to write in nvram

I think this is the most possible reason.

IMHO, using systemd-boot might make things easier, for various reasons.

The current problem is that there is no Linux/Arch/EnOS bootloader file in the file system.
In one of the previously posted links, there was a suggestion to copy the Arch ISO bootloader (.efi file) to the Windows bootloader file (\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi), overwriting it.
IIUC, systemd-boot has better discovery features than grub. As reported, if systemd-boot is loaded, this will make the firmware to show other NVRAM entries, even if I have no experience/knowledge to confirm it.

In the current status, there are two $ESP partititons, which make things more complicated.

I hope the above resumes possible choices, since I have no single solution. Testing and experimentation with patience are required.

[anon92589110]

@petsam

The current problem is that there is no Linux/Arch/EnOS bootloader file in the file system.
In one of the previously posted links, there was a suggestion to copy the Arch ISO bootloader (.efi file) to the Windows bootloader file (\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi), overwriting it.
IIUC, systemd-boot has better discovery features than grub. As reported, if systemd-boot is loaded, this will make the firmware to show other NVRAM entries, even if I have no experience/knowledge to confirm it.

I didn’t mean to suggest overwriting the Windows .efi with this:

@anon92589110

Just recently I was stumbleing upon that:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/918083/bios-not-seeing-ubuntu-installed-on-acer-aspire-es1-132-can-boot-via-grub-cli

It’s not the first post on the linked page. I refer to the one by Zanna from 03.09.2017 20:23

@j_c

First thing worked grub installed - no errors
Next command efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 6 -w -L EnOS -l '\EFI\EnOS\grubx64.efi'

System freeze

So maybe try using a different path in your command here.

E.g. \EFI\Linux\BOOTX64.efi instead of \EFI\EnOS\grubx64.efi

I copied my .efi file to (esp)\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
I haven’t tried the other paths as I did that before I discovered that link from the ubuntu forum.

If the information in the askubuntu link is correct, it should be possible to use e.g. \EFI\Linux\BOOTX64.efi

The path is also mentioned here:

@j_c

[...]
/efi:
 EFI   loader  'System Volume Information'

/efi/EFI:
BOOT  Linux  Microsoft	systemd

/efi/EFI/BOOT:
BOOTX64.EFI

/efi/EFI/Linux:

/efi/EFI/Microsoft:
Boot  Recovery

[…]

@pebcak

efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 6 -w -L EnOS -l ‘\EFI\EnOS\grubx64.efi’

What if you try it with efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 6 -w -L EnOS -l '\EFI\Linux\BOOTX64.efi'
instead?

Edit: Added missing code tag

[pebcak]

@anon92589110

What if you try it with efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 6 -w -L EnOS -l '\EFI\Linux\BOOTX64.efi'
instead?

Shouldn’t --removable flag with grub-install that OP tried have done that?

Perhaps worth a shot with setting the path with efibootmgr as well at this juncture.

[anon92589110]

@pebcak

Shouldn’t --removable flag with grub-install that OP tried have done that?

–removable is placing the file (esp)/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.efi and that path is at least not mentioned in the askubuntu link. But (esp)/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi is.

I don’t know if it works but it’s worth a try I think

Edit: In order to avoid everyone needing to click the link. According to the mentioned post in askubuntu these are thr valid paths for the .efi files for an Acer Aspire ES1-132 (same Acer series, different model):

\EFI\Linux\BOOTX64.efi (Linux)
\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi (Windows Boot Manager)
\EFI\ubuntu\shim.efi (ubuntu SECURE)
\EFI\ubuntu\shim$cpu$.efi (ubuntu SECURE)
\EFI\ubuntu\grub.efi (ubuntu NORMAL)
\EFI\fedora\shim.efi (Fedora)
\EFI\android\bootx64.efi (Android)
\EFI\opensuse\grubx64.efi (topenSUSE)
\EFI\redhat\grub.efi (Red Hat Linux)
\EFI\SuSE\elilo.efi (SuSE Linux)
\EFI\ubuntu\grub$cpu$.efi (ubuntu NORMAL)

Edit edit: one could also just copy the .efi file that is created by grub to (esp)/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi instead of using the efibootmgr

[petsam]

@anon92589110

I didn’t mean to suggest overwriting the Windows .efi

That’s fine. I was not referring to your suggestion. It is a known method (Archwki) for such cases.

IMHO, those paths may not exactly be reverse engineered, but calculated guessing. The actual paths are only known by the vendor firmware authors .

As I already said,

@petsam

The current problem is that there is no Linux/Arch/EnOS bootloader file in the file system.

To overcome this, there are several possible trials that might work, and can only be verified/confirmed by the OP. Everything else is just random hypothetical suggestions.

If OP does not try each one at a time, but doing all together, it will only be confusing to him and everyone else watching .

More loud thinking:

• Each Acer model of that build time (2015-2016) may have different implementations/restrictions/conditions to overcome.
• If this model can have a working Legacy mode, it might be easier to install Linux, since there is no bootloader file, but sector editing (MBR).
• If the OP has another available PC, he can hook the laptop drive in that one and install, either in Legacy (if available in the laptop), or in UEFI. A successful UEFI installation will have a bootloader file on the disk, which can then be used/copied in one of the known override paths, in order to work with, when he replaces the disk into the laptop.
• When --removable is used with grub-install command, while having two $ESP partitions, we suppose grub installs the generated file to the $ESP in the command line. After one such trial, efibootmgr did not show an NVRAM entry pointing at that path. Instead, it weirdly had two Windows entries, one for each $ESP.

@j_c

Boot0000* Windows Boot Manager	HD(2,GPT,63bace09-3141-403c-90df-38dae4e5a336,0xe1800,0x97060)/File(\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi)
Boot0001* Windows Boot Manager	HD(6,GPT,736dee16-9cb5-2948-9fb7-ccb87eedfef0,0xe704404,0x1f4000)/File(\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi)

I don’t know if OP tried to boot every possible boot entry (disks and Windows) after any actions.

• A possible working workaround might by just copying a rEFInd bootloader file to a UEFI default, or Windows bootloader path. rEFInd is known to have excellent discovery features, among others.
• One of GRUB’s great powers is its command line feature. If OP boots a media that uses grub as bootloader, he can manually search and boot to the installation on the laptop drive.
• Whatever suggestions we make, it would be beneficial, if it was double-checked with Archwiki and manual pages, before adding more confusion for the OP. Not everything on the internets is really valuable and worth following blindly. I prefer man and Wikis .

[pebcak]

If I were the OP, I would do a “tabula rasa” and start the whole thing from scratch.
I would also take note of each step to know what has been done and tried and what not.

As it is now, it all looks like a labyrinth without an exit

[ricklinux]

@petsam

I don’t know if OP tried to boot every possible boot entry (disks and Windows) after any actions.

This is true…

[anon92589110]

@petsam

IMHO, those paths may not exactly be reverse engineered, but calculated guessing. The actual paths are only known by the vendor firmware authors .

I did some tests on my own Acer Aspire ES1-132 (I know, different model than OP, but at least the same series also the same age) not just for OP’s problem but because I wanted to know as well.

Result: The UEFI is not recognizing .efi files that are placed in the standard grub nor systemd-boot paths. That’s what I know from several installations on this laptop.
It does also NOT recognise the .efi in path (esp)/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI
It does recognise the .efi files in (esp)/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi and also in (esp)/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi
I didn’t check all the other possibilities from this askubuntu link.

I just copied the .efi file from /boot/EFI/systemd/systemd-bootx64.efi to /boot/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi (/boot is my esp) and now it’s showing up in my boot menu/UEFI as bootable device “Linux”.
systemd-boot of course still finds all the available .efi’s as bootable entries.

Besides hopefully being helpful for OP, I am really happy that after all these years I can boot “Linux” instead of “Windows Boot Manager” from UEFI/boot menu in order to get Arch started
Okay… it’s more a question of honor than function but still…

So, thanks OP for making me look at it again

Edit: So, @j_c in case you manage/managed (I lost the overview a bit) to install EndeavourOS with whatever bootloader please try and copy the .efi file that is created by grub or systemd-boot or refind to (esp)/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi ((esp) to be replaced with your actual efi system partition, so usually either /boot or /efi or /boot/efi). After copying you should have the boot menu entry “Linux” in the UEFI/boot menu. If you boot that up the bootloader should start and be able to find also your Windows Boot Manager.

Edit edit: I went a bit back in the thread. So, you have installed grub successfully without freeze, right? You can try and

sudo cp /efi/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI /efi/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi

You can of course also copy the standard grubx64.efi instead of /efi/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI. I just don’t know the exact location as I am currently on systemd-boot.
After that you should be able to boot “Linux” from boot menu/UEFI and it should launch grub

[j_c]

Just want to say thanks everybody for your great help of installing Endeavouros on this Acer Es1-533. But I didn’t succeed! Tried everything that was suggested and specially the last thread from PigOfDestiny was promising. I actually booted up in grub with grub prompt, but I could not get it to work, and in the end my windows partition was deleted so I had to start all over with that also. So for now I guess I’ll give up on this Acer laptop and leave it as it is…Thank you

[anon92589110]

Sorry to hear that. It seems like Acer is a bit tricky in that regards…
But if you managed to get grub booted, what went wrong then? Was Windows not present or did Linux not boot after all?

[j_c]

The windows partition was still there but now I was presented with the option to boot the windows boot manager and that booted up grub which only started up with a prompt, and linux didn’t boot…

[anon92589110]

Hmm, okay, but that sounds a bit like now one problem got solved and you would be able to get grub booted but something with the installation went wrong.
I mean, I understand that it’s probably quite frustrating. Technically you could now try to reinstall endeavour with grub or systemd-boot (doesn’t really matter) and then copy the .efi file to (esp)/EFI/Linux/BOOTX64.efi

From then “Linux” should be ready for booting and if the installation did go well the bootloader should find Windows as well.

I guess after all this tinkering and trying something in the Endeavour or bootloader installation might have gotten broken…

[j_c]

You are probably right, and yes quite frustrating when I think about how much time this is taking me…but maybe I’ll give it another try, can’t really decide.
The problem still is that I can only install endeavour without boot loader in the iso, otherwise the system freezes. And after that when I try to install boot loader --no-nvram , maybe I do something wrong, it gets complicated for me.