[SOLVED] cannot boot usb installer in uefi mode

BCarey · 02-23-2014, 12:48 PM

Hi,

I'm trying to install slackware64 14.1 to an asus aspire v5 notebook using the usb installer method. I can boot the usb key in legacy mode but not in uefi mode where it does not show up as a possible boot device. I have disabled secure boot.

So I have two questions:
1. Does anyone know how to make the usb install key available on the boot menu in uefi mode?
2. If I boot the installer in legacy mode, does that mean I cannot use the uefi method to boot slackware once it is installed?

Thanks for any input,
Brian

ruario · 02-23-2014, 02:04 PM

How did you make the USB install disk?

You could try making it manually as follows. Create a GPT partition and format it to FAT32 (use the the mkdosfs utility to format if you are using another Slackware install). This will serve as your EFI System Partition. It must be big enough to hold the Slackware install media's huge kernel, initrd and a boot loader (50Mb should do it). The EFI System Partition must be marked as such via the partitioning tool (e.g. with gdisk set the partition type code EF00).

Once the system partition has been created add a ./EFI/BOOT/ directory structure to this partition, into which you place the elilo binary named as BOOTX64.EFI. This exact naming (./EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI) is not an absolute requirement. You can use a different directory structure and name for your bootloader, however conforming to this suggestion will simplify things for you as UEFI systems consider a bootloader named in this way to be the default.

Into the same directory on your system partition (./EFI/BOOT) copy over the following two files from the official install media: kernels/huge.s/bzImage and isolinux/initrd.img (just the files, not their directory structures). Plus create an elilo.conf, that looks like this:

Code:

prompt
timeout=50
default=install

image=bzImage
  label=install
  initrd=initrd.img
  append="load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 rw printk.time=0 SLACK_KERNEL=huge.s"

You should now have a USB disk that you can boot from, though you may need to configure your UEFI to consider this the first boot disk (refer to your manufacturer's documentation on how to do this) or use the EFI Shell to specify this disk and/or bootloader.

In addition to the system partition you may wish to have a second partition that holds the rest of the Slackware installation files. This can be formatted with any filesystem supported by the the huge.s kernel. This partition can be mounted after you have booted from your install media and used as a source of packages during installation. Alternatively you can insert an official Slackware CD or DVD once setup is up and running, or perform a network installation.

BCarey · 02-23-2014, 02:26 PM

I made the stick using the usbimg2file.sh script. I assumed it would be uefi bootable. So I happened across this link, and based on that I copied the EFI directory and all the contents of syslinux to the root of the usb stick. Now it boots.

Thanks ruario.

Does the directory structure created by the usbimg2file.sh work on some uefi machines and just happens to not work on mine?

Brian

ruario · 02-23-2014, 02:32 PM

No problem, glad you got there in the end!

BCarey · 02-23-2014, 02:45 PM

Ruario,

Since you just posted, you might miss that I just edited my post to add a question which maybe you have some insight into. I was curious whether the directory structure created by the usbimg2disk.sh script works on some uefi machines and that my computer is somehow different, or would everyone need to make this modification.

Brian

Didier Spaier · 02-23-2014, 02:46 PM

If you are using the script usbimh2disk.sh this is a known issue. It should put content of /syslinux directly at the root of the tree. Attached patch solves that (remove the .txt extension before applying it).

Or use this installer : http://slint.fr/installers/slint64-14.1.iso an its md5 file http://slint.fr/installers/slint64-14.1.iso.md5
See instructions here: http://slint.fr/en/installer.html

EDIT This answers you last post as well

ruario · 02-23-2014, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCarey

Does the directory structure created by the usbimg2file.sh work on some uefi machines and just happens to not work on mine?

Not 100% sure, since I haven't tested but quickly scanning it, it appears to be the same as the one in Slackware 14.0 (which did not support UEFI) so I suspect not.

EDIT: How odd, usbimg2file.sh from Slackware 14.0 and Slackware 14.1 both state "# $Id: usbimg2disk.sh,v 1.23 2012/09/03 20:52:31 eha Exp eha $" but if I diff them they are not the same.

BCarey · 02-23-2014, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didier Spaier

If you are using the script usbimh2disk.sh this is a known issue. It should put content of /syslinux directly at the root of the tree. Attached patch solves that (remove the .txt extension before applying it).

Or use this installer : http://slint.fr/installers/slint64-14.1.iso an its md5 file http://slint.fr/installers/slint64-14.1.iso.md5
See instructions here: http://slint.fr/en/installer.html

EDIT This answers you last post as well

I'm glad to hear it is a "known issue", it just wasn't known to me ;-) Anyway I had gotten it working and wanted to make sure that "someone" was aware of the problem.

Brian

ruario · 02-24-2014, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didier Spaier

remove the .txt extension before applying it

Why do you need to remove the extension?

Didier Spaier · 02-24-2014, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruario

Why do you need to remove the extension?

I was just too lazy to explain why I needed to add it to upload the file