[SOLVED] Installing 15.0 on ThinkPad T430 with EFI

rshepard · 03-10-2022, 01:42 PM

After reading README_UEFI.TXT I checked the T430's EFI menus and ensured that systemd was disabled and the boot sequence was UEFI+legacy. There is no explicit CSM option.

I used cgdisk to partition the 500GB HDD, /dev/sda with a 100M EF00 EFI boot partition, 16GB swap partition, 200G / partition, and 247GB /home partition.

All went well installing all packages until the installer asked me whether to install lilo. Not elilo as the README said it should have. I stopped the installation process after indicating 'yes' to lilo (thinking it meant elilo) but didn't tell it to put lilo in the MBR.

What might I have missed so that the installer didn't ask me to configure elilo?

metageek · 03-10-2022, 02:29 PM

Say no to lilo, and then setup asks you if you want to install elilo

colorpurple21859 · 03-10-2022, 03:08 PM

Quote:

ensured that systemd was disabled and the boot sequence was UEFI+legacy....
until the installer asked me whether to install lilo. Not elilo as the README said it should have.

This indicates the iso booted in legacy mode. Disable legacy, secure boot, and fast boot if it exist.
Only the slackware64 iso will boot in uefi mode.

rshepard · 03-10-2022, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metageek

Say no to lilo, and then setup asks you if you want to install elilo

I did sy no to lilo, but the next screen asked where to install it.

Thanks,

Rich

rshepard · 03-10-2022, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorpurple21859

This indicates the iso booted in legacy mode. Disable legacy, secure boot, and fast boot if it exist.
Only the slackware64 iso will boot in uefi mode.

Okay. I was under the impression that with the EFI partition the slackware64-15.0-install-dvd.iso on the USB thumb drive would boot using it.

Thanks,

Rich

0XBF · 03-10-2022, 04:26 PM

If you have uefi and legacy booting enabled then maybe the legacy mode was picked by default, as colorpurple21859 mentioned. You could try disabling legacy to ensure it boots with uefi. Another possible option is to select the uefi boot method if your machine has an option for that. E.g. On my Dell XPS 13 I can press 'F12' at boot to bring up a boot selection menu, categorized into legacy and uefi sections from each device (different from 'F2', which brings up the BIOS).

I don't own a T430 but an internet search says those keys are mapped the same so try 'F12' to explicitly pick the uefi bootloader for the installer?

rshepard · 03-10-2022, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0XBF

If you have uefi and legacy booting enabled then maybe the legacy mode was picked by default, ...

Yep. The problem is that while both EFI and legacy _could_ be used to boot the system I had ignored the boot order. It was legacy first. I just changed it to EFI first that that solved the problem. The opening screen is different and what the README said would appear.

Mea culpa!

Rich