Am having prob with 14.2 install. I used slack since 90's until ver.13.37
and have been univ. instructor on bash + other langs, so am no nurd.
Am installing to flash drive.
1) created partitions with fdisk including EFI, Swap, and Linux.
2) performed install as expert -no hitches
3) found out about files needing to be moved about in the EFI and did that
4) FD doesn't boot. PC's boot sequence checks OK
5) ancillary boot stick doesn't work either

A) what is the correct sequence to file fiddling in 3) I could have it wrong
B) does 1) need use of gdisk instead? Used correct partition types of 82 etc. not the 8200, but that didn't work either (fdisk reference runs off of screen)
c) boot sequence was checked and was correct.
Can anyone think of what I might be leaving out per their own experiences?
Please DO NOT refer to that other flash drive method which uses persistence as that IS NOT the way I wish to attack this problem, i.e. I use flash drive like a HD.
I do not have web access except at the local library so your responses may need careful construction for my subsequent trials as my responses may take a 2-3 days. Thanks for the help and consideration.

Slackware-14.2 can't be installed on an USB flash drive.

As an aside, it would be bad if it could as none of the file systems that can be used to format the root or / partition is suitable for a flash drive, so it would wear out very fast.

Further there is no need to set up an EFI partition in the target if you mean to install Slackware-14.2 (32 bit) that doesn't handle EFI booting. Only Slackware64-14.2 does.

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To boot on efi system do the following.
chroot into flash drive installation,
mount your flash drive efi partition to /boot/efi
assuming the flash drive is /dev/sdb change accordingly.

run mkinitrd to load usb_storage drivers at bootup.

add rootdelay=10 to /etc/default/grub/
edit /etc/default/grub GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT line to this
exit out then reboot

You didn't give any detail information on exactly what you did. was it 32bit or 64bit iso you used? To allow to boot on both efi and legacy need more information. what partition scheme you used GPT or MSDOS? You didn't say exactly what you did on the efi partition either so someone can figure out what you did wrong there.

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In addition to the above, I've needed to run efibootmgr on my slightly older (2014-ish) boards.

Here's the command I've been using:

Obviously, modify the disk parameter accordingly. "/dev/nvme0n1" on NVMe type drives.

@Didier Spaier: laptop is 64bit efi. Install DVD contains Slackware64-14.2. Examined flash drive and it has most of the slackware stuff I would expect to find. My desktop install went well using 32 bit version and that is working.
@colorpurple21859: instructions I used have me creating 3 partitions swap, efi, and linux in order as I said these were created with fdisk. All the /boot/efi instructions I have had me put specified files for EFI there then jerk them about I don't have them with me but feel certain that where they went initially was correct.
Have never used grub to do a slack install. Is that an editor or partition maker? Yes, am using sdb.
Sorry 'bout that it is a 64bit laptop Toshiba c55-5126. Please point me to grub overview and detail which you used to get familiar as this is new to me. What should I expect from executing those commands? Should I still do a fdisk to create partitions or will grub be doing that for me?
@Fat_Elvis: is efibootmgr a non-slackware application software product? What is NVMe? Looks like you are using the PC's hard drive and I am using a flash drive. My reading indicates this makes no difference. I did a non-EFI install on my 32bit laptop which works great (except for marble being created 4 times).
Sure appreciate the assistance. Will be fiddling with grub which I think I have a copy. Hope it has some instructions as it is not on my man page. Be back in 3 days THANKS

that is good.

What instructions were you following can you post a link to the instructions?
neither, grub is a bootloader, when you run the grub-install command I posted it will put the appropriate files on the efi partition. I edited the grub-install command in my earlier post with this being a removable usb.

efibootmgr is included in Slackware. NVMe is a newer type of SSD drive that is used in recent laptops and such. Looks like a tiny stick of RAM. I mentioned that because it was slightly more difficult to install Slackware 14.2 to those types of drives.

Non-EFI will also work, and is probably easier to set up.

By the way, for USB drives, the installation process is slightly different. You could get away with not using efibootmgr, but the boot loader (say, the GRUB image) _must_ be placed in a very specific location.

I don't know if all uppercase is necessary, but I'd go with that anyway.

EDIT: If your laptop is 64-bit capable, I would strongly suggest installing a 64-bit version of Slackware. The CPU has some really neat capabilities when running in 64-bit mode. Unless you are specifically aiming with compatibility with very old, or *ahem* Windows software through WINE. The Windows crowd has a great infatuation with 32-bit software. They will never abandon the i386.

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I 100% agree with you on that one. When I do installs to usb I set them up for both efi and legacy booting.



@nix84 I edited the grub-install command in post #3 and add items to do to make bootable on usb. The --removable will install a /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI efi bootloader.
Will have less issues booting if root=UUID=???? is used on the linux line of your /boot/grub/grub.cfg for your menuentries.

Would need to know if usb 'disk label type' is msdos or gpt before giving any advice on legacy booting.

Yep. I completely forgot about that. With the --removable switch, you would not need to use efibootmgr.

I think grub-cfg uses UUID by default anyways. Otherwise the UUID for a drive can be found at the output of:

I did a minimal install to a usb to see what I had forgotten, I don't remember things like a use to lol. I had also forgot about the "--removable" option for grub-install at first.
The biggest issue was, had to create an initrd.img to load the usb storage drivers, their built into the huge kernel as modules. Without the initrd.img would get serious kernel panic and machine lock up.
Once I got that out of the way, then there was the forgotten "rootdelay=10" added to the grub Linux command line.

Good tip. Thanks!

First my appologies for being dragged off onto another project totally interrupting this convo.

@Didier Spaier: U R correct. The HD purchased with this machine lasted about 8mo so switched to FD. Waiting for its failure now for over a year must be on thin ice.

Was told to install and after shutdown then:
Copy files in /EFI/Slackware to /EFI/BOOT then
Rename elilo.efi under /EFI/BOOT to BOOTx86.EFI
but this did not correct the no boot status.
This information came from Slackware, if memory is still functional, but it was awhile ago.

Can anyone enlighten me on this manuever? The non-grub install approach I used: make 3 partitions (efi, swap & linux); installed all but omitted most of KDE games, used ELILO not LILO, etc no hitches. But not bootable after above change.

Sorry have not had opportunity to dig into grub as expected and future is questionable from here. Battery backup to desktop failed recently on power failure and need to test k3b to save recent work but there too is a problem (aside).

Just wanted you to know you are not alone in preferring LILO. Also most electronic hardware failures are heat related so any investment in improved cooling is cheap insurance.

Some links for setting up elilo
https://docs.slackware.com/howtos:sl...uefi_and_elilo
https://slackalaxy.com/2018/02/09/elilo-dual-boot/

Personally I prefer grub, once I get it setup using a /etc/grub.d/<a custom menu> its done, I don't have to remember to run eiloconfig, grub-mkconfig, or copy anything to the efi partition when there are kernel updates. Just have to remember to run mkinitrd for the generic kernel.

Grub is a goal which is at the moment unreachable when considering my lack of familiarity and other projects taking my attention.
Will be trying partitioning and install on FD again in a day or 2 as it will take only an hour to install.
TNX 4 links CP.