The problem: The standard Slackware installer hangs solid when trying to install on recent hardware, shortly after loading the initrd.img. The only way out is to power down.

The reason: Some newer generation on-board graphics systems use 64-bit addressing for the efifb. Slackware uses elilo as the default boot system. Elilo is not compliant with 64-bit efifb.

The solution: Use GRUB to boot the install media.

Here's how:

1) Create a new Slackware install drive using "./usbimg2disk.sh -f -s /path/to/slackware64-current -o /dev/sdX"

2) Mount USBSLACKINS

3) Delete or rename (if you have space) /EFI on the USBSLACKINS drive.

4) Copy recursively (USBSLACKINS)/slackware64-current/EFI to (USBSLACKINS)/

5) Edit (USBSLACKINS)/EFI/BOOT/grub.cfg (change path to kernel and initrd):

You should now have a grub bootable install USBSLACKINS. Once the kernel and initrd have loaded, you should get the initial loading screen (the one with a row of penguins at the top), and be able to carry on with a normal Slackware install.

Its taken me a while to figure this out, as you cannot read any error messages before the system locks up solid! Hopefully this will help anyone else running into the same problem!

I initially worked around the problem by installing Liveslack first, and then using slackpkg+ to switch to Slackware. Strangely, going this route enabled the resulting Slackware install to boot with elilo, although the initial "penguin" screen was missing.

However, I would recommend switching to GRUB for anyone who is having this issue.

Hopefully Pat and/or Eric will address this before 15 gets released!

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Pete

Pete,

The Slackware installer does not use elilo. Both the Slackware installer and my liveslak use GRUB on UEFI computers.
My GRUB EFI boot image is different from the Slackware version however. Perhaps I add some GRUB module to liveslak that your computer needs and which is not present in the Slackware GRUB EFI boot image.

Compare the scripts used to generate the EFI boot images and spot the differences: https://git.slackware.nl/current/tre...T/make-grub.sh (Slackware) to https://git.slackware.nl/liveslak/tr...T/make-grub.sh (liveslak).

Hi Eric, and thanks for your input! I stand corrected!

However, there is something fundamentally wrong with the installer on the standard Slackware install media as it simply doesn't work with (at least) Intel 620 graphics and possibly others.

I thought it was only me having this issue, but I now see some other threads emerging with the same problem.

I'm not claiming to be an expert with grub or elilo - far from it - but the work-around I have outlined does work, though I accept its a bit of a kludge!

Its a while since I installed via liveslak and I can't recall whether the efifb initialised properly or not - but it didn't crash, which the slackware installer did!

If you look at the procedure I've outlined above, you'll see I just copied the -current EFI folder onto the install USB, replacing the one that was already there. The original EFI folder contained an elilo.conf file - which is why I assumed it was using elilo! There were no signs of any grub files in the EFI folder until I put them there!

I'll have another dig around this afternoon and get back to you, but something is wrong somewhere, and my kludge provides a work-around for the time being.

I realise that neither you nor Pat has access to the full range of hardware out there to pick up on things like this, and I'm quite happy to help out in trying to find a solution.

Thanks for your comments. I have to go out right now and do some paperwork when I get back, but as soon as possible - hopefully later today - I'll have a look at those links and see if I can find anything more clues!

Cheers,

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Pete

3 members found this post helpful.

OK, Eric, I'm not sure what is going on here, but I've just created a new USBSLACKINS pendrive using your usbimg2disk.sh script.The /EFI/BOOT folder on that disk conains 3 files: BOOTX64.EFI, elilo.conf and message.txt.

The BOOTX64.EFI file is 232.9 KiB (quite compact).

When booting from this pendrive in my laptop, there is no grub menu. I get the following messagesthen the machine locks solid. (It does work on my older, desktop machine - also UEFI)

Looking in the slackware64-current/EFI/BOOT folder, I find 8 files: bootx64.efi (1.4MB, much bigger!), grub-embedded.cfg, grub.cfg,huge.s, initrd.img, make-grub.sh, os-detect.cfg and tools.cfg.

In other words, the files I would expect to find for a grub boot.

My conclusion has to be that the usbimg2disk.sh script is NOT producing grub bootable media, but something else - from the cfg file, elilo!

Copying the contents of the 2nd EFI/BOOT folder (the one under slackware64-current) into the EFI/BOOT under the / of the drive (and tweaking the paths to the kernel and initrd in the grub.cfg file) DOES produce a working grub install medium.

Either I've misunderstood something about creating the install media (quite likely!) or you / Pat are creating yours differently.

If I have misunderstood, then others are likely doing the same (see the thread below this one).

Are you able to clarify? What am I doing wrong?

Does your "make-grub.sh" script have anything to do with this, and if so, is it applied before or after the "usbimg2disk.sh" script?

All the documentation I've found about grub on slackware is either very old and/or very confusing! Any help greatly appreciated!

--
Pete

5 members found this post helpful.

Just made up a new Liveslak pendrive, using the iso2usb.sh script.

That DOES use grub to boot, I get the proper efifb output (the "penguin" screen) and everything works as it should. The standard way of making a Slackware pendrive does NOT use grub to boot, and crashes on my laptop - though it does work fine on older UEFI machines.

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Pete

1 members found this post helpful.

Your problem statement:
Made me think that your story was about the Slackware installer.
Now that you add more information, it actually looks like you are not talking about booting the installer, but booting the USB disk which is created during the installation.
If that is the case, disregard my comments and next time explain yourself better.

Hi Eric,

No, I AM talking about the Slackware installer. I can never get as far as creating a USB boot disk, because the actual installer never starts.

Please read post #4 above. I create an install drive from the Slackware64-current tree using "usbimg2disk.sh". If I boot from this to install Slackware on my laptop, the kernel loads, the initrd loads, as described in #4. Then everything just stops dead.

The keyboard is dead, the whole machine is locked solid. The only way out is to power down.

Again, just to be absolutely clear, this is with the Slackware install pen, NOT a bootdisk created during install. It never gets that far.

Replacing the contents of the EFI/BOOT folder on the installation pendrive with the contents of the EFI/BOOT folder from the top level of the slackware64-current folder (and tweaking the paths in the grub.cfg file) allows everything to complete as expected, and get to the setup program.

I hope this is clearer now.

Thanks for your time here, Eric.

Cheers,

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Pete

2 members found this post helpful.

I've updated the instructions in the top post of this "HOWTO" in the light of more experience. The original version works fine, but I've managed to simplify it a bit!

If anyone gives it a try, let me know how you get on!

--
Pete

2 members found this post helpful.

Pete,

Thank you for your instructions! I've been a Slackware advocate for nearly 20 years and have never had major problems installing it. (Until recently...). I have a new Acer Aspire 5 A515-55T, and I had to follow your instructions in order to get past the installer hanging after loading the initrd.img file. Now my next step is to get Slack to find my SSD... (but that's probably another thread)!


Rob.

1 members found this post helpful.

Hi Rob, and thanks for the feedback! Glad I could help out!

It took me a long time to figure out the problem and fix it! Actually, I did make one error, though it doesn't affect the fix. The installer does not use (e)lilo, but syslinux/ldlinux. However, the end result is the same.

I did find that once I overcame the initrd hang, I could install elilo and get the system to boot with it. However, the screen remained blank until kms kicked in (no penguins!). The best solution is to use grub.

I have notified both Eric and Pat about this, though the only reaction has been from Eric who seems skeptical. Probably because only a very small number of people have reported the issue. In my case, it was the on-board Intel graphics that were being upset. Do you happen to know what graphics set your Acer has?

Having said that Eric seemed skeptical, I have to say that it was he who recommended installing Liveslack first (which did install OK - and seems to use grub as the installer!), and then pointing slackpkg at the proper Slackware tree. Although this approach works - and indeed, got me out of trouble - it does seem to me to be side-stepping the issue rather than fixing it. And who knows how many would-be Slackers have given up because the installer failed, without reporting it?

Most other distros seem to have switched to grub - at least for the installer. Perhaps Slackware needs a nudge in this direction?

Time to climb down from my soap-box!

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Pete

2 members found this post helpful.

Hi Pete,

First of all thank you for all your effort put into this - the threads you started helped me setting up slackware-current on a Clevo laptop I purchased recently. Although I didn't use your method of creating a grub based installation drive, reading about your experience with your laptop helped me choosing the right installation method. I used grub based pxe server which I already experimented with before buying the new machine.

Out of curiosity however I checked the install usb which I created recently for use on another machine. It was made using the official instructions from slackware repo:
And it does use elilo. It doesn't appear to launch the installer as you can't see any output on the screen, but if you press enter a few times, press "1" as you would to accept the default keymap and type in "reboot" blindly it will restart the computer promptly. That indicates the installer is really working.
This is consistent with elilo's behaviour on the installed system - there is no screen output until kms kicks in. I had to switch to grub to see the boot messages and the penguins.
Eric was right that the other installation media use grub already, so DVD installer will boot to grub, but that doesn't help when you don't have a dvd drive to boot from :-)

1 members found this post helpful.

alekow: Thanks for your input! That's quite interesting. The machine that gave me all the problems was also a (locally re-badged) Clevo. I'm not absolutely certain that the Intel graphics are to blame. It might also be the Insyde BIOS! I remember having problems with one of those with Slamd64, back in the dawn of the 64-bit era, but it wasn't as intransigent as the Clevo!

The strange thing is I did try to boot from a DVD (I have a USB-BluRay drive), but that exhibited exactly the same problem! I also tried tapping random keys, trying to provoke a response, but to no avail. Not even a flicker from the HDD LED to indicate anything was working. To all intents and purposes, it was locked solid!

Alas, I have been working from a sample of 1, so its very useful to hear the experiences of others. I have a feeling that this is an issue that will grow with time, and is perhaps best sorted now, whilst the number of machines affected is small.

We don't want to put off potential Slackers with installs that just hang without reason. That's getting into Micro$oft territory...

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Pete

1 members found this post helpful.

Yes, I remember reading about it in one of your posts. I was planning to buy one at that time. I think we are using the same supplier ;-)

Never tried an optical drive as I didn't need to and don't own one either.


Exactly my thoughts.

Have a great day!

Alex

1 members found this post helpful.

Hi Pete,
I want to thank you for this thread, it was very helpful to successfully let me install Slackware on my new notebook.

VicFer: My pleasure! Glad to help!

And thank you for posting here. I think this is a "hidden issue" at present, but one that will become increasingly problematic. I have tried to raise the issue with Mr.Volkerding (and AlienBob), but to no effect so far. I suspect that they don't have any hardware that demonstrates the problem.

Maybe if enough people post their experiences here, it will get their attention!

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Pete

1 members found this post helpful.