[SOLVED] I Cannot install Slack64 14.1 with GPT in UEFI motherboard

gauchao · 12-29-2014, 05:37 PM

I've got a new machine with a UEFI motherboard (ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0) and a big HD (3TB - hence the need to use GPT). Although I can boot the Slack disk with compatibility mode activated ("Bios" compatibility mode), I would like to try the UEFI.

I have disabled the "secure boot" option in UEFI and left the remaining options unaltered, capable of booting both UEFI and non-UEFI disks.

I have tried to boot the Slack64 14.1 official DVD -> all I got was a "Welcome to Grub" line on a black screen and everything frozen.

According to the recommendations by AlienBOB in README_USB.TXT (Slackware DVD) I have then made a USB boot stick using

Code:

dd if=usbboot.img of=/dev/sdc bs=1M

When I booted the USB disk, I got a boot menu from ELILO that went into a loop - no further advances.

If I try to boot the Slackware DVD with UEFI set to compatibility mode ("BIOS") I can boot the disk, partition the HD with gdisk as described below, but, of course, it doesn't work because without a MBR I cannot install LILO, and since I have booted from a non-UEFI disk I didn't have the option to install ELILO.

Note: I could format the HD with gdisk in order to have 3 partitions

/EFI - 512 Mb - TYPE EF00
/SWAP - 4 Gb - TYPE 8200
/SLACKWARE - 2.7 Tb - TYPE 8300

In conclusion, I am stuck without being able to boot from a UEFI boot disk.

I accept any suggestions.

Thank you in advance and sorry if it's a little confuse (Xmas hangover).

business_kid · 12-30-2014, 04:45 AM

Quote:

sorry if it's a little confuse (Xmas hangover)

That's what I call SOS (Saturnalia Overload Syndrome) :-).

I have a working UEFI setup here, with windows 8 and no linux. It has 6 partitions. There is a boot partition, a boot-recovery partition, a database in a non standard format (which is maintained by m$ I presume) a windows partition, a windows recovery partition, and something else which I clean forget about.

I don't see the database in your hard disk, and I don't know how efi would work without it, as it is the signatures on which the thing relies. That stuff is m$ copyrighted, and m$ updated, so you are in for a rough ride. Why do that to yourself? Linux doesn't get boot viruses. Have you just got too much spare time?

gauchao · 12-30-2014, 07:46 AM

No, thank you. I don't use windows. Only Slackware. I don't know what this "database partition" is, but it is irrelevant for GPT/UEFI in my case. Thank you anyway.

gauchao · 12-30-2014, 08:51 AM

I have made a new attempt to create a USB boot disk with elilo as described by ruario in

http://docs.slackware.com/howtos:slackware_admin:installing_on_uefi_hardware?s[]=efi

The USB disk does not boot - seems like it's not being recognized, and the firmware tries to boot the next boot device.

I will make further attempts.

business_kid · 12-30-2014, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gauchao

No, thank you. I don't use windows. Only Slackware. I don't know what is this "database partition", but it is irrelevant for GPT/UEFI in my case. Thank you anyway.

Ok. You know more than me, then ;-).

colorpurple21859 · 12-30-2014, 09:16 AM

Maybe this will help http://www.playwithtransistors.com/i...efi-boot-stick

gauchao · 12-30-2014, 02:21 PM

No, this didn't work. The firmware menu recognizes the USB with UEFI boot, but does not boot. It skips to the next device.

I was able to boot from some live distros on this machine.

I wonder if I could get a log about what is avoiding the Slack-DVD or USB to boot.

Thanks for your time.

gauchao · 12-31-2014, 01:02 PM

Well, in order to have a working Slackware machine I followed ruario's excellent guide to install Slack64+Grub2 on GPT+BIOS (actually, CMS-compatibility mode or "emulated" BIOS under the EFI) - http://docs.slackware.com/howtos:sla...t_without_uefi

My machine is perfect, without any hardware faults or conflicts and Slackware is flying again, even though I couldn't do this install under pure UEFI mode.

I will leave the post open and accept any suggestions to achieve a Slackware64 installation under EFI+GPT.

Thank you.

PS: I will leave 2 links for further research

https://www.happyassassin.net/2014/0...lly-work-then/

http://www.rodsbooks.com/linux-uefi/

colorpurple21859 · 12-31-2014, 09:47 PM

Make usb in gpt format with two partitions, the first one a boot partition about 500mb fat32 and boot flag set, the second partition rest of usb ext4. Create an EFI/BOOT directory at the top of the usb boot partition

Install refind to usb boot partition using binary zip file according to this: http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/getting.html

Download SlackEfiUsbBoot file from here: http://www.playwithtransistors.com/i...UsbBoot.tar.gz untar files and place SlackEfiUsbBoot directory in the EFI directory. Create a refind_linux.conf file in the SlackEfiUsbBoot directory with the following:

Code:

menuentry "Slackware" {
        loader   /EFI/SlackEfiUsbBoot/bzImage
        initrd   /EFI/SlackEfiUsbBoot/initrd.img
        options  "load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 rw printk.time=0 SLACK_KERNEL=huge.s"
}

copy or dd slackware-install-iso to second usb partition.

Booting the usb should provide a rfind boot menu with two SlackEfiUsbBoot options one using elilo and the other booting bzImage and initrd.img directly.

gauchao · 01-02-2015, 09:24 AM

@colorpurple21859:

It worked very well. rfind seems a very mature boot loader for UEFI.

I guess the problem was UEFI is not so "universal" as it is supposed to be - every hardware manufacturer changes EFI a little and we won't have a default firmware for PCs this way. Anyway, we will have to learn how to use it since BIOS motherboards will be harder to find from now on...

Thank you for your tips and a happy 2015!

colorpurple21859 · 01-02-2015, 10:18 AM

Glad you got it working.