grub2-install uefi entries disappear

lednakashim · n00b Joined: 09 Jun 2010 Posts: 27

I am trying to dual boot an Asus ROG G750JX and I can't seem to get the bootloader to work.

My first step was to disable secure boot from the UEFI BIOS.

I used an Ubuntu LiveCD to access grub and manually boot my gentoo kernel ('linux (hd1,gpt5)\boot\mykernel').

Once in Gentoo I did a grub2-install and `efibootmgr -v` showed the Gentoo entry. I was excited because it seems like everything worked.

When I went into motherboard's menu, the entry Gentoo was missing and the system went straight into the Windows bootloader.

When I rebooted into Gentoo, the manual way from a GRUB2 enabled CD, I don't see the Gentoo entry. It was as if my commands had done nothing.

Whats going on here?

Logicien · Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:28 am Post subject:

Is there a EFI/gentoo subdirectory from the mount point (/boot/efi generally) of your EFI System partition? It should unless you did'nt give the appropriate parameters to the grub-install command.

If the /boot/efi/EFI/gentoo directory have the Grub EFI executable grubx64.efi or the 32 bits version, you can use the boot devices key of the UEFI firmware to select it manually.

I have not been able to make something else than the Windows EFI bootloader as the default loader until I remove Windows and all directories in the EFI System partition except the directory of Grub2 bootloader.

It have been said that if you want a dual boot between Windows and Gentoo in UEFI mode, the two systems in the same boot menu, you have to use a Windows UEFI bootloader, probably not the UEFI loader that come with the Windows installation.
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Paul

DONAHUE · Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:49 am Post subject:

likely your grub2 files are not located where required. or grub2 or the uefi implementaion are flaky (famous for it)

check step by step through http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/grub2.html

IMHO refind as boot manager and efi_stub kernel as bootloader is best choice
refind with legacy grub as bootloader also works

a refind flash drive or cd, http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/getting.html , can be used to discover and boot boot loaders and boot managers. you might try booting one or the other for info.

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/UEFI_Dual_boot_with_Windows_7/8 is my contribution to the uefi confusion.

member srs5694 is Rod and is the expert and a great documenter. he has lots of posts here in addition to his books.
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Defund the FCC.

lednakashim · n00b Joined: 09 Jun 2010 Posts: 27

I found a directory called "/boot/efi/EFI/gentoo/grubx64.efi" but my when I enter the motherboard menu to choose files to boot I don't see the directory for gentoo. Additionally, my "/boot/efi/EFI" does not contain any of the the Windows information that is showing up in my motherboard's menu.

lednakashim · n00b Joined: 09 Jun 2010 Posts: 27

Solve it!

Appears that the real EFI directory wasn't being mounted, instead some folder called EFI was being made, but this was not actually the real EFI folder. I mounted my actual EFI partition and it worked.

I think there should be some more idiot protection, as it should be obvious to detect the FS when executing grub2-install.