[13.10 64Bit Beta1]-UEFI GRUB Not Working After Install?

[JeZ-l-Lee]

[13.10 64Bit Beta1]-UEFI GRUB Not Working After Install?

Hi,

I downloaded Kubuntu 13.10 64Bit Beta1 and verified the md5sum and burned to a DVD and verified the burned DVD.

I successfully installed Kubuntu 13.10 64Bit Beta1 onto my desktop, but when I boot system I get a GRUB prompt and no OS ?
Seems like something went wrong with UEFI GRUB installation? (BIOS does show Kubuntu UEFI HDD)

How do I fix this problem with Kubuntu 13.10 64Bit Beta1 on my desktop?
Thanks!

PS - I have an Asus Sabertooth 990FX Gen2.0 AMD motherboard with UEFI.

Jesse

[NoWorries]

I had exactly the same problem a month ago when I installed Saucy alpha. So my memory is vague as to how I fixed the problem. Here is what I can remember.

I was using a usb installation that was generated by the Startup Disk Creator package. After the installation failed with the grub prompt, I rebooted with the usb installation system and did the following:

sudo add-apt-repository http://ppa.launchpad.net/yannubuntu/boot-repair/ubuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install boot-repair

From memory, the update gave an error as the repository did not have a version for "saucy". So I used Muon to change the yannubuntu source to "precise" and repeated the update and install steps.

I then ran the boot repair and followed all the requested inputs and accepted all the default options. I was very surprised that I could do this with the installation "disk". I was then able to get the installed system working.

I hope that my memory is correct and that I have not led you astray. I also hope that this problem with the UEFI is fixed before the final release.

[NoWorries]

I had previously reported my experiences with this and you might find it interesting to read the comments on this topic.

[mvaar]

I have the same problem. With boot repair, I just installed grub to MBR. Doesn't solve the problem.

UEFI has been broken in kubuntu 13.04 and 13.10. Unfortunately, kubuntu doesn't give the option of non EFI grub at all- opensuse gives you that.

[Buddlespit]

I have the same problem. With boot repair, I just installed grub to MBR. Doesn't solve the problem.

UEFI has been broken in kubuntu 13.04 and 13.10. Unfortunately, kubuntu doesn't give the option of non EFI grub at all- opensuse gives you that.

Nothing was broken on opensuse beta1?

[mvaar]

Nothing was broken on opensuse beta1?

opensuse 12.3 release grub/installer works as long as I don't enable EFI. Kubuntu 13.04 doesn't and it doesn't offer a choice of non EFI grub.

opensuse 13.1 'factory' and kubuntu 13.10 beta are in somewhat similar states. I haven't tried either of them with EFI enabled in bios. I don't understand why kubuntu INSISTS on the EFI booting process when it cannot work with it ?


Not everyone who runs linux wants to dual boot with windows 8 ( in fact, IMO very few people who want to run linux want to have anything to do with windows 8).

[Buddlespit]

Did you fill out a bug report?

[SteveRiley]

The installer should follow whatever mode your firmware is configured for.

• If the firmware is in UEFI mode and its boot priority is UEFI first, BIOS compatibility second, the installation media boots in UEFI mode.
• If the firmware is in UEFI mode and its boot priority is BIOS compatibility first, UEFI second, the installation media boots in BIOS compatibility mode.
• If the firmware is in BIOS compatibility mode, the installation media boots in BIOS compatibility mode.

If this is not the actual behavior, then indeed there's a bug.

In UEFI mode with GPT disks, do not install GRUB to the MBR. (GPT disks have no MBR. But they do have "protective" MBRs, which are on-disk structures that fake MBR-only utilities into ignoring the entire disk.) Instead, GRUB should be installed in the EFI system partition, a small FAT-32 partition with type EF00.

[mvaar]

The disk was already GPT partitioned. It came that way from HP with windows 8 installed. When I was having problems with the kubuntu installation, I even changed the partition table to the old kind, at which point it refused to install. complaining about the lack of the fat EFI partition.

My bios settings are such that only one of legacy or secure boot options are active at a time; I set it to use legacy mode. I assume this is what you are referring to.

Kubuntu WANTS to always use EFI boot loader, even if it CANNOT get it to work ! I wonder why the hell does it not default to something that works and let the more adventurous user try the non default set up ?!

And I am not EVEN trying to dual boot with windows .

I finally reverted back to opensuse 12.3, where it allows me to choose between grub/grub-efi and selecting plain grub installs everything fine- it replaces the crap on the MBR so I can get a graphical boot screen as before.

[mvaar]

>> In UEFI mode with GPT disks, do not install GRUB to the MBR. (GPT disks have no MBR. But they do have "protective" MBRs, which are on-disk structures that fake MBR-only utilities into ignoring the entire disk.) Instead, GRUB should be installed in the EFI system partition, a small FAT-32 partition with type EF00.

This may be the mistake I have been making, assuming that it needs grub on MBR. I thought that the installer would figure out the correct place to install the correct code because it DOES ask me for an EFI partition- don't know why it doesn't use that information.

If MBR does get grub, what happens then ? Also, am I supposed to clear the MBR then ?

[SteveRiley]

The installer actually uses confusing language. It really should never present an option to install on MBR when the disk is GPT.

At this point, I have decided to take on a project this weekend. We have so many reports of borked installing that I need to try to replicate the failures myself. I will wipe my spare laptop, install Windows 8, then try to set up dual boot. I will try with 13.04 first. Then I will wipe again and try with 13.10.

I will place the machine's firmware into the mode that allows both UEFI and BIOS compatibility booting, and I will document what happens when the firmware's preferences are set to try UEFI first, then when the preferences are set to try BIOS compatibility mode first. I will not be trying with Secure Boot enabled. Also, I cannot replicate firmware support for Fast Boot, as none of my machines have that facility.

[tanasinn]

I have got the same problem on my machine (with 64bit version of Beta 2). It seems to get stuck when trying to boot from the partition containing the EFI .

I haven't yet found the cause or a way to fix it, but I found how to manually boot into Kubuntu from the prompt:
1. Find the disk partition with the EFI folder (first run just ls to list all disks, then check all of them with ls (partitionname)/EFI (ex. ls (hd0,gpt1)/EFI) etc. until you find the partition that has that folder. Note the name of it so you don't have to search for it again.
2. Use the configfile commando to boot into Kubuntu with the grub.conf file, like this: configfile (hd0,gpt1)/EFI/kubuntu/grub.conf

[tanasinn]

I seem to have solved my problem by copying /boot/efi/EFI/kubuntu/ to /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/. Simply renaming it should also work.
Will test it more later and maybe file a bug report (if none exists).

[Edit]
Seems simply renaming it does not work, grub gets stuck at the blinking cursor/line. The kubuntu folder is still needed for some reason.

[SteveRiley]

Seems simply renaming it does not work, grub gets stuck at the blinking cursor/line. The kubuntu folder is still needed for some reason.

What's the output of

sudo efibootmgr -v

[NoWorries]

I have found that even beta2 does not handle UEFI as well. I use a usb for installation and after the installation is complete, I get the familiar grub prompt when I reboot. I then reboot with the "installation disc" which is really the usb installation. I then bring up Konsole and enter the following

sudo add-apt-repository http://ppa.launchpad.net/yannubuntu/boot-repair/ubuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install boot-repair

I then use the K menu to launch boot repair and follow the prompts. These require Konsole inputs to be made. After completion, I then reboot and I have always found that I get a Grub Menu with Kubuntu at the top followed by Advanced Options for Kubuntu. The first launches Kubuntu from the "Hard Disc". The second gives options for repair.

I hope this works for you as well.