[SOLVED] Arch Linux install on UEFI motherboard (Asus UX31A)

Hello all,
I am new to Arch Linux (moving over from Mint) and I am having an enormous amount of trouble with booting for UEFI.  I go through all the command line installation steps and get to the step where you install and configure a bootloader.  I have followed everything step-by-step up and cannot seem to get anything to boot, I get the motherboard settings menu instead.  I've tried GRUB, rEFInd, and Gummiboot and all three have not worked for me.  Is there any hope for configuring a bootloader?  I am used to Mint/Ubuntu creating it for me.
Thanks
Last edited by somedood (2013-06-09 13:23:51)

srs5694 wrote:It shouldn't matter from where you launch the EFI shell, although that will affect device names. If you boot a USB flash drive with an EFI shell on it, chances are fs0: will be the USB flash drive itself. Your rEFInd, though, should be installed on your hard disk, and therefore on another device -- probably fs1:, although it could be fs2:, fs3:, or some other number. If the only filesystem you can find is fs0:, then that indicates something is wrong with your hard disk setup -- perhaps your ESP's filesystem is damaged, or maybe there's something wrong with the partition table.
I followed the steps in the beginners installation guide to create my file system starting with:
cgdisk /dev/sda1
I create 4 Linux filesystem partitions with this, then I run:
mkfs.vfat -32 /dev/sda1
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2
mkfs.ex4 /dev/sda3
mkswap /dev/sda4
I then toggle the boot flag of my FAT32 formatted ESP (/dev/sda1):
parted
toggle
1
boot
if it is not turned on according to the output of:
parted
print
After that I mount the drives and turn swap on:
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
mkdir -p /mnt/home
mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/home
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
swapon /dev/sda4
I install my base system (without changing /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist) by running:
pacstrap -i /mnt base
Finally I generate my fstab after the Arch installation:
genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
I then check the fstab and I get the result from my previous post and according to the guide it is ok because everything but my root partition has a 0 or 2.
somedood wrote:# /dev/sda2
UUID=264fe719-b816-462d-af5b-1b76c73a875b     /     ext4     rw,relatime,data=ordered     0     1
# /dev/sda3
UUID=824c5b36-6bf3-4c66-8878-5c886dadc9dd     /home     ext4     rw,relatime,data=ordered     0     2
# /dev/sda1
UUID=49B1-AE7E     /boot/efi     vfat     rw,relatime,fmask=0022, dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro     0     2
# /dev/sda4
UUID=426143bf-0cb4-4b7e-8868-e82d6fe7bd8b     none     swap     defaults     0     0
To clarify, sda2 and sda3 are my root and home partitions respectively, sda4 is my swap, and sda1 is my ESP.
What could have gone wrong here?  This is quite frustrating to me and I really want to use Arch.

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    Last edited by mac57 (2014-06-02 17:42:21)

    Folks, thanks for all your helpful comments, and I wanted to report back to you that I finally overcame the issue, and ArchLinux-Duke (2007) is once again executing flawlessly on my old Pentium Pro 200 system. I won't bother reporting here all the blind allies I went down as I tried to figure out what was wrong, but in the end, literally moments before I was about to give up and overwrite my Arch installation with a new Linux variant (antiX seemed well suited for such old and low power hardware), my attention was drawn to a note I had made in my files back in 2007 about a problem with similar symptoms. In that case, I had just deleted ZenWalk Linux from the hard drive (both Arch and Zen had been on the drive), and merged several partitions to make use of the newly free space. This had changed Arch's view of the drive lettering, and what had been its /dev/sddx root device was now /dev/sdcx. Arch failed to boot, throwing off the same errors I was seeing now. I wish I had recalled that note a month or so ago! It would have saved me a lot of work and a lot of frustration.
    At any rate, as a last step, and testing the idea that maybe the drive lettering had changed for some reason, I repeatedly manually booted Arch, specifying root=/dev/sda6, then /dev/sdb6, then /dev/sdd6, and finally, /dev/sdc6. Eureka! Arch now considered itself to be on /dev/sdc6 whereas previously it had been on /dev/sda6. This got me part way there, but the boot failed at the filesystem check stage and threw me into root. I disabled the file system check in /etc/rc.sysinit and got farther. Then I cleaned up /etc/fstab to agree with the new sdc naming, and I was back on the air fully.
    So, what had happened was that Arch had changed its view of the drive it was on from sda6 to sdc6. While I could not understand why this "sudden" change had occurred, at least I had a solution, and had Arch back up and running.
    Trolling through the rest of my notes, I found the answer. In 2012, the Tekram SCSI card in the machine failed, and I ultimately replaced it with an Adaptec card. The Tekram card did not have a BIOS segment on it. The Adaptec card did. My guess is that this caused the two internal SCSI devices I have built into the system (Iomega ZIP and Jaz respectively) to be enumerated first, claiming the "sda" and "sdb". device names. That left "sdc" for the root device, and that is where Arch went next.  This is my guess anyway.
    I should have caught this issue back in 2012, at the time, but from my notes, I can see that I tested the new card thoroughly using the  Windows NT 4.0 side of the machine, but never thought to bring up Arch as well. Hence, this problem lay dormant for two years, before I attempted to fire up Arch last month and blundered right into it.
    It has not all been bad. I have learned more about the ext2 and ext3 file systems and superblocks in the intervening time than I will ever need to use. I have learned how to manually boot Linux on a machine whose BIOS is so old that it cannot address the disk cylinder that the kernel is on and I have completely refreshed the many general Linux skills that used to just flow from my finger tips. It has been a frustrating experience, but ultimately a successful and useful one.
    Just wanted to let everyone know that this is now [SOLVED]. I would mark the post as such, but I don't see any obvious way to do that. Thanks again everyone.

  • [SOLVED] Arch Linux on Macbook - Can't fix Screen Resolution

    I just installed Arch Linux as a dual-boot on my Macbook.  I really like it so far.  However, I came across a problem that is really bothering me.  It may seem simple, but no matter what I try, I only get "1024x768" and "800x600" resolution options.  What I need is "1280x800."  Here is my xorg.conf file right now:
    Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier "X.org Configured"
    Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    EndSection
    Section "Files"
    ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
    FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc"
    FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"
    FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"
    FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"
    FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"
    EndSection
    Section "Module"
    Load "glx"
    Load "dri2"
    Load "extmod"
    Load "dbe"
    Load "dri"
    Load "record"
    EndSection
    Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier "Keyboard0"
    Driver "kbd"
    EndSection
    Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier "Mouse0"
    Driver "mouse"
    Option "Protocol" "auto"
    Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
    Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
    EndSection
    Section "Monitor"
    Identifier "Monitor0"
    VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
    ModelName "Monitor Model"
    EndSection
    Section "Device"
    ### Available Driver options are:-
    ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
    ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
    ### [arg]: arg optional
    #Option "ShadowFB" # [<bool>]
    #Option "DefaultRefresh" # [<bool>]
    #Option "ModeSetClearScreen" # [<bool>]
    Identifier "Card0"
    Driver "vesa"
    VendorName "Intel Corporation"
    BoardName "Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller"
    BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
    EndSection
    Section "Screen"
    Identifier "Screen0"
    Device "Card0"
    Monitor "Monitor0"
    SubSection "Display"
    Viewport 0 0
    Modes "1280x800"
    Depth 1
    EndSubSection
    SubSection "Display"
    Viewport 0 0
    Modes "1280x800"
    Depth 4
    EndSubSection
    SubSection "Display"
    Viewport 0 0
    Modes "1280x800"
    Depth 8
    EndSubSection
    SubSection "Display"
    Viewport 0 0
    Modes "1280x800"
    Depth 15
    EndSubSection
    SubSection "Display"
    Viewport 0 0
    Modes "1280x800"
    Depth 16
    EndSubSection
    SubSection "Display"
    Viewport 0 0
    Modes "1280x800"
    Depth 24
    EndSubSection
    EndSection
    I just followed the instruction on the Arch Linux - Macbook Wiki page, and everything worked perfectly, except the resolution question.  The only thing I added to the file is the 'Modes    "1280x800"' lines.  This is exactly what I've always done with linux, and it has always worked.  So I'm perplexed, and I can't find any solutions that actually work by googling it.  Has anyone else come across this problem, and even more important, does anyone know what is wrong?
    Thanks.
    Last edited by meolson (2009-09-23 04:44:23)

    Ok.  I figured it out.  I found this forum:
    http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=56899
    I found it before, but I had done everything, or so I thought.  At the end, he mentions two things that are important to fix the resolution.  I've repeated them here, and adapted them to what I had before:
    pacman -S xf86-video-intel
    edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf, and change video card driver from 'vesa' to 'intel'
    I thought I had installed xf86-video-intel already, but apparently I hadn't.  So, I followed those two steps, and now, it looks so much better!  Thanks to anyone who tried to looked for a solution.

  • [SOLVED] Arch Linux on Macbook Pro 4.1

    Hey There,
    I'm a 2 years old Arch Linux guy and due to the problems I've had with my HP Pavilion PC, I've bought a Macbook Pro 3-4 months ago.. Because that it's a pain in the ass to install, upgrade and remove software on Mac OS X, especially development software such as Python and its bindings, I'm thinking of migrating to Arch Linux. Any way, I've just installed Arch Linux and dual boot..
    I've installed X, GNOME, NVIDIA so far and when I try to open GNOME (via startx), it opens up a 800x600 or 1024x768 resolution X and shows GNOME.. But I can't move the mouse and no matter what I type no menus show up.. So I'm stuck after GNOME starts.. I can't drop back into the terminal so I hold the power button to shutdown and start the machine...
    It seems that this is the only problem I have for now.. Anyone had this problem before? I've tried it with and without xorg.conf and the result is the same..
    Last edited by T-u-N-i-X (2008-11-30 16:17:11)

    CTRL + ALT + Backspace
    That should close startx.  Also, the user manual has a couple of alternative methods of setting up your xorg.conf file.  I'd try those next.
    http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beg … phic_Cards
    Last edited by sharpie (2008-11-30 14:05:39)

  • Trouble with a wired connection on my fresh Arch Linux Install

    I am a new Arch Linux user. I used to use Ubuntu exclusively, but I'm to the point where I can no longer stand a lot of the issues with the new development and Canonical. Anyways....
    I have a Dell Inspiron 1440 laptop with an RTL8110SC (Module R8169) Ethernet port. (Pardon me if my terminology is wrong; please correct me if it is so I can learn? ) During the install process with the CD that I made, I had no issues connecting to the Internet. However, whenever I boot into my install, there is no connection. I've tried pinging various web pages and nothing will happen. I know that my hardware is compatible, but I do not know what to do next. I've tried everything under the Wiki's Beginner's Guide and the Network Configuration Guide.
    I just realised after I wrote this top portion that it no longer is connecting via CD, either. Pinging is giving me errors about no packets being received.
    Please help me with this matter? I would love to start using Arch Linux!

    Ping is a very basic command that is fundamental to debugging networks at the lowest levels.
    ewaller@odin:~ 1002 %ping 8.8.8.8
    PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) 56(84) bytes of data.
    64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=50 time=42.7 ms
    64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=50 time=36.7 ms
    64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=3 ttl=50 time=36.8 ms
    ^C
    --- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
    3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2003ms
    rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 36.721/38.782/42.768/2.819 ms
    ewaller@odin:~ 1003 %
    What we can tell so far..
    You have an Ethernet Interface.
    You have an Ethernet Address.
    You cannot look up domain names (bad)
    We are trying to see if you can see other computers if you know their address.  This will tell us if it is a DNS or a routing problem
    Last edited by ewaller (2012-10-26 22:58:32)

  • [SOLVED] Arch Linux Guest Virtual Box OSE problem

    So I am installing my Arch Linux as a Guest in my Ubuntu partition, through Virtual Box OSE (3.2.8). I followed the wiki ( https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ar … lBox_Guest ) but still have an issue:
    sudo pacman -S kernel26-headers xorg gcc make
    sudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
    sudo /mnt/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run
    But It fails on Shared folders, and cannot recognize X:
    :: Building the VirtualBox Guest Additions Kernel Modules [BUSY]
    :: Building the main Guest Additions module [DONE]
    :: Building the shared folder support module [FAIL]
    (Look at /var/log/vboxadd-install.log to find otu what went wrong)
    :: Warning: Unknown version of the X Window System installed. Not installing X Window System drivers.
    :: Installing graphics libraries and desktop services components [Done]
    /var/log/vboxadd-install.log states:
    /tmp/vbox.0/vfsmod.c:406:9: error: unknown field 'clear_inode' specified in initalizer
    /tmp/vbox.0/vfsmod.c:406:9 warning: initalization from incompatible pointer type.
    Which is strange, because as far as I know, clear_inode is part of the linux headers.
    Any idea why this is happening? Do I just need to update VirtualBox to a newer version?
    Last edited by gralamin (2011-03-11 18:22:14)

    Updating Virtualbox fixed the issue.

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