UEFI Boot Confusion [Solved]

[OldAndWeary]

Have done a lot of reading about booting Porteus with UEFI firmware … but unsure of the complete process that is required to create a bootable (from UEFI firmware) v3.1 Porteus USB Stick.

An idiots guide would be really useful to me (and potentially others?)

I am aware that there are videos, tutorials & forum messages that cover aspects of the process … but I am unclear which are still current with the latest V3.1 of Porteus.

I think the basic process is meant to be:
- Create 2 partitions on a USB stick.
- Partition 1 should be FAT32; Partition 2 should be ext4 (or similar).
- Partition 1 will be for BOOT
- Partition 2 will be for Porteus (modules, rootcopy, changes etc.)
- Run the Porteus Wizard to create an ISO image, selecting appropriate items (e.g. 64 bit; EFI; GUI; LXQt; Timezone Europe/London; Keyboard Layout English (UK); Sound Volume 40%; Advanced Options - Root + password; Web Browser Firefox; Word Processor None; VoIP None; Development Tools Binutils)
- Mount the ISO image to allow extraction of components
- Copy folders boot, EFI, [BOOT] from mounted ISO to Partition 1
- Copy porteus folder to Partition 2
- Edit EFI/BOOT/refind.conf on partition 1 such that the line under “Save changes” reads ‘add_options “changes=/mnt/sdb2/porteus login=root”

Question: USB stick should then be ready?

- Insert stick into laptop / PC and ensure USB set to be first boot device under UEFI menus.

- Power on and use Porteus.

This worked “OK” on 1 PC; it did not work on an HP laptop.

By saying it worked “OK’” – it booted into Porteus .. but only saved changes if I specifically hit F2 and said “Save Changes” at boot time… next boot back to Fresh again … i.e. default is always ‘Fresh’, and not the last boot.

The HP laptop showed the Porteus boot screen, then entered Windows. Hitting F2 showed “Save Changes” menu only … selecting this still resulted in boot into Windows.

Apologies for long post … I really hope that someone will be kind enough to help clarify the process.

Other confusions:
- should selecting root in the Porteus wizard result in the root login option getting into refind.conf?
- should the default option always be the last booted selection (i.e. for me Save Changes)?
- Can the same set of cheatcodes as is used for a standard BIOS boot be added as options within refind.conf?
- Secure boot - must that be switched off in the firmware? ... certainly without doing this, the HP laptop didn't even try to boot Porteus.
- Am I meant to do further preparation of the stick? E.g. Reference is made to the script create-efi-usb.sh for Porteus v2.1. Is this meant to be run for Porteus V3.1?

Sorry … lots of questions! Just a clarification of the process required for V3.1 might be all that is required. But would be really grateful for any help.

Cheers
John

[cttan]

Hi OldAndWeary,

I'm using UEFI boot on HP Pavilion laptop.

- Secure boot - must that be switched off in the firmware? ... certainly without doing this, the HP laptop didn't even try to boot Porteus.

Yes. It needs to be off to boot Porteus.

- should the default option always be the last booted selection (i.e. for me Save Changes)?

I observed that by default it will boot last booted selection.

- Am I meant to do further preparation of the stick? E.g. Reference is made to the script create-efi-usb.sh for Porteus v2.1. Is this meant to be run for Porteus V3.1?

I have used this script to create my v3.1 UEFI USB as well. But maybe it is not ready so it is not release yet.

My refind.conf Porteus boot section:-

Code: Select all

#~ My Porteus
menuentry "My Porteus" {
	volume KERNELS
	ostype Linux
	#graphics on
	icon EFI/BOOT/icons/os_porteus.png
	loader boot/syslinux/vmlinuz
	initrd boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
	# My Porteus
	options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce guiexec=sleep~5;/root/Desktop/000-init"
	submenuentry "KDE - My copy2ram w/o *" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce guiexec=sleep~5;/root/Desktop/001-myporteus-wooo"
    }
	submenuentry "KDE - copy2ram Always fresh" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce nomagic base_only norootcopy"
    }
	submenuentry "LxQT - copy2ram Always fresh" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=xfce;kde nomagic base_only norootcopy"		
    }
	submenuentry "Xfce - copy2ram Always fresh" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;kde nomagic base_only norootcopy"		
    }
   	submenuentry "KDE - copy2ram" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce"
    }
	submenuentry "KDE - copy2ram Always fresh save changes" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce base_only norootcopy changes=EXIT:/mnt/sda6/porteus"
    }
   	submenuentry "Text mode" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce 3"
    }
   	submenuentry "pxe-boot" {
		options "copy2ram splash=silent vga=791 quiet noauto login=root ramsize=90% zram=25% volume=5% noload=lxqt;xfce pxe"
    }
}

I have used options instead of add_options as it will boot my Porteus boot line as is.

[brokenman]

All that should be needed is the following:

• Create your Porteus file online at: build.porteus.org
  Be sure to select 64bit and the UEFI enabled.
  Create one single FAT32 partition on the USB
  Put all the files from the ISO onto the USB stick
  Open a root terminal and change into the boot folder on the USB stick
  Run the Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com

From a standard porteus install (and assuming your USB partition is at sdb1)

Code: Select all

mloop /path/to/my/porteus.iso
cp -a /mnt/loop/* /mnt/sdb1
sync
cd /mnt/sdb1/boot
./Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com

That's all.

[OldAndWeary]

Many thanks to both cttan & brokenman for your replies.

Tried both & unfortunately (surprisingly?) neither made any difference. Still have problems.

Hopefully, if I give a few more details, further answers may be possible:

I have 2 computers available at work (currently) that appear to have UEFI 'support' in the firmware.

One is an HP Pavillion X360 laptop that definitely has UEFI firmware (it is due to this laptop that we realised we needed a UEFI capable Porteus on USB stick - to avoid having to set legacy modes). This has all settings you'd expect for UEFI firmware (including secure boot etc.)

The second PC is a desktop (Amplicon Industrial PC), but the firmware appears to support both BIOS & UEFI boots - possibly this means that its not true UEFI? (sorry I'm not expert enough to know!) I say it has UEFI support cos I can set both BIOS boot order & UEFI boot order. Furthermore, it has an option where I can disable any USB devices that are not UEFI. But it does not contain anything to do with secure boot.

The USB stick I am trying to load with Porteus v3.1 is a Kingston USB 3 Data Traveler G3 (8Gb).

Considering brokenman's reply ... mainly cos the reply appears so straightforward ...
Followed your suggestions exactly.
Trying to run on the HP Pavillion, having disabled secure boot, the Porteus grey menu appears; selecting F2 ONLY shows 2 options ... default boot or return to menu. (i.e. Not the complete set of menu entries in refind.conf.) Selecting default results in the laptop booting into Windows 8.1 (yuk!)

Trying USB stick on the desktop PC: If I set first boot device to UEFI: Kingston Data Traveler G3, then the grey Porteus menu is displayed; F2 shows all options; selecting an option results in Porteus starting and running. But on next boot, the last setting does not stick.
Instead, if I disable non-UEFI USB sticks, it totally ignores the USB stick. I guess that means it is not seeing the USB as a UEFI bootable device.

Guess that means the stick is not really being seen correctly as a UEFI device on either PCs?

I'm going to try another USB stick to see if it makes a difference and will report back ... but any advice would be great! [Edit: Have tried another stick .. no difference]

Cheers
John
PS. Did try your your refind.conf settings cttan (many thanks) .... but symptoms didn't really change. Laptop didn't see any menu selections with F2; desktop PC saw them but options did not stick.
PPS. Tried putting the USB stick into laptop with conventional BIOS. Booted into the 'normal' style Porteus v3.1. i.e. Blue menu. Selections then work OK. Again seems to imply it's not really a UEFI stick?

[brokenman]

When the grey menu appears are there two icons? A windows icon and a Porteus icon?

The fact that the refind menu appears indicates that the partition is found and booting can continue (i.e GUID is not required)
I am guessing that the problem is that the search for the Porteus OS is not successful and it then boots from HD.

[OldAndWeary]

I now feel very embarrassed

I had not realised that the grey screen actually contained icons that could be pushed.
And I had not realised that the Left hand icon was the Windows icon + Right hand was Porteus. (Even more embarrassed!)

Now that I select the Right Hand icon .... it correctly enters into Porteus (and I can use F2 to see other options)
Furthermore, when I select Save settings - it does retain this mode of operation on next boot.

Really sorry to have wasted your time

But thank you for your useful inputs!

Cheers
John

[brokenman]

Excellent! Glad you got it sorted and returned to post the solution as it means time was certainly not wasted. No need to feel embarrassed. I've done even more moronic things in my time.

[Ed_P]

All that should be needed is the following:

• Create your Porteus file online at: build.porteus.org
  Be sure to select 64bit and the UEFI enabled.
  Create one single FAT32 partition on the USB
  Put all the files from the ISO onto the USB stick
  Open a root terminal and change into the boot folder on the USB stick
  Run the Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com

From a standard porteus install (and assuming your USB partition is at sdb1)

Code: Select all

mloop /path/to/my/porteus.iso
cp -a /mnt/loop/* /mnt/sdb1
sync
cd /mnt/sdb1/boot
./Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com

That's all.

Love this approach.

And the EFI folder created by 3.1 can be used with 3.0.1 installs. Just copy it over. And the USB flash drive boots on Windows 7 systems also.

For my flash drive I changed the /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg file and the /EFI/BOOT/refind.conf file as follows:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

# Change variables to fit the situation
ISO='/mnt/sda5/ISOs/Porteus-RazorQT-v3.0.1-x86_64.iso'
USB='/mnt/sdb1'
DEV='/dev/sdb1'

echo
echo But first, need to tweak the UUID and changes=EXIT codes in
echo the $USB/boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg file and   
echo the $USB/EFI/BOOT/refind.conf file. 
echo
UUID=`blkid $DEV -o value -s UUID|cut -d\" -f 2`
echo "UUID="$UUID 
echo  
echo APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=EXIT:UUID:$UUID/porteussave.dat extramod=UUID:$UUID/Modules
leafpad $USB/boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg
echo
echo "	options \"from=UUID:$UUID changes=EXIT:UUID:$UUID/porteussave.dat extramod=UUID:$UUID/Modules\""
echo "		add_options \"from=UUID:$UUID changes=EXIT:UUID:$UUID/porteussave.dat extramod=UUID:$UUID/Modules\""
echo "		add_options \"from=UUID:$UUID nomagic base_only norootcopy\""
leafpad $USB/EFI/BOOT/refind.conf 
echo 

Those changes correspond to line 41 in porteus.cfg and lines 468, 470 and 473 in refind.conf.

Remember the fun we had with your porteus-uefi-usb-installer-v3.0.sh script?

[francois]

1.0 This is a useful post on uefi. I am trying it right away.

2.0 I have formatted gpt a 16gig usb lexar 13gig ext2 and 1gig swap and installed thru my bios installation the xfce 3.1 iso content. Let's boot it on windows 10.

[francois]

brokenman:

Be sure to select 64bit and the UEFI enabled.

Porteus iso comes standard with UEFI enabled. So why is it necessary to mention it? Thus any installation will then boot? (uefi or not)
I have the impression that I miss something here.

[Ed_P]

Are you referring to Porteus 3.x, when brokenman made that statement or Porteus 4.x which is probably what you are working with now?

[francois]

I am refering to porteus 4.0. Maybe a new thread should be started. This is necro bumping.