EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

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hkk
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:58 pm

EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

Post by hkk »

I updated BIOS 2.1.0.333_5(? the factory bios, shipped: 2012-01) to 2.1.0.333_9, in order to solve ticking power module problem.

After that, I can no longer boot in EFI.
I tried ubuntu server 12.04 installation CD, and ubuntu 11.10 in my SSD.

BIOS settings: Legacy boot -> disable, UEFI boot -> Enable

grub2 screen will be displayed, then goes black.
It was working fine in the old BIOS.

Please teach me a solution.
I need an old version BIOS until this problem is resolved. please upload it.

jtp
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:30 am

Re: EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

Post by jtp »

I can confirm this problem. Exactly same configuration, exactly same problem.

Please provide immediately the old bios image that works with UEFI or even better get the new bios fixed.

jtp
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:30 am

Re: EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

Post by jtp »

I now got my ubuntu installation working again by changing the boot disk from GPT/UEFI boot to conventional MBR booting. The steps I went through were the following.

1. Disable UEFI boot in the fit-pc3 BIOS

2. Boot from a usb disk or cd that is NOT prepared for UEFI (I used a usb stick with clonezilla but I am sure many other live CDs will work as well - not the Ubuntu 12.04 though)

3. exit to a commandline prompt and su to become root

4. use gdisk to change the disk from UEFI to MBR:
gdisk /dev/sda
choose "r" for rescue
choose "g" for converting from GPT/UEFI to MBR
choose "w" for writing the changes to the disk
type "y" for confirmation

5. Now use good old fdisk to manage the resulting partitions
fdisk /dev/sda
choose "p" to see existing setup
choose "d" to delete a partition
choose "1" to delete the UEFI partition (necessary otherwise grub-install will fail)
use "p" to check what your partitions look like now
choose "a" to toogle boot-flag on partition
choose "2" to make partition 2 a boot partition (this is where the ubuntu installation resides in my case)
My ubuntu partition type for some strange reason appeared as HPFS/NTFS/exFAT. This should be changed into type 83 for Linux:
choose "t" for changing partition system id
choose "2" for partition 2 (in my case)
choose "83" for linux type
choose "p" to verify that everything looks right
choose "w" to write the partition information to the disk

6. Now we need to install grub, so we mount the partition with ubuntu which in my case again is /dev/sda2. I use /mnt as mount point:

mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda

7. with your favorite editor you should now edit /mnt/etc/fstab and remove the reference to the UEFI partition on the mounted disk:
vi /mnt/etc/fstab
uncomment or delete the line for /boot/efi

8. save and reboot. Your system should now come up normally

Most likely you previously installed the package grub-efi-amd64. It is important that you replace this package with grub-pc otherwise you trash your system next time you run grub-install from your main ubuntu installation for instance when the kernel is upgraded. (If you don't do this you will remember when one day you see some grub message about "invalid arch independent elf magic error")

Therefore run:

sudo apt-get install grub-pc

This will automatically uninstall grub-efi-amd64

I consider all of this a work-around because of a faulty BIOS, but if you need to get your installation running this is a way to do it.

gabrielh
Site Admin
Posts: 1260
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:13 pm

Re: EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

Post by gabrielh »

Please switch boot priority to the Legacy First in the BIOS menu
Gabriel Heifets

Fit-PC2/3/IntensePC support.

heikkik
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:50 am

Re: EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

Post by heikkik »

"Legacy First" did not help :(

In the boot order configuration I noticed that all "SATA" interfaces are labeled as "ATA", not "SATA". If I remember right it was reading "SATA" with the previous BIOS version, but I cannot confirm because I cannot reverse the upgrade. Can anyone confirm? I restored BIOS defaults, changed ACHI -> IDE and back, but without any help.

My Ubuntu 12.04 x64 test installation with old small hard drive which was installed with previous BIOS version just doesn't boot. I'am sure the switch to legacy MBR would help, but I would like to get the official fix before reinstalling to a big new hard drive.

BR,
Heikki K.

Denis
Posts: 301
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 3:24 pm

Re: EFI boot failed on BIOS 2.1.0.333_9

Post by Denis »

Hi all,
- There is a EFI and GRUB2 incompatibility that cause installations problems, we know about it. There are many scenarios to play with boot options (EFI or MBR) and grub installer type (pc or efi) that lead to unbootable system.
- Conventional MBR booting was tested a lot on both server and desktop Ubuntu versions.
- To avoid unexpected problems we have set MBR booting scheme ("Legacy First") as default BIOS setting on fit-PC3.
- Window 7 works ok with "UEFI first" so it`s not clear now if the problem is in BIOS or GRUB or Ubuntu installer.
- We sorry but we have no plans to fix EFI boot in Linux in the near future, please format your disks with MBR scheme.
Compulab's Linux support

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