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After just having performed a fresh installation of Ubuntu 20.04 and needing to enable Secure Boot through UEFI so it can install third-party packages, the system pops the MOK Management screen and then brings me to GRUB regardless of input.

This question minorly touches on the problems I'm having, but has no answers and does not exactly match my issue.

The primary thing you're supposed to do is locate the root partition for your system, find the /boot/grub files for it, and then load the kernel and so on from there. The issue is my system refuses to find it.

The Ubuntu system is on a 256GB SD card and was installed not even half an hour ago. The only partitions it's finding, however, are my 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD that are both Windows. This means I can't boot into my new Ubuntu system at all, since it won't find the files. This is all it can find;

  • The partition at (hd0,1) is the HDD.
  • (hd0,2) and on don't exist.
  • The partition at (hd1,1) is seemingly Linux, however the /boot/grub directories within it are empty.
  • (hd1,2) reports an unknown filesystem.
  • (hd1,3) is my SSD.
  • (hd1,4) is the Windows RE.
  • (hd1,5) and onward don't exist.
  • There exists a (proc), but the only thing in there is something called "luks_script".

Edit: After doing some further testing (and more re-installs), I've found the following information;

  1. It is NOT only limited to utilizing Secure Boot. Even after re-installing with the "third-party packages" selection unchecked, the issue still stands.
  2. After echoing $root, I've found that it's giving the aforementioned (hd1,1) partition that had its /boot/grub directory empty--this is the partition that it believes to be root.
    • /boot/grub is NOT empty after a non-Secure Boot install, and x86_64-efi/ contains grub.cfg.
  3. Said partition's /efi directory holds directories of Microsoft/, Boot/, hp/, Android/, and ubuntu/, all of which are indicative of the previous and/or current systems I've installed (or attempted to install) to the SD card--Android x86, Windows XP, HP's recovery systems, and Ubuntu.
    • The fascinating part of this is each directory holds information regarding that OS; eg. Microsoft/Boot/ holds bootmgr.efi, Android/ holds android.cfg, and so on.
    • None of these folders, as I can tell, hold the proper kernel information I need.
xTerrene
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  • Did you boot live installer with Secure Boot on. How you boot install media, is then how it installs. Lets see details, use ppa version with your live installer (2nd option) or any working install, not older Boot-Repair ISO: Please copy & paste the pastebin link to the Boot-info summary report ( do not post report), do not run the auto fix till reviewed. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair Or turn UEFI Secure Boot off, and then you have no issues installing drivers. – oldfred Sep 12 '20 at 20:24
  • I'm not sure I'm understanding what it is you're saying. It gives me the option to not have Secure Boot when installing, but I can't install third-party packages without it. – xTerrene Sep 12 '20 at 20:31
  • Then that is new. It used to only require you to set a user key for proprietary drivers, if installing in UEFI Secure Boot mode. I do not need any drivers and do not have Secure boot on, so cannot test. https://askubuntu.com/questions/61396/how-do-i-install-the-nvidia-drivers Why disabling “Secure Boot” is enforced policy when installing 3rd party modules http://askubuntu.com/questions/755238/why-disabling-secure-boot-is-enforced-policy-when-installing-3rd-party-modules & https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UEFI/SecureBoot/DKMS – oldfred Sep 12 '20 at 22:22
  • Okay, yeah, but after doing that, MOK pops up and any input--valid or not--that I give brings me to the GRUB command line, and I can't get it to find and load the kernels etc. I need. Secure Boot in and of itself isn't the problem I'm having. – xTerrene Sep 13 '20 at 01:46
  • Then post link to summary report from Boot-Repair, just to see boot configuration. Does recovery mode from grub menu work, or are you getting grub> ? Sometimes exit works or manual boot: https://askubuntu.com/questions/654386/windows-10-upgrade-led-to-grub-rescue/655027#655027 – oldfred Sep 13 '20 at 03:42
  • I'm getting grub>, but that's the other issue. It happens on every boot--exit just pushes me back into GRUB. I can't force a manual boot because, as I said, it won't find the partition I need to load anything--and the only one even resembling Linux it is finding has /boot/grub empty. Please re-read my question's details, I laid out every partition it has labeled, what they are based on me performing ls on them, and everything I've tried. So far, you've only given me the same steps I've explained that I've already done. – xTerrene Sep 13 '20 at 04:26
  • Also, I don't know what you mean by "post a summary of boot-info" or "boot-repair". Can you elaborate on what that means, please? I can't get into the OS at all, so uploading from and downloading to the Linux system is impossible. – xTerrene Sep 13 '20 at 04:28
  • As in first comment. Lets see details, use ppa version with your live installer (2nd option) or any working install, not older Boot-Repair ISO: Please copy & paste the pastebin link to the Boot-info summary report ( do not post report), do not run the auto fix till reviewed. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair – oldfred Sep 13 '20 at 17:06
  • The boot info report is located at https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/BrWNfJYFN3. – xTerrene Sep 13 '20 at 20:08
  • It says you have UEFI Secure Boot on. Best to turn it off, if you need proprietary drivers. Multiple examples of UEFI and disabling UEFI Secure Boot http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/secureboot.html#disable – oldfred Sep 14 '20 at 03:31
  • Ah, your initial comment makes more sense now. I did see that that completely removed the option for Secure Boot in the installer, however that did not help the situation I'm having. I'm still being greeted with the GRUB command line. – xTerrene Sep 14 '20 at 04:07
  • The /EFI/ubuntu folder does not have the kernel. The kernel is in the /boot folder in / (root). But Ubuntu's Ubiquity installer will only install to an ESP on first drive. You do show boot files in ESP on sdb, but if not booting may be older install? Run Boot-Repair and re-install grub to ESP on sdb. – oldfred Sep 14 '20 at 14:40
  • Boot-Repair actually worsened the issue, as now my BIOS isn't detecting Ubuntu at all. Windows still boots fine. – xTerrene Sep 14 '20 at 20:19
  • Metadata kept in Windows cache, refused to mount. That is a Windows issue. Windows fast start up is on. Windows also turns it back on with updates which may be in back ground when you boot into Windows. Boot Windows from UEFI boot menu & turn fast start up off. http://askubuntu.com/questions/843153/ubuntu-16-showing-windows-10-partitions & https://askubuntu.com/questions/145902/unable-to-mount-windows-ntfs-filesystem-due-to-hibernation Grub will not boot Windows if fast start up is on. – oldfred Sep 14 '20 at 20:28
  • Even after re-running Boot-Repair post-turning off fast startup, my BIOS isn't finding Ubuntu. Attempting to follow Boot-repair's advice and telling my BIOS to load off of /EFI/Ubuntu/shimx64.efi just brought me back into GRUB. Edit: Pastebin link – xTerrene Sep 14 '20 at 20:55
  • Configuration looks correct. UEFI uses partUUID of ESP on sdd1. the /EFI/ubuntu/grub.cfg configurefiles to install on sdd2. But HP does not seem to accept efibootmgr (which grub also uses) for boot order. You have to set in UEFI settings. And may have to boot hard drive entry which is /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi in sda. Not sure if that is still a copy of Windows or a copy of shimx64.efi. – oldfred Sep 14 '20 at 22:32
  • Booting from /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi just brought me back to GRUB. I don't know what you mean by setting anything in my BIOS. Changing my "OS Boot Manager" to the Ubuntu option does the same when booting it. I also did another full reinstall, to no avail – xTerrene Sep 14 '20 at 22:59
  • HP change boot order in UEFI boot https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2441981&p=13952881#post13952881 Do you have this setting? HP Elitebook 840 G5 gpt issues - HP put a fail-safe gpt recovery into the UEFI Settings, go into the UEFI Menu in Security -> Hard Drive Utilities -> Uncheck "Save/restore GPT System of Hard Drive" – oldfred Sep 15 '20 at 03:29

0 Answers0