Unable to boot Ubuntu 16.04

Question

I'm trying to install Ubuntu Mate 16.04 as a standalone on my Acer E3-112-c43a. The installation completes without errors, but the system does not boot after restart. Instead the boot sequence only shows a few error messages, which disappear too fast to read.

This is the report from Boot-Repair.

I am booting in UEFI mode and already disabled Secure Boot. I checked the boot and esp flag for /sda1 with GParted.

In the Boot Menu I can only choose between Windows Bootmanager and my Live USB. I never installed Windows on the Netbook and it came without a preinstalled operating system.

I had an Ubuntu standalone running on it before, but tried to install Arch, which also did not work. So I could have messed up something there.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Your firmware is probably defective, as it seems to be forgetting the Ubuntu boot entry. I recommend trying the following, in this order:

1. Check the manufacturer's Web site for an updated firmware (probably called a "BIOS update" or something similar). Install it and run Boot Repair again. This may fix the problem, but I wouldn't hold out much hope.
2. If the computer is new enough, return it to the store for a refund and buy one that's not broken. The manufacturer is wasting your time, my time, and the time of everybody else who tries to help you. They've had years to fix this problem, yet some manufacturers continue to ignore it. If you return your computer, be sure to tell the manufacturer why you did so; if they don't know they're getting returns for this reason, they'll likely continue to release junk.
3. In Ubuntu, copy the /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu directory to /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT and rename the shimx64.efi file in the /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT directory to bootx64.efi. (If there is no shimx64.efi file, you would instead rename grubx64.efi to bootx64.efi.) This workaround copies Ubuntu's boot loader to the fallback filename -- the filename that most EFIs try to launch if they can't find something else. Thus, this approach usually works. If you (or the package system) ever update GRUB, you'll need to repeat this step to use the newer GRUB. If you ever want to replace GRUB with something else, you'll need to do something equivalent with the new boot loader.
4. Activate the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) in your firmware and re-install Ubuntu in BIOS/CSM/legacy mode. (Alternatively, you could activate the CSM and install a BIOS-mode boot loader; but with a fresh installation, re-installing may be easier.)