No EFI boot on Dell Inspiron One 2330

[YannBuntu]

I agree. Maybe the nomodeset option could help...
have you tried the Ubuntu Recovery option ?

(Memo for me)
- your firmware is setup to boot the liveCD in Legacy mode, but the HDD in UEFI mode
- GRUB appears and allows to boot Windows fine.
- "Ubuntu boots fine in Legacy mode" but there is no GRUB in MBR

[cboling]

the issue is a driver issue probably video

I would be suprised to learn that it ran different video based on booting via MBR vs. EFI. (Remember, it boots and runs fine in Legacy Mode.)

What video chip does you system have?

Oh, let's see, Intel HD something-or-other. Google rumors suggest B75.
lspci reports 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09)".
Ubuntu GUI "system details" simply reports "Intel Sandybridge".
lsmod shows an i915 driver.

[YannBuntu]

(Remember, it boots and runs fine in Legacy Mode.)

There is no GRUB in your MBR and no BIOS-Boot partition, so AFAIK Ubuntu cannot boot in Legacy mode. Maybe you setup something in Legacy mode in your BIOS, but when it tries to boot on your MBR it fails then automatically switches to UEFI mode?

Just to be sure, what do you mean exactly by "in Legacy mode"?
is it when you setup your BIOS to boot the CD in Legacy mode? or is it when you setup your BIOS to boot the HDD in Legacy mode?
can you provide pictures of your BIOS please?

[cboling]

Maybe the nomodeset option could help...

I tried it early on, and it didn't.

have you tried the Ubuntu Recovery option ?

That phrase looks familiar, but I don't see it in the LiveCD options. Can you tell me more about it?

In EFI mode, GRUB has:Install, test, OEM, and check for defects, all of which appear to instantly die. MemTest isn't listed in EFI mode (perhaps because it's 32-bit only) so I can't try that one.

[cboling]

There is no GRUB in your MBR and no BIOS-Boot partition

Sorry for the confusion. When I say "boots and runs fine in legacy mode", I'm referring to the LiveCD. I have not attempted to configure the hard drive for a BIOS boot.

what do you mean exactly by "in Legacy mode"?

Good approach: some clarification is indeed in order. I've got references to this scattered through the previous 3 pages, but there's nothing that shoes the "big picture" of the setup/boot options on this machine. I will post another reply shortly (with pictures) that should improve this situation a little.

[cboling]

I just created this page that documents the boot mode configuration on this machine.

[oldfred]

From the UEFI menu that only gives a black screen, using e remove quiet splash from linux line. Does that show it booting? Normally you should see each driver & process starting by time stamp.

Nice set of photos of UEFI menus.

[cboling]

remove quiet splash from linux line. Does that show it booting?

No. (I had the same thought eariler, but no joy!) It seems to be halting before that point. Even on the "fancy" modes, I never see any sign of video mode changes or anything -- the menu text disappears as if the screen were cleared but no mode change, and the display stays rock-solid from that point on. (Oh, for a serial debugging port!)

[YannBuntu]

I just created this page that documents the boot mode configuration on this machine.

Thanks! this makes things much clearer.

Please:
1) remove your CD/DVD/USB devices.

2) In the "Legacy" screen (screenshot below), please select "LEGACY BOOT: Hard Disk :ST5000M002", and press Enter. Does this load Ubuntu? if yes, please install and run Boot-Repair from this installed Ubuntu, click "Create BootInfo" and indicate the URL that will appear. (goal: checking if Legacy/UEFI mode, and if live/installed session)

3) Then in the "Legacy" screen (screenshot below), please select "UEFI BOOT: UEFI ST5000M002", and press Enter. Does this load Ubuntu? if yes, please install and run Boot-Repair from this installed Ubuntu, click "Create BootInfo" and indicate the URL that will appear.



4) In the "UEFI Mode (Non-secure) [Screenshot missing]" screen, please select "LEGACY BOOT: Hard Disk :ST5000M002", and press Enter. Does this load Ubuntu? if yes, please install and run Boot-Repair from this installed Ubuntu, click "Create BootInfo" and indicate the URL that will appear.

5) In the "UEFI Mode (Non-secure) [Screenshot missing]" screen, please select "UEFI BOOT: UEFI ST5000M002", and press Enter. Does this load Ubuntu? if yes, please install and run Boot-Repair from this installed Ubuntu, click "Create BootInfo" and indicate the URL that will appear.

6) In the "UEFI Mode (Secure)" screen (screenshot below), please select "UEFI BOOT: UEFI ST5000M002", and press Enter. Does this load Ubuntu? if yes, please install and run Boot-Repair from this installed Ubuntu, click "Create BootInfo" and indicate the URL that will appear.

[oldfred]

A lot of systems have a setting somewhere in UEFI/BIOS called quick boot or fast boot. Make sure that is turned off.
I did not see it in the screens you showed, but you have several others in UEFI menu.