Ubuntu efi disaster.

[viking777]

Good news.

I finally have my bios back. I got information on this site: http://www.linlap.com/fujitsu_lifebo...c75f4284beda30 where someone else had done it and I have added my own how-to there to expand the information (the posts aren't in date order for some reason I can't work out, but I am sure you will work it out). I won't bother reporting it all here as you can read it on that site if you want to. Basically the solution was a bios flash from within Linux.

I will mark the thread as solved, but really this is not a fix it is a workround,(I am pretty sure it will return if I reinstall Ubuntu another time) and it confirms that the bug affects many Linux users with this machine.

@YannBuntu
Thanks for that information, I haven't tried booting Ubuntu from the Manjaro menu, but I will when I have finished posting this.

Now I have bios access back I can confirm there are no settings in there for switching secure boot on or off, the nearest I have is to set a bios password (which is NOT set).

NB The first thing I did was to change the boot order to something more sensible than having the hard disk first and usb last!

Edit. Yannbuntu, I can't answer your question about Manjaro grub because Ubuntu grub is the one on the mbr not Manjaro, they are not chainloaded, so the Ubuntu one is the only one I see.

[YannBuntu]

you can read it on that site if you want to.

Thanks for having detailed the procedure, it will help other others.

there are no settings in there for switching secure boot on or off

So probably this computer didn't have SecureBoot at all. When you bought it, did it have preinstalled Windows7 or Windows8 ?

The first thing I did was to change the boot order to something more sensible than having the hard disk first and usb last!

Was HDD first by default when you bought it?

I can't answer your question about Manjaro

No problem.

[viking777]

so probably this computer didn't have SecureBoot at all. When you bought it, did it have preinstalled Windows7 or Windows8 ?

Win7

Was HDD first by default when you bought it?

Yes.

Thanks for your continued interest, let me know if I can help you any further.

[YannBuntu]

Win7

ok, so I am 99% sure that there is no SecureBoot at all on your PC.

Yes.

Strange default setting, but ok.


It's good that you found a workaround for this naughty issue.
Now let's wait and see on the Launchpad report, i hope that GRUB developers find a long-term solution...

[directhex]

ok, so I am 99% sure that there is no SecureBoot at all on your PC.

Windows 7 does not support Secure Boot at all. It doesn't even fully support UEFI boot (Windows 7 x64 SP1+ supports it, as long as legacy video BIOS support is enabled)

[baobab33]

Here are my questions: If we install an OS with Secure Boot on do we get UEFI instead of BIOS? If so, then how does a user access the UEFI set up? Do we still have a BIOS that can be accessed by F2 or Del or whatever?

No, whatever you install as OS, the "BIOS CSM" (i.e. "legacy BIOS") or "UEFI" are memorized into a NVRAM somewhere in your motherboard.
So, you normaly have a UEFI mode activated at first, altogether with a preinstalled UEFI MS-Windows (7 or 8) and according the possibility offered by the manufacturer you may disable UEFI to CSM BIOS directly from your OS (Windows at least).

Be careful, this is what I did (I have a - europe only - P870-319 TOSHIBA laptop) and I am now stuck as there is absolutely no key taken into account from the keyboard at bootup (UEFI is supposed to be accessed ONLY through the OS for "security" reasons...) I suppose I am in CSM BIOS as I deactivated secured-boot and I also deactivated UEFI from Windows before rebooting. Though, it is still not accessible at bootup.

Hopefully I could boot from the UBUNTU CD and install it but I am now stuck as I cannot access back to the BIOS

If anyone knows something about getting access or reactivate UEFI from a boot CD (for example), many thanks in advance for your input (I actually have two different HDD, the original preinstalled with W8 which does not boot anymore, complains "NO UEFI AVAILABLE"... because partitioned as GPT and the present one on which Ubuntu runs, of course the traditional "MBR" not "GPT")

Needless to say I firmly advise NOT to buy such laptop unless you want to waste ~ $1,000. I already lost an entire week asking the support (no reply yet) and I can only run Ubuntu. Moreover the keyboard is awfully cheap !

[oldfred]

@baobab33
Better to have your own thread.

Post link to BootInfo. Are you Booting Ubuntu in BIOS, not UEFI? Best to have both systems in UEFI mode.

Post the link to the BootInfo report that this creates. Is part of Boot-Repair:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info
Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.
Install in Ubuntu liveCD or USB or Full RepairCD with Boot-Repair (for newer computers)
http://sourceforge.net/p/boot-repair/home/Home/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuSecureRemix

[directhex]

If anyone knows something about getting access or reactivate UEFI from a boot CD (for example), many thanks in advance for your input (I actually have two different HDD, the original preinstalled with W8 which does not boot anymore, complains "NO UEFI AVAILABLE"... because partitioned as GPT and the present one on which Ubuntu runs, of course the traditional "MBR" not "GPT")

Grub provided with Ubuntu installed as UEFI includes a "setup" option at the bottom of the GRUB menu. This launches your motherboard's UEFI setup, and can be used to get into UEFI setup on "fastboot" systems which skip the setup screen entirely when a valid OS is installed.

[johanneslandin]

Please relax everyone! UEFI may cause us all some headache for the moment but trust me, it does make computing safer and if you can login with administrator privileges in the windows system it is very possible to disable it.

1. I tried this with my Fujitsu AH532 and it worked:
[SOLVED] Disable UEFI, EFI from preinstalled Windows 8 computer - multix.org

Please realize that the point with UEFI is to prevent alien users to run alien systems on your computer. UEFI force you to first login to the installed system to remove the security. ( With a unique BIOS password in every PC this could also be done, but "vogon" people dont set passwords for BIOS, do you even do that, and not many understand to keep factory set passwords safe. "Normal" people just run things! )


As a Wogon once said before firing on the president (who had kidnapped himself): "We are here for your protection". Please read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", or at least see the movie, and you will understand how decisions are made in real life.

Sorry about by poor English.