Acer Es1-132 - "No bootable device" [SOLVED]

[Jedinovice]

OK, my Acer ES1-132 arrived today and... resolutely refuses to boot Mint Linux 18.2 (64 bit UEFI KDE edition.)

I have done everything i can think off. I gave up manually partitioning and eventually went with all defaults but the machine will not boot. It just reports "No bootable device."

I understand this has been an ongoing problem with certain Acer models and there is a BIOS bug and can be resolved by something relating to copying the EFI boot contents to the right folder...

Sorta see here:
http://community.acer.com/t5/E-F-V-and- ... d-p/483647

the goal is copying the bootloader in the Live USB to the ESP partition on your device. Afterwards adding it to the boot menu by the stated command.

On some UEFI devices with apollo lake Linux will only boot if the bootloader is placed in

\EFI\Linux\

but after the installation of Ubunut the bootlaoder is plaecsed in "\EFI\Ubuntu\" by default.

and here:
http://community.acer.com/t5/E-F-V-and- ... 726/page/2

I have found a way to boot Ubuntu on a russian linux forum, where the reason why does this problem exist is explained. The reason for it is that someone naughty has hardcoded all possible paths you can use to boot your system ('thanks a lot').

But I don't get how to do it. I can't seem to mount any efi partition. I'm very tired and gotta sleep before I come back to this.

I have disable secure boot. Of that I am certain.

I'm at end of my technical knowledge. I have always managed to installed via BIOS before. Dealing with EFI is new and... it seems Acer blew the BIOS in the E series!

I really need this working. My warrenty period of any worth is very limited so I need to confirm this machine will boot and work quickly. Many thanks in advance. Gotta sleep.

[administrollaattori]

Do you have Mint as a single OS?

Code: Select all

sudo parted -l

Code: Select all

ls /sys/firmware

[Jedinovice]

Hi administrollaattori,

Thanks for getting back to me. I need this machine working and I am waaaayyyyy over tired with setting up my business this year. I NEED this machine working. Having someone care right now is helpful.

I have gone, in the end, with complete defaults! One single partition save EFI and swap, only one OS - Mint. I figure I can split partitions up later when I have boot! NO dualboot. I do not touch Windows now.

Code: Select all

mint@mint ~ $ sudo parted -l
Model: ATA WDC WD5000LPCX-2 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags:

Number  Start   End    Size    File system     Name                  Flags
 1      1049kB  538MB  537MB   fat32           EFI System Partition  boot, esp
 2      538MB   498GB  498GB   ext4
 3      498GB   500GB  1967MB  linux-swap(v1)


Warning: The driver descriptor says the physical block size is 2048 bytes, but
Linux says it is 512 bytes.
Ignore/Cancel? i                                                         
Model: SanDisk Cruzer Blade (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 31.2GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 2048B/512B
Partition Table: mac
Disk Flags:

Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name   Flags
 1      2048B   6143B   4096B                Apple
 2      1970MB  1973MB  2490kB               EFI


Model: SanDisk Cruzer Blade (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdc: 8004MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 1      1049kB  8004MB  8003MB  primary  ntfs



Code: Select all

mint@mint ~ $ ls /sys/firmware
acpi  dmi  efi  memmap
mint@mint ~ $



And to think that I checked this for Linux compatibility and the Es1-132 comes pre-loaded with EndlessOS or Linpus. Mine was Linuxplus lite! And STILL it falls over with Mint!

[Love the Avatar BTW!]

[Jedinovice]

Having had some sleep my brain cleared enough to register how to mount the EFI parition.

I did get access to it an dI confirmed that grub was installed /EFI/ubuntu and not /EFI/Liux.

I copied everything over form ubuntu to Linux with cp -a

...and it made not the slightest bit of difference.

This machine is driving me to despair.

The BIOS version is 1.08 which allows some support of booting an OS other than Windows 10 but it's pretty rubbish at it.
Unfortunately, the BIOS update only works under Windows 10.

I am going off Acer.

I am sure there is a solution but everything I am trying is not working!

Thanks. Classes now.

[administrollaattori]

I think that you need to build a fake-windows EFI-folder and file via liveDVD/USB.

Code: Select all

sudo -i
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
cd /mnt/boot/efi
mkdir -p /EFI/Microsoft/Boot

Open file-browser as root

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xdg-open /boot

Copy grubx64.efi into /EFI/Microsoft/Boot and rename grubx64.efi as bootmgfw.efi
Unmount drives

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umount /mnt/boot/efi
umount /mnt

Reboot

You can also try rEFInd.

[Jedinovice]

Thanks. Just managed to try all that.

No difference.

The machine just refuses to boot from HDD.

Speak to me more of this rEFind. It's looking like some 3rd party patch is required. I think the GPT set up in the BIOS istself is screwballed as the BIOS is half hard coded to Windows 10.

crying.jpg

[administrollaattori]

Speak to me more of this rEFind. It's looking like some 3rd party patch is required. I think the GPT set up in the BIOS istself is screwballed as the BIOS is half hard coded to Windows 10.

If your Mint boots up using rEFInd CD or USB, it should be capable to boot from HD also.

[Jedinovice]

Thanks again. Good to have someone on the other side rooting for me. Over tired and not happy!

I will find a PPA, download and take a look.

Given I can boot Mint up via USB then this should work! Having to fit all this in between teaching when students doing exercises, mind!

Screaming for this Acer to work. I am DYING only having one working machine for everything!
BUt, reading around, it seems Acer blew their BIOS.

Odd because the Es1 does handle Endless OS and Linplus. I guess its a secure boot thing.

[michael louwe]

@ Jedinovice, .......

Try the fix at this link ... http://unsolicitedbutoffered.blogspot.m ... =timeslide

[Jedinovice]

@ Jedinovice, .......

Try the fix at this link ... http://unsolicitedbutoffered.blogspot.m ... =timeslide

Thanks. I've read this and I don't see the fix.
The fix appears to be "Update the BIOS."
But you can only update the BIOS via WIndows 10.

The fix is described using Fedora and not Mint. I do not see, from here, how to fix GPT using Mint and using the existing 1.09 BIOS.

Can you point me to what I do not see? I don;t see a solution - only a description of the problem and advise to get an BIOS update.

[Jedinovice]

And I have tried setting GPT in the BIOS and it refuses. It's a known problem in BIOS 1,08.

Like I say, the Acer BIOS is just screwballed.

[Jedinovice]

Hehehehehe! hahahaha! <General mad dribbling>

It worked!!! I booted rEFInd from flash disk - it detected the CORRECT bootloader and it booted! Just like that!

Whoa!

Yes, I know I have to force this to the HDD proper but it means REFInd WILL WORK!

Sooo.... I am going to take time out, re-instal from sract with the partitioning the way I actually want it and then push rEFInd through.

Wait for further news! If I can get rEFInd fully running this I will report back. Then, when I have shaken the machine down a bit and confirmed no linger problems I will marked as solved.

Give me some time here. I will report update after re-install. At last that can be going on while I teach. Not there yet but there is light at the end of the tunnel and I don't yet hear train noises...

Thanks guys for being there.

[michael louwe]

And I have tried setting GPT in the BIOS and it refuses. It's a known problem in BIOS 1,08.

Like I say, the Acer BIOS is just screwballed.

.
Maybe you need to enter your BIOS Supervisory Password before you can change the setting for "GPT Partition Recovery" while keeping the Live LM USB plugged in.
... Previously, Acer had a similar BIOS setting for "select an UEFI file as trusted for executing" to allow the installation and booting of non-Windows EFI bootloaders, eg Grub.efi.

[Jedinovice]

And I have tried setting GPT in the BIOS and it refuses. It's a known problem in BIOS 1,08.

Like I say, the Acer BIOS is just screwballed.

.
Maybe you need to enter your BIOS Supervisory Password before you can change the setting for "GPT Partition Recovery" while keeping the Live LM USB plugged in.
... Previously, Acer had a similar BIOS setting for "Trusted EFI file for executing" to allow the installation of non-Windows EFI bootloaders, eg Grub.efi.

Had to set that to get secure boot disabled! And that option "Trusted EFI file for executing" is the item Acer OMITTED from their E and F series laptops (I have learnt) and it was put back with version 1.09. But you can only update from Windows 10 which rather defeats the object.
[Gone off Acer as a company now. And I was soooo trying to be nice to them having had good Mint experience with an earlier Aspire 1 machine that was destroyed by cowboys builders next door and it took serious threats to get any compensation at all!]

I swear, I have read up on everything related to this problem. That's one of the many reasons I am so tired (and stressed.)
I am grateful for your help but I am not seeing a solution outside of rEFInd at this point. The BIOS is just too broken. Believe me: I have been reading up all the posts describing how the Acer Es1 BIOS prior to version 1.09 is just busted for anything outside of Windows 10.

As it stands, rEFInd looks likes being a simple and relatively elegant solution that can be redone should I need to re-install in the future.

As I say, stand by. Student is late and I am re-installing Mint 18.2 NOW!

[Jedinovice]

Okkkaaaayyyyy...

rEFInd does allow boot to my new Mint install.

Great.

Cannot for the life of me figure out how to force the Acer to hand control to rEFInd. Drowning in the documentation. I assume there is a simple command line instruction which will force hand over to rEFInd.

Anyone know what it is? Defaults are all fine! I just want boot! No dual boot. Simple, straight forward boot Mint and nothing else!

Thanks. So near.... so tired.

[Jedinovice]

OK, I am at the end of my strength for this today. Gotta finish class eat and sleep.

Drowning in the online documentation. As I understand it, if I can get EFInd to boot AT ALL I should then be able to force boot by writing the required keys into the stupid Acer BIOS.

I've had a quick play with MOK and trued to force in the rEFInd.cer key but to no avail.
The Acer is VERY Mint resistant. However, as I understand it, once we hammer the required bot key into the ruddy BIOS the machine will boot from HDD.

I don't need anything clever. Standard boot. Don't mind if there is a eEFInd boot screen that appears. That's fine.

JUST BOOT!!! After that the rest is easy!
So how do I force the key?

Thanks. No more strength for this now.

[Jedinovice]

I've done!! I've done it!!!

I'm stunned myself.

After effectively giving up, I just happened to see a link in google search when about to give up for the day and tried a "ah, what the heck?"

https://gnu-linux.org/how-to-permanentl ... -menu.html

The commands in question were/are:

Once in the rEFInd’s UEFI shell, type the following

bcfg boot dump

This will list all the available boot drives starting from Windows Boot Manager. Of course, there is no ‘ubuntu’ entry. Now, we can simply add one

bcfg boot add X fs0:\EFI\ubuntu\shimx64.efi "kubuntu,

I noticed that there was, in fact, NO entry for the HDD at all!!! Nuffin. So I added in an entry for "Mint" and... boot!

No key 'shoving.'

rEFInd I love you!

As I say, the pressure to get this machine running is immense. Cheap though it is I pushed the budget out to get it due to technology dying of old age around me.

Just playing a little anime to test video and sound and all works! Audio quality is surpringly good. The hardware if nice but the BIOS is horrible!

As I say, I will configure and test over the next couple of days before I mark as "solved" just in case I have to plead again. But now looking very good, though it is going to be a while before my heart stops stops beating when I press the On button and wait for the Mint logo.

Thanks to everyone for their help!

thankee.gif

[Jedinovice]

Havin't marked this ias SOLVED yet as.... as I feared the boot loader became unfixed last night. Tried to start up this morning and the boot loader had become unstuck!

I repeated the commends to force in a partition table for shimx64.efi again. Yes, it had gone missing. I know not why.

So i have written it in twice and will keep under observation.

Can I take this machine to Acer and get them to update the BIOS? This is stupid.

[Jedinovice]

OK, no further boot glitches. I am guessing my HD disappearing was a bit of grit burning off between the interface and the HD.

Soooo...marked as solved and I hope serves as a help to other Acer owners.
Tho I will be getting the BIOS updated via Acer when I have a bit more time and money.