Contribute
Register

Boot problem in UEFI multiboot system with separate drives

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Messages
170
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 Designare
CPU
i9-9900K
Graphics
RX 580
Hi All,
I installed recently Ubuntu 18.04 on a multiboot system (macOS Mojave/Win 10/Ubuntu 18.04) Clover bootloader in UEFI mode creating the necessary partitions (including EFI) during custom installation, in a separate SSD, and selecting the appropriate partition (/dev/sda1) for the bootloader installation.
After today's Ubuntu update on reboot I realized that the bootloader's ubuntu folder instead of being in the EFI partition of the ubuntu installation drive appears to be in the EFI partition of the Windows installation drive.

Code:
Andreas-iMac:~ andrea$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0 (internal):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                         500.1 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                 Apple_APFS Container disk5         250.0 GB   disk0s2
   3:                  Apple_HFS Senza titolo            249.7 GB   disk0s3

/dev/disk1 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                                                   *2.0 TB     disk1

/dev/disk2 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk2
   1:                        EFI NO NAME                 510.7 MB   disk2s1
   2:           Linux Filesystem                         100.0 GB   disk2s2
   3:           Linux Filesystem                         50.0 GB    disk2s3
   4:                 Linux Swap                         8.0 GB     disk2s4

/dev/disk3 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk3
   1:               Windows_NTFS Windows 10 Pro          534.8 GB   disk3s1
   2:               Windows_NTFS Windows Data            262.1 GB   disk3s2
   3:               Windows_NTFS Virtual Machines        203.2 GB   disk3s3

/dev/disk4 (internal):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                         512.1 GB   disk4
   1:           Windows Recovery                         554.7 MB   disk4s1
   2:                        EFI NO NAME                 104.9 MB   disk4s2
   3:         Microsoft Reserved                         16.8 MB    disk4s3
   4:       Microsoft Basic Data                         511.4 GB   disk4s4

/dev/disk5 (synthesized):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +250.0 GB   disk5
                                 Physical Store disk0s2
   1:                APFS Volume Mojave                  133.4 GB   disk5s1
   2:                APFS Volume Preboot                 44.0 MB    disk5s2
   3:                APFS Volume Recovery                509.7 MB   disk5s3
   4:                APFS Volume VM                      2.1 GB     disk5s4

However I can boot with either Ubuntu or Windows 10 via Clover bootloader.
How can I check what the current situation is (where is GRUB installed?) and how can I restore GRUB in the EFI partition of the Ubuntu installation drive without having to reinstall Ubuntu?
Thanks in advance for Your help
 
Last edited:
This is why I recommend disconnecting or disabling SATA ports in UEFI/BIOS when installing and doing major updates.

Go to the Ubuntu site - search for how to remove/install Grub.
Alternative is to use the UEFI stub in Ubuntu and boot straight from Clover without Grub. Instructions to do this can be found on the Arch Linux site.
 
This is why I recommend disconnecting or disabling SATA ports in UEFI/BIOS when installing and doing major updates.

Go to the Ubuntu site - search for how to remove/install Grub.
Alternative is to use the UEFI stub in Ubuntu and boot straight from Clover without Grub. Instructions to do this can be found on the Arch Linux site.
I know it is recommended to disconnect or disable sata ports in UEFI / BIOS but I have windows 10 installed on a PCIe nvme drive in the first M.2 slot: it is not possible to disconnect it physically without removing the graphics card and it is not possible (as far as I know ) disable it in UEFI / BIOS.
I didn't think that installing Ubuntu could create this type of problem which seems to depend on the ubiquity installer:
It seems that other distributions with different installers are not affected by the same problem.
However I think I have reconstructed the procedure to bring the GRUB bootloader back to the Ubuntu installation drive.
In the ESP partition of the windows 10 drive I have this situation, the Boot and Ubuntu folders seem to have been created modified during the Ubuntu installation:
Code:
andrea@andrea-63:~$ sudo -i
[sudo] password di andrea:
root@andrea-63:~# ls -l /boot/efi/EFI
totale 3
drwx------ 2 root root 1024 nov 13 16:45 Boot
drwx------ 4 root root 1024 giu  7  2019 Microsoft
drwx------ 3 root root 1024 nov 13 16:45 ubuntu
Code:
andrea@andrea-63:~$ sudo -i
root@andrea-63:~# ls -l /boot/efi/EFI/Boot
totale 2489
-rwx------ 1 root root 1334816 dic 11 16:11 bootx64.efi
-rwx------ 1 root root 1213032 dic 11 16:11 fbx64.efi
Which folders / files is best to delete from the ESP partition of the windows 10 drive?
Currently I can start Windows 10 either through Clover or directly by starting the System from the Windows 10 drive: is it advisable to reinstall the Windows 10 bootloader?
 
I know it is recommended to disconnect or disable sata ports in UEFI / BIOS but I have windows 10 installed on a PCIe nvme drive in the first M.2 slot: it is not possible to disconnect it physically without removing the graphics card and it is not possible (as far as I know ) disable it in UEFI / BIOS.

It seems that other distributions with different installers are not affected by the same problem.
However I think I have reconstructed the procedure to bring the GRUB bootloader back to the Ubuntu installation drive.

In the ESP partition of the windows 10 drive I have this situation, the Boot and Ubuntu folders seem to have been created modified during the Ubuntu installation:
Which folders / files is best to delete from the ESP partition of the windows 10 drive?
Currently I can start Windows 10 either through Clover or directly by starting the System from the Windows 10 drive: is it advisable to reinstall the Windows 10 bootloader?
If Win10 is currently bootable from its own drive or via Clover, leave its boot files alone - no need to re-install or mess with it.
I would move the Grub boot files from the Win10 drive EFI to the Ubuntu drive EFI and set the path to the Linux drive in the config.plist, then double check that you can boot Ubuntu by selecting the drive in the boot device selection list available thru the function key. If you cannot, then move the folder back to the Win10 EFI and follow the procedure on the Ubuntu site to remove and re-install Grub if you want to go that way.
 
If Win10 is currently bootable from its own drive or via Clover, leave its boot files alone - no need to re-install or mess with it.
I would move the Grub boot files from the Win10 drive EFI to the Ubuntu drive EFI and set the path to the Linux drive in the config.plist, then double check that you can boot Ubuntu by selecting the drive in the boot device selection list available thru the function key. If you cannot, then move the folder back to the Win10 EFI and follow the procedure on the Ubuntu site to remove and re-install Grub if you want to go that way.
With reference to my previous post, are there other Grub boot files to be moved from the Win 10 drive to the Ubuntu drive in addition to the "ubuntu" folder?
 
With reference to my previous post, are there other Grub boot files to be moved from the Win 10 drive to the Ubuntu drive in addition to the "ubuntu" folder?
No, just the Ubuntu folder needs to be moved.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top