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rhtoras

Member

Registered: 2020-12-25

Posts: 21  

[SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

Hello gents! I am using linux last 6 years or so. I have 3 pc's 1 ddr 3 with intel pentium, one ddr4 with ryzen (both with msi motherboard) and a laptop ddr3 era (fujitsi lifebook). 5 years now i am no systemD and i never look back so last year i installed devuan because i like the idea of a mainstream os without the need for systemD. On my laptop i run Void Linux without issues. I've done installation 100+ times these years and 99% of the time on real hardware or as we say on bare metal.

So last year i installed Devuan Daedalus on my ddr3 desktop and everything was fine. All partitions were made custom by me (1 for swap, 1 for /boot/efi -esp- 1 for /root and last but not least a seperate /home partition). I chose openrc and mate desktop. Everythin was fine until recently!!!
Last week i unplugged my ssd to plug a win7 (a friend's one not mine i don't use windows) ssd and restore some files. When i plugged back my devuan ssd i could not boot into system. The same ssd could boot on my other desktop but with messed graphics and of course could not boot onto my laptop.

I bought a new ssd and tried to reinstall devuan daedalus only to see that m,y firmware and ethernet was not detected by net installer. One week ago was working now it is not detected. In the meanwhile i installed successfully devuan daedalus on a friends laptop. So it is 100% sure i know what i was doing. But let's say i install linux for the first time. I tried Fluxuan and Miyo only to see there is not boot loader. I tried to change boot order but nothing happened. I tried devuan live desktop xfce and old-old stable iso and i could boot on desktop. I tried via refracta installer but when i reboot nothing shows up. I tried refracta (even the vintage iso) and nothing happened. I mean i could install iso and when i reboot a destroyed grub screen and after a new reboot i could not reboot. The message was this:

reboot and select proper Boot device

and to insert proper boot device and so on...

here's the deal

i tried to plug an ssd with artix and it worked, i tried to plug a brand new ssd and installed void linux successfully|
wiped void and tried devuan again but nothing happened
used live iso, mount my ssd and inspected these in my /etc/default/ grub text-file

#GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

i assume this should have been uncomment but even this: could not work when i tried to uncomment and reboot
i also assume when i unplugged my basic boot ssd i deleted something in the efi firmware
boot order information is stored in NVRAM and i suspect my EFI deleted my NVRAM entries
yes i know i must not unplugged my boot ssd BUT

why all other distros can be installed on this particular pc ?
why  devuan daedalus cannot detect my ethernet when a year ago it could ?
should i reflash my bios ?

Thanks anyway and hope you understand my situation and why i said all these to reach in the final questions.
ANy advice should be appreciated...

ralph.ronnquist

Administrator

From: Battery Point, Tasmania, AUS

Registered: 2016-11-30

Posts: 1,251  

Re: [SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

One possible approach on this could be that you get and install using a daedalus preview server iso, without using network.

It is more than odd that it now doesn't find the firmware for your network adapter and it would be helpful if you could grab the log file at the point just before partitioning disks, and either upload to here or send to me on email. The steps for that would be:
1. start the installation and step forward up to partitioning disks dialog
2. then use ctrl-alt-f2 to enter a shell with the installer system
3. copy /var/log/syslog to a safe place; maybe ideally onto a separate USB disk/stick

The server iso has the same installer s/w as netinstall but it also includes a package pool for setting up a server system, and is self-contained in that way. The desktop iso is similar, but with a much larger package pool that includes a couple of desktop environments.

I at one time had the problem that the UEFI nvram was filled up so it couldn't add the boot entry for Devuan, and though I remember solving that by clearing the nvram, I don't remember exactly how. Also this is probably not the cause since you are able to install other systems.

rhtoras

Member

Registered: 2020-12-25

Posts: 21  

Re: [SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

look what i did

i reflashed bios
now i am again sure i have latest bios and at least on desktop live grub boots without error but the problem now is grub is black and white and before it used to be blue like on devuan

net install iso i used to install devuan on a friends laptop still cant recognize ethernet firmware on my desktop
something has changed i am sure and i wonder what this is

on the other hand it was not server iso but pure net install so i can install whatever init system i want
now i cannnot install whatever init i want since desktop live uses the «old» sysVinit which works but i pefer openrc and runit anytime!

i guess i'll have to stick with sysV init but Devuan imho should either provide nonfree firmware again on netinstall or offer iso with different init system or if they do not want to maint all init system at least provide an easy guide on what to do to enable runit i,e in place of sysV
Now if i want to boot to desktop it says (after grub screen)

invalid magick number  please load kernel first

Last edited by rhtoras (2023-03-12 13:44:55)

rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,171  

Re: [SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

So last year i installed Devuan Daedalus on my ddr3 desktop and everything was fine. All partitions were made custom by me (1 for swap, 1 for /boot/efi -esp- 1 for /root and last but not least a seperate /home partition). I chose openrc and mate desktop. Everythin was fine until recently!!!
Last week i unplugged my ssd to plug a win7 (a friend's one not mine i don't use windows) ssd and restore some files. When i plugged back my devuan ssd i could not boot into system. The same ssd could boot on my other desktop but with messed graphics and of course could not boot onto my laptop.

Obviously this is an efi installation. When you removed the SSD with Devuan and put in another device, the Devuan boot entry in the efi flash was removed when booting. That's why you can't directly boot into the previously working Devuan system. This seems to be a built-in efi functionality.

As a fix, boot the installer medium again, call up the rescue mode, chroot into the Devuan installation on the SSD, and re-install grub. You may also use a life system, chroot is a bit more complicated than with the installer.

Good luck.

Last edited by rolfie (2023-03-12 13:48:22)

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: [SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

To change an installed system from sysvinit to runit:

apt install runit-init

Follow any instructions on the screen and then reboot.

There's also a new package that has some runit scripts. See this post: https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=5555

rhtoras

Member

Registered: 2020-12-25

Posts: 21  

Re: [SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

....

i will try this method and see how it goes...
i did some tricks though to manage and install a new devuan iso because even this was not applicable
btw is there rescue mode on net installer ? (i don't remember so)

....

i thought it could be this but two years ago it was buggy (maybe i did something wrong though)
i might try it again to see how it goes

Thank you both !

Last edited by rhtoras (2023-03-13 00:49:37)

rhtoras

Member

Registered: 2020-12-25

Posts: 21  

Re: [SOLVED] unplugged ssd grub problem...HELP!

I did a lot of tricks but finally i found a way to restore my workstation
i had to mount first / partition and then the /boot/efi not the opposite
then

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi

and then

sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot --bootloader-id=debian --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi  

now it boots up again just fine
the only problem is i have two -exactly the same- boot entries on boot menu and it wont login with correct user only as root
but i will find these since i am in!
Thanks!