uefi hdd install only boots if USB drive is attached

[wizard]

Here's a puzzle.

hardware - HP 6200 pro about 2012 vintage, this was probably HP's first model to support uefi

Bios has no uefi, csm, secure boot settings.

hdd format = GPT

OS = w10pro installed from uefi USB, system confirms bios setting is uefi

Use lick and install fossapup64 9.5 dual boot = OK

Delete all partitions, create 300mb fat32 and 100gb ext3

Boot with fossapup64 USB
Install pup to ext3 patition using frugalpup
Install grub to fat32 partition using frugalpup, confirmed files installed
Remove USB drive and reboot = non-system disk error
Insert puppy USB and reboot = loads grub2 from hdd and boots puppy

In a summary, pup on hdd will not boot unless USB is attached, go figure

Anybody run in to this before?

wizard

[bigpup]

Remove USB drive and reboot = non-system disk error

When you partitioned the drive.
The first partition is being used as the boot partition.
Need it to be flagged boot.

In Gparted
Have the HDD as the device to work on.
Right click on the 1st partition.
Select manage flags.
Select boot.
The partition should now show as having the boot flag.

Because the HDD is using the GPT partition table.
There is a chance it needs to be flagged esp.

The computer should now see this partition as the location of the boot loader and as a boot-able device.

[LateAdopter]

From the date it might be a HP proprietary BIOS plus Intel tianocore to provide EFI support.
In addition to bigpup's suggestions... Boot in UEFI mode and run efibootmgr to find out what the boot order is. It might give a clue to which device/partition the BIOS will start.

EFI is quite tolerant for booting from removable media but it is strict about booting from a fixed disk. So the configuration has to be correct.

[rcrsn51]

Bios has no uefi, csm, secure boot settings.

Set an administrator password in the firmware. That may reveal the UEFI options.

[wizard]

@bigpup
The first part, 300mb fat32 flag was set to boot, esp , should have included that above

@LateAdopter
think you may be correct and that's why it only works with the USB drive attached. Seems Grub is starting from the USB, then finding grub.cfg on the hdd.

@rcrsn51
set the password, but no change in bios setting

Kept wondering why Lick worked, but puppy grub2 install didn't. Realized that Lick is booting the Windows boot manger first and then chainloading to grub. First time I had run into this issue, no big deal since I can just convert the drive back to mbr.

Thanks for all the answers

wizard

[rcrsn51]

system confirms bios setting is uefi

Are you sure that this system has UEFI firmware?

When you first installed Windows, did the drive have a fat32 EFI System Partition?

[williwaw]

EFI is quite tolerant for booting from removable media but it is strict about booting from a fixed disk. So the configuration has to be correct.

I had a hp desktop of that vintage which only had the earlier efi bios. It was a bit fiddly about getting the hard disk to boot. iirc, it would change boot order without being told. my workaround was to bring up the bios boot selector menu at each boot. the later uefi in a newer hp desktop is much more user friendly

[wizard]

@rcrsn51

Yep, had the fat32 EFI System Partition and System Information confirmed bios in uefi mode

[Ramachandra Iyer]

even after lapse of precious 10 months, I didn't able to boot from my HP Laptop having nvme SSD. I am able to boot from normal SSD with UEFI. Neither Easyos or any other puppy linux booting from nvme drive. I have reported several times. Only expert can fix the issue. It is beyond my knowledge.

[LateAdopter]

I have read that some proprietary BIOS only expect the Windows EFI loader. The fact that it gives a non-system disk error supports this.

If this is the case it may be possible to work around by renaming the grub2 EFI loader as the windows one and put it in path that Windows uses.

I think there is quite a lot written about this kind of problem but mostly to do with dual boot.

And have you checked that the partition code is EF00?

[rcrsn51]

Boot in UEFI mode and run efibootmgr to find out what the boot order is. It might give a clue to which device/partition the BIOS will start.

This may now be the best advice.

[Phoenix]

I have read that some proprietary BIOS only expect the Windows EFI loader. The fact that it gives a non-system disk error supports this.

If this is the case it may be possible to work around by renaming the grub2 EFI loader as the windows one and put it in path that Windows uses.

I think there is quite a lot written about this kind of problem but mostly to do with dual boot.

And have you checked that the partition code is EF00?

Windows can change the default EFI loader. See https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/instal ... ml#windows.
You do not have to replace the default EFI key with grub2 key. You can instead put them side by side and instead change the path to the grub2 EFI key.
Do note that if Secure boot is enabled and enforced, you will probably receive a security violation screen upon the UEFI BIOS attempting to use grub2 EFI key.
Edit: The issue I think, yes you did install the needed files and configuration for booting, but either Secure Boot stops it, or the BIOS has not been told to boot using that key.

[rcrsn51]

Install grub to fat32 partition using frugalpup, confirmed files installed

Does frugalpup install a SIGNED bootloader to the hard drive that Secure Boot will accept?

[wizard]

@rcrsn51

Not sure how to check for a signed boot loader, but don't think the bios has secure boot.

wizard

[rcrsn51]

List the files that are in the EFI folder created by frugalpup.

[wizard]

@rcrsn51

/EFI/boot
bootia32.efi
bootx64.efi
files.txt
grub.cfg
grubia32.efi
grubx64.efi
mmia32.efi
mmx64.efi

Thanks
wizard

[rcrsn51]

That looks like a secure boot setup.

I wonder if the UEFI firmware has reverted to legacy mode in the absence of Windows and is trying to boot off the MBR, but there is no bootable code there.

Maybe get rid of the GPT structure and install Grub4Dos.

[wizard]

Maybe get rid of the GPT structure and install Grub4Dos.

Think that's the best solution for that old bios.

Thanks
wizard