I just tried to install Debain 12 onto my Fujitsu Esprimo Q957 system
(was running xubuntu previously). I have installed Debian 12 using
the same USB stick on two other systems so the installation media are
OK.

The whole installation ran without any problems but it simply fails to
boot, I just get a blank black screen with a prompt at the top left
cormer.

I'm attempting to re-install the boot loader using the graphical
rescue from the USB stick but it's not at all clear which partition I
should be installing it on.

The system has two SSD drives - /dev/nvme0 and /dev/sda. I'm
installing Debian on /dev/nvme0.

When I go to re-install the boot loader I'm offered /dev/nvme0n1p1, /dev/nvme0n1p2 or /dev/nvme0n1p3 (plus /dev/sda of course but I don't
want it there) but there's no indication which one of these I should
put the boot loader on.

On one of the systems where I have installed Debian 12 without
problems it has:-

Filesystem Type 1M-blocks Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/t470--vg-root ext4 936644 197158 691835 23% /
/dev/nvme0n1p2 ext2 456 121 311 29% /boot
/dev/nvme0n1p1 vfat 511 6 506 2% /boot/efi

Presumably the new/failed install will have a similar configuration

The xubuntu installation worked fine from /dev/nvme0 so I don't think
there's can be anything fundamentally wrong. Are there any BIOS
settings I should check?

Thanks for any/all help.

--
Chris Green

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, Nov 04, 2024 at 10:03:15AM +0000, Chris Green wrote:

The whole installation ran without any problems but it simply fails to
boot, I just get a blank black screen with a prompt at the top left
cormer.

I just tried a second time (new install from scratch) and the result
is the same. On rebooting after the install I just get a blank screen
with a flashing cursor at the top left hand corner (not 'a prompt').

Help! :-)

--
Chris Green

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, Nov 04, 2024 at 05:34:49AM -0500, Felix Miata wrote:

Chris Green composed on 2024-11-04 10:03 (UTC):

I just tried to install Debain 12 onto my Fujitsu Esprimo Q957 system
(was running xubuntu previously). I have installed Debian 12 using
the same USB stick on two other systems so the installation media are
OK.

The whole installation ran without any problems but it simply fails to boot, I just get a blank black screen with a prompt at the top left
cormer.

What kind of prompt?

Sorry, just a cursor, not a prompt.

I'm attempting to re-install the boot loader using the graphical
rescue from the USB stick but it's not at all clear which partition I should be installing it on.

"Re-installing" bootloader has a different meaning with UEFI booting. One does not
normally grub-install /dev/sda or /dev/nvme0n1 on UEFI systems.

The system has two SSD drives - /dev/nvme0 and /dev/sda. I'm
installing Debian on /dev/nvme0.

When I go to re-install the boot loader I'm offered /dev/nvme0n1p1, /dev/nvme0n1p2 or /dev/nvme0n1p3 (plus /dev/sda of course but I don't
want it there) but there's no indication which one of these I should
put the boot loader on.

On one of the systems where I have installed Debian 12 without
problems it has:-

Filesystem Type 1M-blocks Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/t470--vg-root ext4 936644 197158 691835 23% /
/dev/nvme0n1p2 ext2 456 121 311 29% /boot
/dev/nvme0n1p1 vfat 511 6 506 2% /boot/efi

The UEFI BIOS initiates boot by loading one or more files from the VFAT filesystem, termed ESP, which mounts to /boot/efi/.

Ah, that doesn't seem to have happened with this install. Presumably
that's the problem. How do I fix it ?

Presumably the new/failed install will have a similar configuration

The xubuntu installation worked fine from /dev/nvme0 so I don't think there's can be anything fundamentally wrong. Are there any BIOS
settings I should check?

It's usually a good idea to disable CSM support (legacy/MBR booting), by whatever
term your particular UEFI BIOS labels it.

Thanks for any/all help.

Boot installation or rescue media in UEFI mode and provide us output from parted
-l, lsblk -f and efibootmgr -v, plus content of fstab.

When I boot from the installation USB stick in UEFI mode I just get a
'grub>' prompt so I can't run commands there.

Just going to non-UEFI rescue mode I can get to a shell, then:-

'parted -l' shows 3 partitions for /dev/nvme0n1:-

1 primary ext2
2 exgtended
5 logical lvm

/etc/fstab has:-
/dev/mapper/q957--vg-root / ext4
/dev/mapper/q957--vg-swap_1 none swap


lsblk -f shows a tree with all the right bits of nvme0n1 on it, much
too difficult to manually copy to here.

I can't find efibootmgr anywhere.


--
Chris Green

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Chris Green composed on 2024-11-04 10:03 (UTC):

I just tried to install Debain 12 onto my Fujitsu Esprimo Q957 system
(was running xubuntu previously). I have installed Debian 12 using
the same USB stick on two other systems so the installation media are
OK.

The whole installation ran without any problems but it simply fails to
boot, I just get a blank black screen with a prompt at the top left
cormer.

What kind of prompt?

I'm attempting to re-install the boot loader using the graphical
rescue from the USB stick but it's not at all clear which partition I
should be installing it on.

"Re-installing" bootloader has a different meaning with UEFI booting. One does not
normally grub-install /dev/sda or /dev/nvme0n1 on UEFI systems.

The system has two SSD drives - /dev/nvme0 and /dev/sda. I'm
installing Debian on /dev/nvme0.

When I go to re-install the boot loader I'm offered /dev/nvme0n1p1, /dev/nvme0n1p2 or /dev/nvme0n1p3 (plus /dev/sda of course but I don't
want it there) but there's no indication which one of these I should
put the boot loader on.

On one of the systems where I have installed Debian 12 without
problems it has:-

Filesystem Type 1M-blocks Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/t470--vg-root ext4 936644 197158 691835 23% /
/dev/nvme0n1p2 ext2 456 121 311 29% /boot
/dev/nvme0n1p1 vfat 511 6 506 2% /boot/efi

The UEFI BIOS initiates boot by loading one or more files from the VFAT filesystem, termed ESP, which mounts to /boot/efi/.

Presumably the new/failed install will have a similar configuration

The xubuntu installation worked fine from /dev/nvme0 so I don't think
there's can be anything fundamentally wrong. Are there any BIOS
settings I should check?

It's usually a good idea to disable CSM support (legacy/MBR booting), by whatever
term your particular UEFI BIOS labels it.

Thanks for any/all help.

Boot installation or rescue media in UEFI mode and provide us output from parted
-l, lsblk -f and efibootmgr -v, plus content of fstab.
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.

Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, Nov 04, 2024 at 05:34:49AM -0500, Felix Miata wrote:

It's usually a good idea to disable CSM support (legacy/MBR booting), by whatever
term your particular UEFI BIOS labels it.

The BIOS has "CSM Configuration", if I go into that I'm offered:-

Launch CSM
Boot option filter
Launch PXE OpROM Policy

If I disable "Launch CSM" then the other options disappear. With
"Launch CSM" disabled when I reboot the system it just drops me into
the BIOS diagnostic program and I can get no further.

Similarly if I enable "Launch CSM" and set the "Boot option filter" to
"UEFI only" then on reboot I simply end up in the BIOS diagnostic
program again.

Maybe I should try installing from scratch again with "Launch CSM"
disabled? (I'm glad this is a fairly fast system!)

--
Chris Green

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, Nov 04, 2024 at 11:10:03AM +0000, Chris Green wrote:

On Mon, Nov 04, 2024 at 05:34:49AM -0500, Felix Miata wrote:

It's usually a good idea to disable CSM support (legacy/MBR booting), by whatever
term your particular UEFI BIOS labels it.

The BIOS has "CSM Configuration", if I go into that I'm offered:-

Launch CSM
Boot option filter
Launch PXE OpROM Policy

If I disable "Launch CSM" then the other options disappear. With
"Launch CSM" disabled when I reboot the system it just drops me into
the BIOS diagnostic program and I can get no further.

Similarly if I enable "Launch CSM" and set the "Boot option filter" to
"UEFI only" then on reboot I simply end up in the BIOS diagnostic
program again.

Maybe I should try installing from scratch again with "Launch CSM"
disabled? (I'm glad this is a fairly fast system!)

... and if "Launch CSM" is disabled then when I boot from the Debain
12 USB stick I just get dropped into the grub menu and I can't do an
install.

--
Chris Green

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon 04 Nov 2024 at 11:16:06 (+0000), Chris Green wrote:

... and if "Launch CSM" is disabled then when I boot from the Debain
12 USB stick I just get dropped into the grub menu and I can't do an
install.

Can you describe the menu. We can't see over your shoulder.

Also, can you type c to get a command prompt?

Is there a countdown, and has it stalled?

Cheers,
David.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, Nov 04, 2024 at 09:14:09AM -0600, David Wright wrote:

On Mon 04 Nov 2024 at 11:16:06 (+0000), Chris Green wrote:

... and if "Launch CSM" is disabled then when I boot from the Debain
12 USB stick I just get dropped into the grub menu and I can't do an install.

Can you describe the menu. We can't see over your shoulder.

Sorry, not a menu,�just a grub prompt - "grub>"

I guess you thought I meant the grub menu where the default first
selection is normal system boot, it's not that.

Also, can you type c to get a command prompt?

If I enter 'c' it says "error: can't find command `c'.

Is there a countdown, and has it stalled?

It just sits there for ever.

--
Chris Green

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)