Acer Aspire 5560 - Grub EFI

Shaolindan

I have a problem installing Linux Mint 18.3 to my laptop. I already have Windows 10 installed. 
Right at the end of the installlation process the installer comes up with the error "The 'grub-efi-amd64-signed package' failed to install into /target/"
This appears to be a problem with the laptop booting in UEFI mode - but there are barely any options in the "Acer version" (dumbed down) of the Phoenix BIOS to change to legacy or compatible mode.

The bios is already version 1.15 which, looking at the acer website, appears to be the most recent.

Can anybody help here? 
Thanks.

JordanB

@Shaolindan

Did your laptop come pre-installed with Windows 7 or Windows 8?  
Is Windows 10 installed as legacy MBR or EFI/GPT?  Check Windows Disk Management.  Do you have an EFI partition? 



If you don't have an EFI partiton, that means your Windows 10 installation is installed as legacy MBR.  If you don't have an EFI partition, then the quick fix might be in links below.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EFI_System_Partition

https://askubuntu.com/questions/400400/ubuntu-12-04-grub-efi-amd64-signed-failed-to-install-into-target

If you want to completely start over and re-install both  Windows 10 and linux as EFI, let me know.  I can give you instructions but I can't guarantee anything since I don't have your computer model, and am only somewhat familiar with Acer hybrid UEFI/BIOS from circa 2011/2012.

Shaolindan

OK. I've read quite a bit on the mint forums which suggested this was an installer problem that could be fixed by disconnecting from the net. That didnt work. 
I really wanted to keep my current windows install - but looking at it there isnt anything that isnt backed up. So a new install it will have to be. 
Ii have the 500 mb first partition but not the second EFI one. (I had to delete the acer recovery partitions a while back because of partition numbers..) So after that I have a 300 GB windows one - 15 GB root 12 GB swap and 170 GB home directory. But if i can get this fixed ) I think I will probably go with a 100 GB windows partition as really there isnt anything I cant do on Linux these days. So if you can guide me with the best way to put both on, I will do it today. 

Thanks.

JordanB

@Shaolindan

1. Please let me know if the laptop originally came pre-installed with Windows 7 or Windows 8
2. Please let me know if you can boot your Linux Mint USB when you create it with rufus using the same settings that are on the rufus home screen.

https://rufus.akeo.ie/



3. In the meantime, I'd probably backup my files and create a Windows system image backup.

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I'll go ahead an assume that your laptop came pre-installed with Windows 7 since you don't have an EFI partition and you have some type of Hybrid UEFI/BIOS.

1. Backup all your important stuff because these steps will completely wipe your HDD.

2.  Use Microosft's media creation tool to download Windows 10 iso.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

3. Use rufus to create to create the Windows 10 USB installation media

Make sure you select GPT partition scheme for UEFI and fat 32 as rufus will then automatically strip the legacy boot bootmgr file which will make it impossible to install Windows 10 as legacy MBR.  (That's a good thing).

4. Boot your Windows 10 USB.

5. When you see the Windows language screen as shown below, press Shift+F10 on your keyboard to get command prompt





6. At the command prompt, type

diskpart
list disk
select disk x     (x=your main hard drive that you want to wipe clean)
clean                (this will completely wipe your HDD and put it an uninitialized state)
convert GPT     (this will initialize your HDD as GPT
exit
exit

7.  Press and hold your laptops power button until it shuts off.

8.  Turn on your laptop and install Windows 10.  Select custom installation.  Click on your HDD (it should say unallocated space) and click Next.  The Windows installer will automatically partition and format your HDD and install Windows 10.

9.  After Windows installs (hopefully as EFI/GPT), go to Windows Disk Management and shrink your C drive so you can have some unallocated space to install Mint.  At least 35 GB at a minimum.

10. Boot your Mint USB that you created with rufus and install Mint.

I can't guarantee any of the above will work, but that's what I'd do if I was trying dual boot Windows 10 and MInt as EFI on your laptop from 2011.

Edit: It used to be that Linux wouldn't install unless you had a minimum 100 MB EFI partition, but don't worry if you only have 99.  They fixed that a long time ago.  Mint will install even if you have 99 MB EFI.

JordanB

@Shaolindan
Make sure you use the 64 bit.

I found the link below and it's possible that your BIOS may not have any EFI support so all of the above may be a complete waste of time.  Your BIOS may be just a BIOS and not a Hybrid UEFI/BIOS.

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2132153

Might be time for a new UEFI computer.