Acer Spin 1 SP111-32N ... can't boot any linux from USB

Antergos is booting

... now burnin KaOS to USB to try (all Arch based)

I succeed to boot Fedora 27 Live .... I created live USB media using Fedora MediaWriter .... then mounted CentOS 7 minimal install, .... and replaced BOOTIA32.EFI, BOOTX64.EFI, grubia32.efi, grubx64.efi, mmia32.efi, mmx64.efi on Live Fedora (ANACONDA drive) with thoose found on CentOS mounted media (since CentOS is booting correctly) .... and voila, Fedora Booted as it should ....

I installed fedora on external SSD (Plextor EX1 256GB) to verify that all is working, .... but after reboot I cannot boot Fedora .... so I repeated procedure described above .... I replaced files on efi partition with ones found on CentOS minimal install .... and it boot's correctly. Now updating.... and since GRUB is also on update list, I'll see does it boots afther update.

Fedora 27 ... all is working, touchscreen, Wifi, SDCard, touchpad, keyboard, camera
Settings, ... SecureBoot disabled, F12 and NetworkBoot enabled.

Well, after update I cannot boot so I repeated process of mentioned in above post, and boot is OK. ...
It's PITA but atleast I can have linux on machine...

xanderick

With the factory BIOS (I forget the number) I was able to install Ubuntu just fine (well I had to fiddle with BIOS settings but eventually it worked)

Updated to V1.07 and all everything I tried failed (Fedora, Ubuntu/Xubuntu/PopOS/Mint) except for Manjaro (Arch derivative).
Dowgraded to V1.05, same story.

What I've noticed is that everything fails when trying to install the Grub v2.02 bootloader. Only Manjaro/Arch uses the latest Grub v2.03. My theory is that BIOS v1.05+ has problems with Grub v2.02. I'm going to contact support and ask if they can provide an earlier BIOS, like v1.01. That one takes longer to boot but at least allowed me to use my preferred distro.

How did you downgrade BIOS ? ... for me I't said that I have newer BIOS and it won't downgrade.

Well .... I'll wait till bug affecting Insyde BIOSes is solved .... I don't wonna brick my computer.. Bug is documented here and Ubuntu 17.10 is now not avaliable for download.

aha ... post from yesterday is not posted .... here it is:

I found that grub does not support Apollo Lake processors .... so no boot with grub, but rEFInd as a boot manager should work.
I found way for Ubuntu derivates here, and also manual actions for Fedora 26 here. I'll try both tomorrow but I'll be using fedora 27 and report results here.

gilles34

In the bios : define a password superuser for SecureBoot disabled

Install default :
Ubuntu 17.10 --> no boot
Mint 18.3 --> no boot
Majaro 17.1.3 --> all hardware test OK
Solus OS version ?? last (2018-01) --> all hardware test OK

Good Install

Been working with another thread but this seems more appropriate. Did not know Acer had a Linux group.

Have used various Unix and Linux distros over the years but not recently & currently have a lot more knowledge about Windows.

That said there are quite a few devices out there, many from Acer, with 32GB non-upgradable SSDs that are not really suited to Windows 10.

Problem is that most of the insructions require already having LINUX running. I have found a way using secure boot to add the efi files using Setup>security but the installation USB drive must already be in the port.

That said for the other distros it looks like rEFInd is the answer but as yet I have not found a refind.cfg template that works (do not have a cdrom drive)

UlrikeZ

I tried to configure a USB stick with Linux Mint 18.3 in the way Kmihalj described for Ubuntu derivates but I failed.... @Kmihalj: did you succeed in one of the ways you linked in your posting last time?

@gilles34: how did you do the installation for Majaro?

Thanks for your help... I really would appreciate running linux on my Acer Spin 1....

FWIW I succeeded with Majaro by creating the USB, inserting in the spin1, going to SETUP>SECURITY>ADD FILE (have to create a security password first)and scrolling through USB0 (boot>efi) until the bootx64.efi displayed, then gave it the name "MBOOT" and saved it (OK). Also enable the F12 boot. Then it would boot without the "Security Boot Fail" error message. If the menu appears, you have it.

However I also have Ubuntu, Mint, CentOS, and Kali none of which I have gotten to boot. Am downloading Fedora 27 at the moment.

Two hours later - downloaded and tried Fedora 27 live both with the Fedora media creator and Win32DiskImager. Looks like it uses the older GRUB and fails.

Answer may be rEFInd but I am just not understanding the rEFInd.conf file particularly the menu entries & keep winding up with something missing when invoked.

MegaParsec

Hello,

here is a guide how to install Ubuntu/Debian based distros on Apollo Lake devices which do not have the function "Select an uefi file as trusted" in the UEFI.

1. Boot into live system

2. Install Ubunut without GRUB -> open terminal

sudo ubiquity –b

3. finish the installation and open terminal

4. Now install Grub into the installed system:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt

sudo mkdir /mnt/boot/efi

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

for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys; do sudo mount -B $i /mnt$i; done

sudo modprobe efivars

sudo apt-get install --reinstall grub-efi-amd64

sudo grub-install —no-nvram —root-directory=/mnt

sudo chroot /mnt

sudo update-grub

5. Rename bootloader and folder, so that it will later appear in the boot menu.

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

cd /mnt/EFI

sudo mv ubuntu BOOT

cd BOOT

sudo mv grubx64.efi bootx64.efi

In this guide sda2 is / and sda1 is the ESP partition. You can check this with

fdisk –l

Reboot and it should work now...

Have seen many methods from Unix/Linux, need one that works from Windows.

MegaParsec

Hi

to create a live usb-stick with windows I would recommend the tool Rufus.

https://rufus.akeo.ie/?locale=en_US

I have Rufus and having the same problems which seems to be the version of Grub. Still trying to understand rEFInd.confg

    Acer Spin 1 SP111-32N

    Kubuntu 17.10.1

       Hangs immeadiatly on boot. Cursor at top left Acer splash still on screen.
       Pretty sure I tried every Bios/uefi/Rufus combo.... no go.

    Got there eventually.... forgotten most of the process now but fwiw

       installed kubuntu 16.04.4

       Created bootable USB with Rufus GPT UEFI
       Installed overwriting Win10 partitions
       Installation tells me it should finish soon... but it hangs
       dpkg --configure -a and kill -9 (pid of fsop | grep dpkg) and apt upgrade
       and reboot (having sett trusted file in bios)
       hopeing remaining problems will go away after upgradeing to 17.10.1
       set upgrade type to normal instead of lts and do-release-upgradeing
       Installation tells me it should finish soon... but it hangs
       Clean up dpkg again

**
       eventually just have the hang which I tracked to 30_uefi-firmware in /etc/grub.d
       google told me there was a known fault but i'd had enough
       I commented out everything after if [ -e "$OsIndications" ] && \
       uninstalled fwupdate
       Clean up dpkg again
       and i appear to have a 99.9% working kubuntu 17.10.1 on my laptop

       Sorry I can't give more precise info... or show proper respect for firmware updates.....    but it can be done

Do a search on Apollo Lake for a lot of information. Basically the only two Linux distros I have found that boot are Manjaro (17.1.7), and Kali (not 2018-1 but weekly after 2018-W09).

Ubuntu on Acer Spin 1 SP111-32N

my post april 11 above.... ignore it

Just do this https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/480966/#Comment_480966

You can boot to live on usb with 16.04 or 18.04 just follow the instructions in the link above to fix the grub2 error.
Make sure you have the right number of spaces and hyphens... it's hard to see em on the small screen.

rotated left and locked with [special]+o keys, so I could do the install the right way round

for perminant correct orietation and auto rotate
https://github.com/hadess/iio-sensor-proxy
https://forum.manjaro.org/t/manjaro-on-an-acer-spin-1-sp111-32n-convertible-2-in-1-laptop/41035
https://www.aixin.fr/jipeblog/?p=119

I got away with this on ubuntu 18.04
create /lib/udev/hwdb.d/61-sensor-local.hwdb
add to it the two lines below
sensor:modalias:acpi:BOSC0200*:dmi:*svn*Acer*:*pn*Spin*SP111-32N*
ACCEL_MOUNT_MATRIX=0, 1, 0; 1, 0, 0; 0, 0, 1
then as root
systemd-hwdb --usr update
udevadm trigger
udevadm info -export-db | grep ACCEL
then reboot

still cant get auto-rotate in plasma though