Spin SP111-32N after windows 10 update, boot loop. How to recover Linux? GRUB installation failed!

About two weeks ago windows made update, since then, the laptop can no more boot. Windows was booting and hangs up every boot after some minutes. So I decided to replace it by Linux. I installed MX Linux, in BIOS, disabled Secure boot, started with F12, booted MX Linux 19.3 form USB, then installed it. BUT at the end, GRUB cannot install on the internal drive. So cannot boot the new system. Why?

inxi says:

Machine: Type: Convertible System: Acer product: Spin SP111-32N v: V1.04 serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 31 serial: <filter> Mobo: APL model: Alien_AP_S v: V1.04 serial: <filter> UEFI: Insyde v: 1.04 date: 11/09/2017

Drives:    Local Storage: total: 206.76 GiB used: 255.7 MiB (0.1%)
           ID-1: /dev/mmcblk0 model: ACLCF size: 119.08 GiB block size: physical: 512 B
           logical: 512 B serial: <filter> scheme: GPT
           ID-2: /dev/mmcblk1 model: HCG4a2 size: 58.24 GiB block size: physical: 512 B
           logical: 512 B serial: <filter> rev: 0x8 scheme: GPT

Then tried to install Linux Mint and Manjaro. Also here, same issue, at the end of installation, 99 % done, GRUB cannot install. Why this and how to fix this?

Thank your for help!

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Gawain

probably because the prior windows install is preventing it - if you wish to use linux as the sole install, when you live boot mx linux, run gparted and create a new partition table for your hard drive (that'll erase any reference to any partitions), then try installing to the whole disk (or manually partition if thats what you normally do /boot/efi (with esp flag), /, /swap, /home is what i normally do for a manual partition scheme). The eMMC drive could be the cause of the problem. Here's a (very) long thread from someone with the same issue before, its worth joining and posting on the mx-linux forum as they're a very helpful bunch who'll be able to get it sorted for you.

H3n

Dear @Gawain, I tried these things already without success on MX, Manjaro, Mint. There are two drives inside eMMC + SD Card, size 64 + 120 GB. Both of them could not install GRUB boot loader at the end of setup. Something does not work correct. Now I found two other threads here:

https://archived.forum.manjaro.org/t/failed-installation-due-to-bootloader-problem/133626/8

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=229565

It seems the BIOS/UEFI is broken or or intentionally defective?

I know, for this system is newer BIOS/UEFI firmware available version 1.11, installed is 1.04, but one user wrote, he updated BIOS and had also no success to install GRUB boot loader.

Now I've also tried reinstall windows 10 with current ISO from MS, but this is also no more possible. After partitioning in windows at start, copy files seems to start, there comes an error message and installation fails. Before eMMC/SD was completely new initialized.

Then I made a last try and installed FreeBSD, and see here, FreeBSD offers other boot loaders than GRUB and this works. FreeBSD installation went OK and also booting is possible. But I dont want FreeBSD on this system.

Please, has anyone a solution to install Linux with GRUB on this machine? Thank you very much.

Gawain

so you already logged this on the mx forum - what advice did they give?

H3n

Gawain said:

so you already logged this on the mx forum - what advice did they give?

I asked in MX forum and waiting for an answer. Do you have an idea what could help? May be reinstall win in any way (how?), then update bios firmware and hope new bios 1.11 has fixed grub bootloader install fail issue?

billsey

It's possible the drive has failed, being unable to write would give you those symptoms. What size drive do you have? Most, if not all, of these models come with a soldered in eMMC module, so the drive isn't replaceable. They do show a "SSD Connector" on the motherboard which looks like it might be an M.2, but there is no indication is enabled and usable.

H3n

billsey said:

It's possible the drive has failed, being unable to write would give you those symptoms. What size drive do you have? Most, if not all, of these models come with a soldered in eMMC module, so the drive isn't replaceable. They do show a "SSD Connector" on the motherboard which looks like it might be an M.2, but there is no indication is enabled and usable.

BIOS Info says HGC4a2 as drive. Some Linux distros and FreeBSD detect:

~ 128 GB SD ACLCF &
~ 64 GB MMC HGC4a2

Only FreeBSD 12.x could install successfully but only on 64 GB MMC drive.

All other distros and my favorite MX Linux failed. Always after setup at installation GRUB bootloader, every other Distro then FreeBSD fail.

I opened laptop case, there is neither a M.2 nor any other SD Card or something similar visible.

Can it really be that something in the UEFI/BIOS intentionally prevents the re-installation of a different system than the one sold (Win 10 S)?

billsey

No, what's likely happening is that the Linux distributions are incorrectly decoding the drive info. You can't have two drives installed since there is only a place for one eMMC and you said you didn't have an M.2. So you either have a 64GB or a 128GB drive. If the install works when done to the 64GB, likely that's what you actually have.

H3n

billsey said:

No, what's likely happening is that the Linux distributions are incorrectly decoding the drive info. You can't have two drives installed since there is only a place for one eMMC and you said you didn't have an M.2. So you either have a 64GB or a 128GB drive. If the install works when done to the 64GB, likely that's what you actually have.

But before was Windows 10 S installed, until it destroyed it self via upgrade and then a bootloop. Next tried Linux, but failed. Later retried with Windows 10 xy, ISO from MS, but also the latest Windows 10 can no more install. Each try brings an error after partion the drive. The copy starts, but shortly after, the Windows installation also fails. Why?

Why can only FreeBSD be installed, which can also boot after the installation and no other operating system?

billsey

Perhaps there is a section of the drive that is bad, and only FreeBSD bypasses that section?

H3n

billsey said:

Perhaps there is a section of the drive that is bad, and only FreeBSD bypasses that section?

May be, but I don't think so. Someone in MX Linux forum had this explanation:

"Here's the reason why I think that you can easily install BSD on the Spin. Apple's IOS is built on top of the BSD kernel and in order to seamlessly install IOS on modern motherboards, Apple would need a signed Microsoft Secure Boot key which I suspect has been incorporated into the BSD kernel for Apple's ease of use."

This could be the reason. But I think, there is still more, something hidden part or data information, that may be lost after completely formatted both (?) drives from this device. Because now, also no more Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise ISO could be installed.

Does someone here now, if this could be possible, that Acer has some hidden infos on a partition or even in EFI storage for only install one OS like original installed Win 10 S?

JordanB

......-------

https://askubuntu.com/questions/862946/unable-to-install-ubuntu-on-acer-aspire-es1-533

https://dantalion.nl/en/installing-ubuntu-on-acer-spin-uefi-devices/

billsey

I doubt it is a signed/unsigned issue. When you use the BIOS menus to disable Secure Boot you are allowing unsigned boot images to be loaded. There have been plenty of other people who have successfully installed many different flavors of Linux and I can't imagine any reason for Acer to develop technology to block that.

JordanB

@billsey

There are a handful of Acer models (and Lenovo models etc) from that time period that don’t have “select a trusted UEFI file” in the UEFI settings. The links I gave are the workaround. The solutions found in the links that I posted are pretty much the same workaround although one guy @Sladek90 has a HDD and the other person has an eMMC...so slightly different.

H3n

JordanB said:

@billsey

There are a handful of Acer models (and Lenovo models etc) from that time period that don’t have “select a trusted UEFI file” in the UEFI settings. The links I gave are the workaround. The solutions found in the links that I posted are pretty much the same workaround although one guy @Sladek90 has a HDD and the other person has an eMMC...so slightly different.

@billsey You are right, I was wrong.

Nevertheless, there seems to be an unusually high number of problems with Acer devices.

@JordanB, thank you for the links. I'm one step further. Could install Win 8 without any issues, so MMC/SD storage is ok. Win 8 could boot and now Windows Boot Manager and partitions are active. After this success, I could also update Firmware 1.04 to 1.11. But I think this has no big advantage for my issue. Then again I installed MX Linux but not on whole drive, but beside Windows to test this

scenario. Then at the end of setup, PC was no more freezing! But on GRUB Installation this error was shown: "NVRAM boot variable update failure". So I will go forward to solve this.

With Live USB and Boot Rescue I could select EFI partition and boot my installed MX, but until now, still could not re-install GRUB.

JordanB

It's possible that your BIOS update will have solved all of your problems and you don't need the workaround. According to link below, your model has "select trusted UEFI file". You might be able to install linux the "normal" way instead of using workaround....not sure.

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/560641/acer-spin-1-no-boot-options-available-in-bios

H3n

JordanB said:

It's possible that your BIOS update will have solved all of your problems and you don't need the workaround. According to link below, your model has "select trusted UEFI file". You might be able to install linux the "normal" way instead of using workaround....not sure.

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/560641/acer-spin-1-no-boot-options-available-in-bios

Thank you, I know this blog. My device has and had this option to select UEFI file and I always used it to boot from USB, of course also made other attempts. There is an issue, because EFI / NVRAM is not writeable in the normal way.

JordanB

Ok, If you try using the latest Ubuntu and it doesn't work, then I guess you'll have to use the workaround from blog.

On probably 99.8 % of Acer laptops, Ubuntu installs are very easy and Ubuntu works without problems. Unfortunately you don't have one of the 99.8 % models.

H3n

JordanB said:

Ok, If you try using the latest Ubuntu and it doesn't work, then I guess you'll have to use the workaround from blog.

On probably 99.8 % of Acer laptops, Ubuntu installs are very easy and Ubuntu works without problems. Unfortunately you don't have one of the 99.8 % models.

I have also tried Ubuntu in the last few days, but this Acer is really full of issues, a screen sensor has wrong setup by default and "only" Ubuntu show short after setup start wrong screen vertical :-() This info could be found in some blogs and it is so. But MX Linux is the aim! And now it seems very near ;-)

JordanB

If for some reason this blog instruction link still gives you some minor issues, then take a closer look at these instructions (solution). There are minor differences in this link that could **possibly** solve any issues you might have with the blog workaround.

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