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Boot fails on first boot with Libreboot/Coreboot (no EFI payload) — installer should detect non‑EFI and offer legacy/BIOS install #4209
Replies: 7 comments 14 replies
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Nice tracing of the issue here! I think you're going to have to design the fix yourself, though. We don't have anyone on the team currently using this setup. But if you can make a minimally invasive patch to the install process that can accommodate this unique configuration, we'd be happy to take it. |
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Thank you @dhh for taking notice of this issue/discussion/problem. I've tried my best to come up with a proper explanation and maybe a viable solution to this problem i'm experiencing, and probably what holds up people that have similar setup from installing and using Omarchy project. It is quite the ordeal for me to get a hold of the installation process of Omarchy and go from there. I'll try to fix my bootloading problem using tools i have at hand, other live iso's that boot and present me with usable interface and install grub or limine etc. Afterwards i'll report back here and i'll need someone to point out on where should i do p.s. stay true! |
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Continuing on this @dhh , i've implemented some changes to limine-snapper.sh and boot.sh to identify stuff and make appropriate partitions etc, but the thing is how am i going to be able to produce an iso to test out, is there a test/dev pipeline for this to produce and test on my machine ? Thinking of implementing a detection script: |
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failed to chainload +1 into i still have hope that i'll be able to boot into the system.. |
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Valid point - Libreboot/Coreboot systems without GRUB as EFI payload need legacy boot support. The issue:
Workarounds:
cbfstool /path/to/coreboot.rom print | grep payloadIf its SeaBIOS, you need MBR/legacy install.
Feature request for Omarchy: +1 for this - Libreboot users are a small but dedicated group and this would improve compatibility significantly. |
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Hello @AndyBodnar i've already implemented a detection script but i'm having trouble chainloading into limini or even set up grub on the disk.. #!/bin/bash
# Detect Libreboot/Coreboot systems without EFI payload
# This script runs in preflight to detect systems that need BIOS boot mode
detect_libreboot_coreboot() {
local is_libreboot=false
local detection_method=""
# Method 1: Check for EFI absence (primary indicator)
if [[ ! -d /sys/firmware/efi ]]; then
# Method 2: Check dmesg for Coreboot/Libreboot markers
if dmesg 2>/dev/null | grep -qiE "coreboot|libreboot"; then
is_libreboot=true
detection_method="dmesg"
# Method 3: Check BIOS vendor/version for known Libreboot systems
elif [[ -f /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_vendor ]]; then
bios_vendor=$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_vendor 2>/dev/null | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
if [[ "$bios_vendor" == *"coreboot"* ]] || [[ "$bios_vendor" == *"libreboot"* ]]; then
is_libreboot=true
detection_method="bios_vendor"
fi
# Method 4: Check for absence of efibootmgr (indicates no EFI runtime)
elif ! command -v efibootmgr &>/dev/null && \
! mountpoint -q /sys/firmware/efi/efivars 2>/dev/null; then
# Additional check: Look for known Libreboot hardware
# (ThinkPad T480, X200, etc. - these are commonly Librebooted)
machine_model=$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name 2>/dev/null || echo "")
if [[ -n "$machine_model" ]]; then
# Common Libreboot/Coreboot machines (add more as needed)
case "$machine_model" in
*"ThinkPad"*)
is_libreboot=true
detection_method="hardware_model"
;;
esac
fi
fi
fi
if [[ "$is_libreboot" == "true" ]]; then
echo "$detection_method"
return 0
else
return 1
fi
}
# Main detection logic
if detect_libreboot_coreboot >/dev/null 2>&1; then
detection_method=$(detect_libreboot_coreboot)
# Set environment variables for use in later scripts
export OMARCHY_BIOS_MODE=true
export OMARCHY_NEEDS_BIOS_BOOT_PARTITION=true
export OMARCHY_LIBREBOOT_DETECTED=true
echo "=========================================="
echo "Libreboot/Coreboot System Detected"
echo "=========================================="
echo ""
echo "Detection method: $detection_method"
echo "EFI services: Not available"
echo "Boot mode: BIOS/Legacy"
echo ""
echo "IMPORTANT: This system requires:"
echo " - BIOS boot partition (1 MiB, type ef02) on GPT disks"
echo " - Limine installed in BIOS/MBR mode"
echo ""
echo "The installer will attempt to configure this automatically."
echo "If you're using archinstall manually, ensure you create a"
echo "BIOS boot partition when partitioning GPT disks."
echo ""
# Log for debugging
echo "[$(date +%Y-%m-%d\ %H:%M:%S)] Libreboot/Coreboot detected (method: $detection_method)" >> "$OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE" 2>/dev/null || true
else
# Not a Libreboot/Coreboot system, but check if EFI is absent anyway
if [[ ! -d /sys/firmware/efi ]]; then
export OMARCHY_BIOS_MODE=true
export OMARCHY_NEEDS_BIOS_BOOT_PARTITION=true
echo "Note: No EFI detected - BIOS boot mode will be used"
fi
fiadded
# Check if Libreboot GRUB payload is being used
# Libreboot GRUB looks for /boot/grub/i386-coreboot/ files
# We detect this by checking if Libreboot was detected and if GRUB errors mention i386-coreboot
LIBREBOOT_GRUB=false
if [[ -n "${OMARCHY_LIBREBOOT_DETECTED:-}" ]]; then
# Check if system is likely using Libreboot GRUB payload
# (Libreboot can use GRUB or SeaBIOS payload - we need GRUB for GRUB payload)
if dmesg 2>/dev/null | grep -qiE "libreboot.*grub|grub.*libreboot|i386-coreboot" || \
[[ -f /boot/grub/i386-coreboot/ ]] 2>/dev/null; then
LIBREBOOT_GRUB=true
echo "Libreboot GRUB payload detected - will install GRUB for compatibility"
else
# Assume Libreboot might use GRUB payload - install GRUB anyway for safety
LIBREBOOT_GRUB=true
echo "Libreboot detected - installing GRUB for Libreboot GRUB payload compatibility"
fi
fi
# Install Limine in BIOS/MBR mode for non-EFI systems (Libreboot/Coreboot without EFI payload)
echo "EFI not detected - installing Limine in BIOS/MBR mode..."
# Find the root disk device
# Try to find from /boot mount point first, fallback to root filesystem
boot_source=$(findmnt -n -o SOURCE /boot 2>/dev/null || findmnt -n -o SOURCE / 2>/dev/null)
if [[ -z "$boot_source" ]]; then
echo "Warning: Could not determine boot device. Skipping BIOS bootloader installation." >&2
else
# Extract disk device (remove partition number)
root_disk=$(echo "$boot_source" | sed 's/p\?[0-9]*$//')
# Verify the disk exists
if [[ ! -b "$root_disk" ]]; then
echo "Warning: Disk device $root_disk not found. Skipping BIOS bootloader installation." >&2
else
# Check partition table type
partition_table=$(parted -s "$root_disk" print 2>/dev/null | grep "Partition Table:" | awk '{print $3}')
if [[ "$partition_table" == "gpt" ]]; then
# GPT disk - check if BIOS boot partition exists
bios_boot_part=$(parted -s "$root_disk" print 2>/dev/null | grep -i "bios_grub\|bios boot" | head -1)
if [[ -z "$bios_boot_part" ]]; then
echo "GPT disk detected but no BIOS boot partition found."
echo "Note: BIOS boot partition (1 MiB, type ef02) should be created during initial partitioning."
echo "Attempting to install Limine anyway - it may work if space is available in the first 1MB..."
echo "If boot fails, you may need to recreate partitions with a BIOS boot partition."
else
echo "GPT disk with BIOS boot partition detected - good!"
fi
elif [[ "$partition_table" == "msdos" ]] || [[ "$partition_table" == "mbr" ]]; then
# MBR disk - no special partition needed (bootloader uses MBR gap)
echo "MBR disk detected - no BIOS boot partition needed, installing Limine to MBR..."
else
echo "Warning: Unknown partition table type: $partition_table" >&2
fi
# Install Limine in BIOS/MBR mode
if command -v limine-install &>/dev/null; then
echo "Installing Limine bootloader to $root_disk in BIOS mode..."
sudo limine-install "$root_disk" || {
echo "Warning: limine-install failed. This may be normal if Limine was already installed." >&2
}
else
echo "Warning: limine-install command not found. Limine may not be properly installed in BIOS mode." >&2
fi
# If Libreboot GRUB payload is detected, also install GRUB for compatibility
if [[ "$LIBREBOOT_GRUB" == "true" ]]; then
echo "Installing GRUB for Libreboot GRUB payload compatibility..."
if command -v grub-install &>/dev/null; then
# Install GRUB for i386-coreboot (Libreboot GRUB payload)
sudo grub-install --target=i386-coreboot --directory=/usr/lib/grub/i386-coreboot "$root_disk" 2>&1 || {
echo "Warning: GRUB installation for Libreboot failed. You may need to configure Libreboot GRUB manually." >&2
}
# Generate GRUB config
if command -v grub-mkconfig &>/dev/null; then
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg 2>&1 || {
echo "Warning: GRUB config generation failed." >&2
}
fi
else
echo "Warning: grub-install not found. Installing GRUB package..." >&2
sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed grub 2>&1 || {
echo "Error: Failed to install GRUB. Libreboot GRUB may not be able to boot this system." >&2
}
fi
fi
fi
fibut still i'm not able to test things out cause i'm out of the iso ci pipeline to build beta iso's to test. So i'm on the level of testing via booting a known arch based liveuser iso, ssh'ing or tmate login to it and run commands, decrypted disk mounted it properly written scripts and files into /boot without success.. so far.. i'm examining how limine works and if i can build some files using Its been something.. |
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What i've found by booting other iso's and installing them successfully, is that the resulkts suggests Libreboot GRUB payload can read standard GRUB configs ( |
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Found the update 1: # Copy installer log to installed system for debugging
if [[ -f "${OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE:-}" ]] && [[ -d /root ]]; then
sudo cp "$OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE" /root/omarchy-install.log 2>/dev/null || true
sudo chmod 644 /root/omarchy-install.log 2>/dev/null || true
echo "[$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')] Installer log copied to /root/omarchy-install.log" >>"$OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE" 2>/dev/null || true
fiwill report back with findings, |
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The installer now handles:
No manual chroot fixes needed. I'm testing latest iso once again and be right back.. |
Omarchy Libreboot/Coreboot Support - Developer ReportExecutive SummaryThis report documents the implementation of Libreboot/Coreboot bootloader support for Omarchy, enabling the operating system to boot on systems without EFI payload. The solution is fully automated and requires no manual intervention after installation. Status: ✅ COMPLETE AND TESTED Problem StatementOmarchy installer assumed UEFI and installed EFI-mode bootloader (Limine), causing boot failures on Libreboot/Coreboot systems that:
User Impact: System installed successfully but failed to boot after installation. Solution OverviewKey Discoveryi386-pc GRUB modules are sufficient for Libreboot GRUB payload!
Implementation
Technical ImplementationFiles Modified1.
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Tested on VM and laptop works as expected, did PR here thank you for trusting me with this mates. |
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Because I got excited I also gave a PR to the omarchy-iso (https://github.com/omacom-io/omarchy-iso) repo because the way i felt it could delete/purge other docker containers without looking, plus a few more additions/changes of mine.. :P |
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Hi. I'm Leah Rowe, creator of Libreboot. I want to be ten thousand percent clear: I am not affiliated with Omarchy Linux, in fact I find that project's leadership quite repugnant, and I do not support them at all. I consider the fact that they invoke Libreboot's name to be an insult to Libreboot, and I hope that they will stop doing so - of course, making it easier to boot Linux on Libreboot is a noble goal, but the creator of Omarch, dubbed DHH, has been known to associate heavily with the far-right; the development channel for Hyprland of which he and his project is associated is rife with racism, transphobia and all sorts of bigotry in general. As a trans person, and someone who wishes to see myself and others of my kind flourish in prosperity, I consider that our community has no place for people like DHH. I found this post during a random Google/DuckDuckGo sweep for the word "libreboot", and felt the need to say something here. DHH and co are of course free to associate as they wish, and partake in any sort of open source development they wish, but I would ask that they do not associate either Libreboot, my name, or the names of my compratriots with that of his ilk, even if only tenuously as in this instance.Thank you, and have a wonderful day. |
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Hi. I'm Leah Rowe, creator of Libreboot. I want to be ten thousand percent clear: I am not affiliated with Omarchy Linux, in fact I find that project's leadership quite repugnant, and I do not support them at all. I consider the fact that they invoke Libreboot's name to be an insult to Libreboot, and I hope that they will stop doing so - of course, making it easier to boot Linux on Libreboot is a noble goal, but the creator of Omarch, dubbed DHH, has been known to associate heavily with the far-right; the development channel for Hyprland of which he and his project is associated is rife with racism, transphobia and all sorts of bigotry in general. As a trans person, and someone who wishes to see myself and others of my kind flourish in prosperity, I consider that our community has no place for people like DHH. I found this post during a random Google/DuckDuckGo sweep for the word "libreboot", and felt the need to say something here. DHH and co are of course free to associate as they wish, and partake in any sort of open source development they wish, but I would ask that they do not associate either Libreboot, my name, or the names of my compratriots with that of his ilk, even if only tenuously as in this instance.Thank you, and have a wonderful day. |
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Any updates on this front ? |
While i don't have the support from the omarchy dev's and also not ok with Leah the head dev and owner of libreboot, this project is now abbandoned, sorry mate |
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Verified workaround: legacy BIOS (2011 Sony Vaio, InsydeH2O), GRUB to MBR, reusing the installer's own limine.conf Hit this exact failure on a 2011 Sony Vaio (legacy BIOS, no UEFI): the installer finishes fine, but the first reboot lands on a blinking cursor because no BIOS-mode bootloader was written to the MBR. Recovered without reinstalling, keeping the encrypted install intact. From the install USB's terminal: 1. Unlock and mount the installed system: 2. Install GRUB in BIOS mode: 3. Key trick: don't guess the kernel cmdline. The installer already wrote the correct one (cryptdevice, 4. Note: Omarchy's update hooks manage Longer term, a |
The test -d firmware and the fallback was my method, if found switch to grub also had some extra steps put into the installation process to log and report back. Thank you for taking the time and managed to make it work for your use-case, i personally switched from the L***eboot to Coreboot and now have full UEFI payload and not the drama and accusations that came with previous one. I just wanted to make it work on my machine and for people like you mate, but took an arrow to the knee. |
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Maybe the @esthonjr solution can help out @Dunckleosteus ? |
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Updating this thread, because the picture changed since January and the patched ISO from back then is no longer needed. What works now: the Omarchy 4 (quattro) ISO has a BIOS branch for full-disk installs — the configurator hides "Free space install" when What still doesn't boot: on firmware that boots through a GRUB payload which scans disks for Minimal workaround (no chroot, no cryptsetup open /dev/nvme0n1p2 root
mount -o subvol=@ /dev/mapper/root /mnt
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot
conf=$(find /mnt/boot -name limine.conf | head -1)
cmdline=$(grep -m1 'cmdline:' "$conf" | sed 's/.*cmdline: *//')
kern=$(find /mnt/boot -path '*/linux-omarchy/vmlinuz' | head -1); kern=${kern#/mnt/boot/}
init=$(find /mnt/boot -path '*/linux-omarchy/initramfs' | head -1); init=${init#/mnt/boot/}
ucode=$(find /mnt/boot -name '*-ucode.img' | head -1); ucode=${ucode#/mnt/boot/}
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/grub
cat > /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg <<EOF
set timeout=3
menuentry "Omarchy" {
linux /$kern $cmdline
initrd /$ucode /$init
}
EOF
umount -R /mnt && cryptsetup close root && reboot
This is the same idea as @esthonjr's workaround, but on GRUB-payload firmware you don't need Snapshots: not lost — they stay in btrfs and Possible minimal fix: on non-EFI installs, in addition to the Limine BIOS install, write a small |
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System details
Lenovo ThinkPad T480, i7 variant, not nVidia, 32gb ram, 1tb disk
What's wrong?
System details
What happened
The installer finishes successfully (~3.5 minutes) but after the first reboot the system’s bootloader fails to hand off to the OS. The boot stage prints errors (limine or similar) and the machine drops to a prompt or fails to boot. I believe the installer assumed an EFI environment and installed an EFI-mode boot path on firmware that provides no UEFI services.
Steps to reproduce
Expected behavior
The installer should detect absence of EFI (or detect firmware that doesn’t provide EFI runtime services) and either:
Why this matters
Some users run Libreboot/Coreboot without an EFI payload (no SeaBIOS/UEFI). The current installer appears to assume UEFI and installs accordingly, causing a complete inability to boot on first reboot. A detection + fallback would prevent breakage for those systems.
Suggested implementation / detection logic
Recommended installer actions when no EFI detected
Workarounds (manual) — pick one you prefer
A — Install GRUB (BIOS/i386-pc) from a live USB (Arch-style)
B — Install Limine to MBR (if you prefer Limine)
Note: On GPT you may need a BIOS boot partition (1 MiB, type ef02) for GRUB BIOS.
My results
I tried without success like on other systems cause of the intricacies of Omarchy with disk Encryption. As a person I can go so far.
Closing words
I hope the Dev team can help our little community out.. We are small but we are there. The ones that don't need Intel ME enabled etc.
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