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Topic: Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810 (Read 948 times) previous topic - next topic
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Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810

Hi, Aritx folks!

I recently obtained a Dell Precision T5810, and I can't get it to boot from a Samsung NVMe drive mounted into a PCI-E adapter.

The adapter (and the SSD onboard) was previously working (fully functional) being used for storage on a BIOS-only desktop

Followed official Artix install guide here (as well as a couple others on Github).

For some reason, the grub boot entry in Dell’s Boot Sequence section in BIOS setup changes the grub entry as follows:

File System List: Is changed from
Code: [Select]
PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1C,0x4)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/?HD(1,GPT,[UUID]) -> VenHw{99E275E7-75A0-4B37-A2E6-C5385E6C00CB}
Quote
Note the VenHw  UUID never changes, while the UUID for the original/correct device/partition is always different.

And File Name: Is changed from
Code: [Select]
\EFI\grub\grubx64.EFI -> \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI
Because it seemed like the BIOS might be searching for the EFI file in a different directory than GRUB put it, I tried copying GRUBX64.EFI to \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI. After this, booting from a SATA SSD works normally. However, when I tried the same on the NVMe drive, the BIOS fails to boot:

Code: [Select]
Alert! Hard Drive not found.

Press F1 key to retry boot.
Press F2 key to reboot into setup.
Press F5 key to run onboard diagnostics.
Quote
Note, the first line only appears if the SATA drive is removed and the NVME drive is the only storage present.

  • CMOS reset performed on motherboard
  • BIOS was updated from A21 (?) to A31, then A34
  • Same issue with booting on all versions tested
  • Ubuntu failed during install
  • Booting in Legacy Mode results in “Selected boot device failed. Press any key to reboot the system.”
  • Expected because no MBR/BIOS boot is set up
  • All system diagnoistics passed
  • A34 is latest BIOS version

I've been working on this over the weekend, and have made pretty limited progress. It does seem like others online have managed to install an OS on an NVMe SSD in a PCI adapter in the T5810, so it doesn't seem like it should be causing some issues, but I'm pretty much at a loss at this point.

Let me know if you have any questions or ideas.

Thanks!

Re: Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810

Reply #1 –
If the BIOS does not see the device then it is not possible to boot from it with the system no matter what OS you want to use. This is result of a limitation of the BIOS of the motherboard.
You must use a storage device the BIOS sees as a boot device.
One could place the boot stuff on the device the BIOS sees, then install the main body of the OS on the NVME as long as the boot loader can see the NVME partitions.

Re: Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810

Reply #2 –
Sounds like you need to change a few things in the BIOS and remove/change things that were previously set by the former user (owner/company etc)?  Have you been through all the BIOS options and removed/changed them to reflect what you're working to achieve?  It looks like it's searching for what was previously a legacy BIOS / MBR setup and not finding it. Also the fact that it's changing the relevant boot sequence to what i can only assume is "Vendor hardware" (or something like that) suggests that it's still working in that mode?

XFCE (dinit) on home server, laptop and desktop!

Re: Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810

Reply #3 –
You might need to update the UEFI from Dells website. If Dell *ucked you over, then you might need to use something like Clover/Duet/Refind/OpenCore, similar to what people use for Hackintosh installations, this way your PC will boot into virtual EFI instance that would allow you to boot from NVMe drives.
I've done this successfully with LGA775(G41/G43 chipset)/LGA1366(X58 chipset) era hardware.
Normally it works like this:
UEFI > NVMe boot > OS
With CloverEFI (or other similar solution):
Legacy BIOS/CSM (or UEFI without native NVMe support, such as old 2012 era z87 chipsets) > USB/SATA boot > CloverEFI > NVMe boot > OS
Also Artix installation media should be booted from CloverEFI so that NVMe drive would be properly enumerated as bootable. Sadly I removed my documentation when I switched to Ryzen. ;/

Re: Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810

Reply #4 –
It looks like Clover from "aur/clover-efi" works with legacy BIOS and UEFI systems.
One can use an USB re-moveable device or a SATA device to place the MBR (or UEFI if the 5810 actually supports UEFI) boot files, then Clover will be able to boot the NVME in the PCIe adapter.
Please see: Booting from an NVME SSD on an older PC using Clover

Re: Artix Won't Boot after install to NVMe on Dell T5810

Reply #5 –
Great to hear you got it working and that's a really interesting read, but the link is wrong.... Here's the corrected one.
Clover UEFI nvme

XFCE (dinit) on home server, laptop and desktop!