EndeavourOS Boot Fix: 'EFI Hard Drive' After BIOS Update

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Hey everyone! It sounds like you've run into a classic dual-boot headache after a BIOS update. Don't worry, we've all been there! It's super common for BIOS updates to mess with boot configurations, especially when you're rocking a dual-boot setup with Windows and Linux (in this case, EndeavourOS).

Understanding the Problem: Why EndeavourOS is Now 'EFI Hard Drive'

So, what exactly happened? When you dual boot, you're essentially telling your computer to choose between two operating systems at startup. This magic is usually handled by a boot manager, like GRUB (which EndeavourOS uses). Your BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the first piece of software that runs when you power on your computer, and it's responsible for initializing the hardware and then handing things over to the boot manager.

After a BIOS update, the settings that tell your computer how to boot can get reset or changed. This often means your BIOS forgets where to find GRUB, the boot manager for EndeavourOS. Instead of seeing a friendly menu where you can choose between Windows and EndeavourOS, your BIOS might just see the EFI partition on your hard drive, hence the "EFI Hard Drive" label. The EFI partition is a special partition that contains bootloaders, and it's essential for modern UEFI-based systems (which is what Windows 11 uses).

Why does this happen? BIOS updates can sometimes reset the boot order, change boot modes (like switching from UEFI to Legacy), or simply clear out the boot entries. It's like your computer has a temporary memory loss about where your operating systems live.

The good news is that this is usually fixable! We just need to guide your BIOS back to the right path and tell it where to find GRUB again. Think of it like re-teaching your computer how to find its favorite pair of shoes.

Diving into Solutions: How to Fix Your Boot Issue

Alright, let's get our hands dirty and fix this! Here's a breakdown of the most common solutions, presented in a way that's easy to follow, even if you're not a Linux guru. We'll go step-by-step, and I'll try to explain the "why" behind each step so you understand what's going on.

Step 1: Check Your BIOS Boot Order

This is the simplest and often the most effective first step. We're going to jump into your BIOS settings and make sure the boot order is set correctly.

  1. Reboot your computer.
  2. Enter BIOS Setup: As your computer starts up, you'll usually see a message like "Press DEL to enter setup" or "Press F2 for BIOS settings." The key you need to press varies depending on your computer manufacturer (it could be Del, F2, F12, Esc, or another key). If you're not sure, check your computer's manual or the manufacturer's website.
  3. Navigate to the Boot Order settings: Once you're in the BIOS setup, use your arrow keys to navigate to the "Boot" or "Boot Order" section. The exact name and layout will depend on your BIOS, but look for something related to boot devices or boot priority.
  4. Look for EndeavourOS or GRUB: You should see a list of bootable devices. The goal is to find an entry that refers to EndeavourOS, GRUB, or your Linux distribution. It might also be listed as the name of your hard drive with "UEFI" in front of it (e.g., "UEFI: Your Hard Drive Model").
  5. Prioritize EndeavourOS/GRUB: If you find it, use the arrow keys or the instructions on the screen (usually function keys like F5/F6 or +/-) to move it to the top of the boot order list. This tells your computer to try booting from GRUB first.
  6. Save and Exit: Look for an option like "Save Changes and Exit" or "Exit Saving Changes." Select it, and your computer will reboot.

Did it work? If you're lucky, this simple fix will get you back to your GRUB menu, and you can boot into either EndeavourOS or Windows. If not, don't worry, we have more tricks up our sleeves!

Step 2: Using efibootmgr to Restore the Boot Entry

If tweaking the boot order in the BIOS didn't do the trick, we might need to manually recreate the boot entry for EndeavourOS. This sounds a bit scary, but we'll use a tool called efibootmgr, which is designed for exactly this purpose. It's like giving your computer a gentle reminder of where your bootloader lives.

  1. Boot into a Live Environment: You'll need to boot from an EndeavourOS live USB or DVD. This gives us a working Linux environment where we can use efibootmgr.

  2. Open a Terminal: Once you're in the live environment, open a terminal window. This is where we'll type our commands.

  3. Identify Your EFI Partition: We need to figure out where your EFI partition is mounted. The EFI partition is usually a small partition formatted as FAT32 and contains the bootloaders for your operating systems. A common location is /boot/efi, but it might be different on your system. Let’s find it using this command:

    lsblk -f

    This command lists your block devices (hard drives and partitions) along with their file systems and mount points. Look for a partition with the vfat filesystem and a mountpoint of /boot/efi or similar. Note the device name (e.g., /dev/sda1).

  4. Mount the EFI Partition (If Necessary): If your EFI partition isn't already mounted at /boot/efi, you'll need to mount it manually. Replace /dev/sda1 with the actual device name you found in the previous step:

    sudo mount /dev/sda1 /boot/efi

  5. Run efibootmgr: Now we can use efibootmgr to view and modify the EFI boot entries. First, let's see the current entries:

    sudo efibootmgr -v

    This will output a list of boot entries, showing their Boot#### numbers, labels, and the path to the bootloader. Look for an entry that might be related to EndeavourOS or GRUB, even if it's not labeled correctly.

  6. Create a New Boot Entry (If Necessary): If you don't see a correct entry for EndeavourOS, we'll create one. This is the trickiest part, so pay close attention. You'll need to adapt the following command to your specific system:

    sudo efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 1 -L