(Solved) Salix64 XFCE 14.1 insists GPT despite legacy boot.

[globetrotterdk]

I am trying to install Salix64 XFCE 14.1 on an Acer Travelmate p633 ms2362 laptop, but the installer insists on GPT partitioning and install of eLilo despite the BIOS being set to legacy boot mode. I set the BIOS to legacy boot so that I can avoid messing around with GPT and UEFI. Any ideas how I can get a normal install and is this a bug in the installer?

[gapan]

The two are not related. You can certainly have a GPT partitioning scheme without UEFI.

[globetrotterdk]

The two are not related. You can certainly have a GPT partitioning scheme without UEFI.

Thanks for the quick reply. Is it possible for me to just have a normal partitioning setup?

[globetrotterdk]

I tried to format using cgdisk, and the formatting was successful. However, the installer prompts me with:

This machine appears to be using EFI/UEFI, but no EFI System Partition was found. You'll need to make an EFI System Partition in order to boot from the hard drive.

This is one of two reasons why (the other being the installer insisting on installing eLilo) that it looks to me as if GPT and EFI/UEFI are interconnected in this instance, despite my having set the BIOS to legacy boot. If they are separate issues, why can't the installer let me install without an EFI System Partition when I am booting in legacy mode?

[gapan]

I tried to format using cgdisk, and the formatting was successful.

If you used cgdisk, then you are using GPT. You need to convert the disk back to MBR: http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions ... ack-to-mbr

If they are separate issues, why can't the installer let me install without an EFI System Partition when I am booting in legacy mode?

Are you sure you have disabled EFI? The installer should be able to install on GPT without EFI.

[laprjns]

You are definitely booting into UEFI mode and it's because your computer firmware (BIOS) is doing it, not the installer. Have you disabled Secure Boot also? The Acer firmware may require both Secure Boot off and Legacy mode selected to boot into legacy mode.

But you really should use UEFI, its here to stay.

[globetrotterdk]

I successfully converted the partition setup (thanks for the link, gapan), but the installer still insists that I am booting in EFI/UEFI mode despite having set the BIOS to legacy boot.

[globetrotterdk]

You are definitely booting into UEFI mode and it because your computer firmware (BIOS) is doing it, not the installer. Have you disabled Secure Boot also? The Acer firmware may require both Secure Boot off and Legacy mode selected to boot into legacy mode.

There is no secure boot section in the BIOS. I followed this howto:
http://itsfoss.com/disable-secure-boot-in-acer/
but still no secure boot section

Edit----
I should note that the section where I set legacy boot, gives the choice of booting as UEFI or legacy boot, so my assumption, based on similar instructions here:
http://acer--uk.custhelp.com/app/answer ... ecure-boot
has been that UEFI and secure boot are disabled when changing the setting to legacy boot. I am aware that there is normally a separate secure boot setting (for example on my Lenovo Q190), but that simply isn't the case here. Weird.

BTW, I have earlier tried to get UEFI to work (on my Lenovo Q190). I even tried using a rEFInd boot CD to install the rEFInd boot loader, to see if that helped. Never got it working. Instead I finally figured out how to get into legacy boot mode. So, it isn't because I haven't tried to get UEFI boot to work before. Bill Gates and the devil must be the same person

[laprjns]

but the installer still insists that I am booting in EFI/UEFI mode despite having set the BIOS to legacy boot.

You must get it out of your mind that its the installer that makes it boot into UEFI mode. It's the laptop UEFI firmware, which may be buggy. Have you looked into updating the firmware?

[globetrotterdk]

but the installer still insists that I am booting in EFI/UEFI mode despite having set the BIOS to legacy boot.

You must get it out of your mind that its the installer that makes it boot into UEFI mode. It's the laptop UEFI firmware, which may be buggy. Have to looked into updating the firmware?

OK, I found out that UEFI has to be enabled before secure boot appears in the BIOS. I can confirm that both UEFI and secure boot are now disabled. Unfortunately, both the Salix OS installer and the Debian installer, which I have also tried to confirm the problem, detect the laptop as having an active EFI/UEFI BIOS. Updating the BIOS could be a solution, but I don't know if this is even possible without Windows installed on the computer.