Accidentally deleted EFI partition

JanAlbert

Smooth sailing since installing Solus Budgie about 4 years ago... until yesterday. I managed to accidentally delete the EFI partition on the system SSD. Now Solus doesn't boot anymore.
I've searched on here, the help section and other online sources, but couldn't find an easy to understand fix that I would be comfortable to carry out. Quite overwhelming all the info. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

brent

JanAlbert I would go into the live .iso, open gparted, and remake/reformat your 1GB boot partition. Set the flags correctly (boot,esp I believe).

From there you can stay live, and CHROOT into your system: https://help.getsol.us/docs/user/troubleshooting/boot-rescue#chrooting-to-your-solus-system.

if you do everything on that help page right (if I could do it anyone can trust me I am a lunkhead) the boot partition will be restored.

that's the right direction. good luck.

JanAlbert

Brent, I appreciate you took the time to try and help. I think I followed the boot rescue procedure, but ended up with two errors. The first one to do with validating the network connection. The second one at the very end, clr-boot-manager update. Tried to boot anyway, no success, dracut-initqueue timeout. Anyone able to help?
Here's what I did:
live@solus ~ $ sudo su
root@solus /home/live # mkdir /target
root@solus /home/live # lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
loop0 7:0 0 2.3G 1 loop
loop1 7:1 0 9.3G 1 loop /run/rootfsbase
sda 8:0 0 1.8T 0 disk
sdb 8:16 0 232.9G 0 disk
├─sdb1 8:17 0 512M 0 part
└─sdb2 8:18 0 232.4G 0 part
sdc 8:32 0 223.6G 0 disk
├─sdc1 8:33 0 1G 0 part
└─sdc3 8:35 0 219.4G 0 part /run/media/live/c8d899b5-15c8-4183-b733-4bbf612bef4e
sdd 8:48 0 931.5G 0 disk
└─sdd1 8:49 0 931.5G 0 part
sde 8:64 1 28.9G 0 disk
├─sde1 8:65 1 2.5G 0 part /run/initramfs/live
└─sde2 8:66 1 150M 0 part
zram0 252:0 0 8G 0 disk [SWAP]
root@solus /home/live # mount /dev/sdc3 /target
root@solus /home/live # fdisk -o Device,Size,Type -l /dev/sdc
Disk /dev/sdc: 223.57 GiB, 240057409536 bytes, 468862128 sectors
Disk model: WDC WDS240G2G0A-
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 833E0510-6AA4-48B6-AC75-7296C4C71F24

Device Size Type
/dev/sdc1 1G EFI System
/dev/sdc3 219.4G Linux filesystem
root@solus /home/live # mount /dev/sdc1 root@solus /home/live # mount --types mount --rbind /dev /target/dev
mount --rbind /sys /target/sys
mount --make-rslave /target/dev
mount --make-rslave /target/sys
root@solus /home/live # chroot /target
ping: google.com: Temporary failure root@solus / # cp /run/systemd/resolve/st cd /target/etc
ln -s ../run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf cp: cannot stat '/run/systemd/resolve/stu bash: cd: /target/etc: No such file ln: failed to create symbolic link root@solus / # exit
exit
root@solus /home/live # cp /run/systemd/r cd /target/etc
ln -s ../run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf cp: cannot create regular file '/target/r ln: failed to create symbolic link root@solus /target/etc # chroot root@solus / # sudo usysconf run -f
[✓] Syncing filesystems [✓] Updating dynamic library cache [ ] Updating clr-boot-manager [ ] Updating clr-boot-manager [ ] Updating clr-boot-manager [ ] Updating clr-boot-manager [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [ ] Registering QoL migration on next boot [✓] Running depmod on kernel 6.8.12-293.current [✓] Updating hwdb [✓] Updating graphical driver configuration [✓] Updating system users [✓] Updating systemd tmpfiles [ ] Reloading systemd configuration [ ] Re-starting vendor-enabled .socket units [ ] Re-executing systemd [ ] Compiling and Reloading AppArmor profiles [ ] Compiling and Reloading AppArmor profiles [✓] Compiling glib-schemas [✓] Creating GIO modules cache [✓] Compiling gdk-pixbuf cache [✓] Rebuilding font cache [✓] Updating mimetype database [✓] Updating icon theme cache: hicolor [✓] Updating icon theme cache: Papirus-Dark [✓] Updating icon theme cache: HighContrast [✓] Updating icon theme cache: AdwaitaLegacy [✓] Updating icon theme cache: Papirus-Light [✓] Updating icon theme cache: default [✓] Updating icon theme cache: Papirus [✓] Updating icon theme cache: Papirus-Adapta [✓] Updating icon theme cache: Adwaita [✓] Updating icon theme cache: solus-sc [✓] Updating icon theme cache: [✓] Updating icon theme cache: breeze_cursors [✓] Updating desktop database [✓] Rebuilding dconf database [✓] Creating VLC plugins cache [✓] Updating GTK2 input module cache [✓] Updating GTK3 input module cache [✓] Updating manpages database [✓] Ensuring usr-merge consistency [✓] Updating SSL certificates [ ] Reloading udev rules [ ] Reloading udev rules root@solus / # sudo clr-boot-manager [ERROR] cbm (../src/bootman/update.c:L189): root@solus / # exit
exit
root@solus /target/etc # /target/boot
proc /proc /target/proc
> in name resolution
ub-resolv.conf /target/run/systemd/resolve/
/target/etc/resolv.conf
b-resolv.conf': No such file or directory
or directory
'/target/etc/resolv.conf': No such file or directory
esolve/stub-resolv.conf /target/run/systemd/resolve/
/target/etc/resolv.conf
un/systemd/resolve/': Not a directory
'/target/etc/resolv.conf': File exists
/target
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Papirus-Adapta-Nokto success
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update
Cannot determine the currently running kernel

brent

JanAlbert did you get your boot back despite errors? can you boot into solus?

root@solus / # sudo clr-boot-manager update
[ERROR] cbm (../src/bootman/update.c:L189): Cannot determine the currently running ker

---I don't know why this is? Maybe /boot wasn't mounted, only /root? Anyone have an opinion?

--try this to tie the loose ends up: sudo usysconf run -f

If you can boot into solus then I wouldn't worry about the udev stuff etc. If you can't boot into solus then we are back where we started temporarily.

any fresh eyeballs welcome here; I'm not caffeinated yet

[deleted]

JanAlbert did you actually create /target folder?

JanAlbert

brent Thanks, no, still can't boot into Solus. Hoping for more input from others.

JanAlbert

[deleted] Isn't "mkdir /target" supposed to do that?

JanAlbert

I keep plodding along, still no success.
I keep getting this error:

root@solus / # sudo clr-boot-manager update
[ERROR] cbm (../src/bootman/update.c:L189): Cannot determine the currently running kernel

How to solve this?

minh

JanAlbert just ignore it. Most important is the files copied over to your /target/boot folder. Then you need a Boot loader point to the new partition. Check this: https://discuss.getsol.us/d/4931-unable-to-boot-solus-4-1-after-a-succesful-efi-fresh-install/4

JanAlbert

minh Thanks.

So I suppose I use:
sudo efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sdb -p 4 -l "\EFI\systemd\systemd-bootx64.efi" -L "Linux Boot Manager

What does the number 4 stand for? Somewhere else I saw the same with the number 1.
Does it matter?

minh

JanAlbert it's partition number. Use lsblk to see the partition index. It should be the index of your boot partition

minh

JanAlbert sudo efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sdb -p 4 -l "\EFI\systemd\systemd-bootx64.efi"

Mine is different.
Boot0001* Solus Linux Bootloader HD(1,GPT,5574757f-9f73-11ee-9cc2-7085c28ac21f,0x800,0x100000)/\EFI\COM.SOLUS-PROJECT\BOOTLOADERX64.EFI
Also from your previous post, the /target should mount to your sdb disk (existing solus), not sdc (live cd)?

JanAlbert

I've tried all of the above and still not getting anywhere. In the meantime I have installed a fresh Solus on another drive, so at least I have a workable system. Of course, I still want my original personalised system back. Can't figure out how to boot to that one.

Is there anyone who can guide me through this?

stekte

root@solus /home/live # mount /dev/sdc1 /target/boot
root@solus /home/live # mount --types proc /proc /target/proc
mount --rbind /dev /target/dev
mount --rbind /sys /target/sys
mount --make-rslave /target/dev
mount --make-rslave /target/sys
root@solus /home/live # chroot /target

In /target you may mount the system partition not the /boot. The /boot partition will be
mounted when in chroot environment.
So from live you mount /dev/sdc3 on /target and when you chrooted in /target you
mount /dev/sdc1 /boot/efi and then you start the recovery procedure

JanAlbert

stekte Mounted boot once chrooted, didn't work.

Device Size Type /dev/sda1 1G EFI System /dev/sda3 219.4G Linux filesystem root@solus /home/live # mount --types proc /proc /target/proc mount --rbind /dev /target/dev mount --rbind /sys /target/sys mount --make-rslave /target/dev mount --make-rslave /target/sys root@solus /home/live # chroot /target root@solus / # mount /dev/sda1 /boot/efi mount: /boot/efi: mount point does not exist. dmesg(1) may have more information after failed mount system call.

JanAlbert

minh That only changed the name of the option in the F11 boot menu. Still not booting.

BuzzPCSOS

Not trying to tread on toes here, just suggesting another path that might be successful.
@JanAlbert There has been some excellent advice coming your way but I must admit that I prefer using a GUI to CLI. For me there is too much chance of getting things wrong and making it all worse. My go-to tool in a pickle like yours would be Rescatux which can be booted into a live environment to perform an in-situ repair.
Make a boot media with Rescatux on it. Maybe switch off Secure Boot in the BIOS. With Secure Boot enabled I can no longer boot from any Solus 4.5 iso but your mileage may vary depending on BIOS updates.
Start Rescatux. Select the Menu button and then in the Boot section try any of the following.
UEFI Partition Status
Check UEFI Boot
Create UEFI Boot Entry
Alternatively look for some online tutorials on it's use or use the Rescatux chat function on the Live system. It has been around a good while now and has often helped me to bring a computer out of limbo with the minimum of fuss.
Good Luck with your repair.

JanAlbert

BuzzPCSOS I appreciate the suggestion. I'll keep it in the back of my mind if no success otherwise.

JanAlbert

Whenever I choose the first option, my existing OS, it hangs on the Pro Series logo.

The third option is the one I recently installed to have at least a workable OS.