Debian will not boot any more, wrong UUID

[Hans]

Dear folks,

since days I am now fighting with a big and special problem I fell into.

On my notebook I have 2 drives, one is a NVME drive, the other a normal
harddrive.

The NVME has got Widows_11 and Debian_12 on it.

But here is the problem:

As I resized the Windows and Linux partitions, the UUIDs have changed. Thus,
now the root partition can not be found any more, as the UUID has changed.

This is not the only problem! Windows has changed the BIOS settings during an
update. Now it has set from AHCI to RAID. This is the first problem.

Second: The setting of AHCI has disappeared, so I can not change the settings
in BIOS. And: the BIOS can not be reflashed!

In the meantime I was able to disable UEFI in BIOS (with a trick), and it is
no AMI-BIOS. The BIOS is called "INSYDEH20" Rev. 5.0.

I tried hard, used lots of livefile systems (Ubuntu, Kali, Knoppix, Debian-
live, Debian-Installer in rescue mode, super-grub-disk, Rescatux and lots
more).

Whatever I do, no system is showing me /dev/nvme0pXXX! Of course tried nvme-
cli tools, without any success.

Important: The partitions and its content are still existent! I can get access
to them in Windows using a tool, which let me get access to the partitions and
its content. This means, I could edit /etc/fstab, if I could find out the
correct UUID.

At boot, I can edit the kernel params, there is root=UUID=MY_UUID, here I also
tried "root=/dev/nmve0p1n6", but also got no success. As I said, I can get
access to the /etc/fstab, but without the correct UUID it makes no sense.

I tried also a complete reinstall of Debian_12, but the installer does not see
/dev/nvme0XXXXX whatever. The kernel parameter "nvme_load=YES" did also not
help.

Now I am complete lost, because I have no more clue.

In short, things do not work:

1. Debian Installer does not see the harddrive (/dev/nvmeXXXX)

2. With UEFI enabled, most lifesystems do NOT boot.

3. All /dev/nvmeXXXXX can not be seen or activated

4. All UUID lost!

5. In BIOS there is no setting "AHCI/IDE/RAID" (existed once, but it is now
gone). Windows has obviously overwritten it.

I could install a fresh debian_12 on the second harddrive (which is no nvme),
but also from this one, I can not get access to the first harddrive (nvme),
even not with nvme-cli tools.

I would be happy, if someone would share some other ideas if any, as my ideas
at the moment are out.

Thank you for reading this and any help.

Oh, last but not least: A fresh install would be no problem, but the Debian
installer DVD does ALSO NOT see the /dev/nvme.

Big big problem.....

Thanks for reading and your help.

Best regards

Hans

[David Christensen]

Please provide manufacturer names and part numbers for:

* notebook computer

* NVMe drive

* hard drive


David

[hw]

Reset the BIOS and maybe try Fedora. You do want to change back from
RAID to AHCI.

Why do the livesystems not boot?

What did you update, the BIOS or Windows?

I guess your notebook is now bricked. If it's still under warranty,
have them fix it.

[David Christensen]

AIUI Windows 11 still works, so the notebook computer is not bricked;
but it no longer plays nice with dual-boot Windows 11 and Debian on the
NVMe drive.


I am curious if and what the Windows 11 update did to the notebook
computer firmware and/or NVRAM settings. It would be helpful to know
the Microsoft Knowledge Base number(s) for the update(s).


It seems the notebook came with AMI firmware, but the OP replaced it
with alternate firmware:

https://www.insyde.com/products


If the OP did change the firmware, I am curious if InsydeH2O® UEFI BIOS
is supported on that specific manufacturer and model notebook computer,
how the OP obtained InsydeH2O® UEFI BIOS, how the OP installed it, and
if the OP knows how to reinstall the original firmware.


If I want to boot my Dell Precision 3630 (UEFI-only firmware) using a
USB flash drive containing:

debian-11.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso

Or boot a SATA SSD or a USB flash drive containing a working Debian UEFI
instance, I must enter the firmware Setup utility, create a boot entry
for the specific instance, and move the entry to the top of the boot
order. It is unclear if the OP's notebook computer requires similar
steps or if the OP attempted them.


David

[Andrew M.A. Cater]

On Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 05:34:31PM +0200, Hans wrote:
> Dear folks,
>
> since days I am now fighting with a big and special problem I fell into.
>
> On my notebook I have 2 drives, one is a NVME drive, the other a normal
> harddrive.
>
> The NVME has got Widows_11 and Debian_12 on it.
>
> But here is the problem:
>
> As I resized the Windows and Linux partitions, the UUIDs have changed. Thus,
> now the root partition can not be found any more, as the UUID has changed.
>
> This is not the only problem! Windows has changed the BIOS settings during an
> update. Now it has set from AHCI to RAID. This is the first problem.
>

I hate to say this: you need to reinstall Windows 11, potentially and then
reinstall Debian. AHCI is the appropriate setting - maybe if you wipe the
machine it should work.

Quite often, the machine has a setting in firmware which embeds a Windows
licence key these days.

Windows first, then Debian, I think.

All best, as ever,

[Hans]

Hi,

reset did not work. The menu for setting AHCI has completely disappeared

The livesystems do not boot, as UEFI inhibits it. And in the BIOS UEFI can NOT
be disabled!

I updated Windows from Win_10 to Win_11.

It is not bricked, please read my first mail carefully: I canm still access the
ext4 partitions from Windows (using Paragon drivers) and the data are still on
the partitions.

The kernel is still starting, but does not find the root partition, as the UUID
is wrong.

And I can not get the correct UUID, as no Linux livefile does see the /dev/nvme
partitions.

Hope this makes it clearer.

[Jeffrey Walton]

On Sun, Oct 1, 2023 at 1:09 PM Hans <hans.u...@loop.de> wrote:
>
> reset did not work. The menu for setting AHCI has completely disappeared
>
> The livesystems do not boot, as UEFI inhibits it. And in the BIOS UEFI can NOT
> be disabled!

Sometimes you need to set a BIOS password to unlock additional menu
items, like an item to disable Secure Boot.

Acer laptops are like that. I think Acer also uses Insyde for their
firmware upgrades, <https://www.google.com/search?q=Acer+Insyde>.

Jeff

[Hans]

Hi David,

>
> AIUI Windows 11 still works, so the notebook computer is not bricked;
> but it no longer plays nice with dual-boot Windows 11 and Debian on the
> NVMe drive.
>

Yes, as Debian can not be booted any more, due to the wrong UUID of the root
device.

>
> I am curious if and what the Windows 11 update did to the notebook
> computer firmware and/or NVRAM settings. It would be helpful to know
> the Microsoft Knowledge Base number(s) for the update(s).
>
>

It overwrote the BIOS setting from AHCI to RAID and let this menu point
disappear in the BIOS.

> It seems the notebook came with AMI firmware, but the OP replaced it
> with alternate firmware:
>
> https://www.insyde.com/products
>

NOPE, it came original with INSYDEH20 BIOS, NOT an AMI BIOS.

>
> If the OP did change the firmware, I am curious if InsydeH2O® UEFI BIOS
> is supported on that specific manufacturer and model notebook computer,
> how the OP obtained InsydeH2O® UEFI BIOS, how the OP installed it, and
> if the OP knows how to reinstall the original firmware.
>

Nope, it is factory original.

>
> If I want to boot my Dell Precision 3630 (UEFI-only firmware) using a
> USB flash drive containing:
>
> debian-11.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso
>

Tried this, but no success.

> Or boot a SATA SSD or a USB flash drive containing a working Debian UEFI
> instance, I must enter the firmware Setup utility, create a boot entry
> for the specific instance, and move the entry to the top of the boot
> order. It is unclear if the OP's notebook computer requires similar
> steps or if the OP attempted them.
>

Nope, tried this, too. No success.
>
> David


Thanks for help, David!

Best regards

Hans

[Hans]

I already thought of this. Problem is in the BIOS, as I can not set AHCI there
(Menu disappeared), so no Linux sees the device.

> I hate to say this: you need to reinstall Windows 11, potentially and then
> reinstall Debian. AHCI is the appropriate setting - maybe if you wipe the
> machine it should work.
>
> Quite often, the machine has a setting in firmware which embeds a Windows
> licence key these days.
>
> Windows first, then Debian, I think.
>
> All best, as ever,
>

Best

Hans

[Hans]

Hi David,

>
> Please provide manufacturer names and part numbers for:
> * notebook computer

Acer Aspire A317-51G

>
> * NVMe drive
>
Kingston manufacturer, do know not more

> * hard drive
normal SSD (I intend to install Debian on this as subtitute)

>
>
> David

The BIOS is INSYDEH20, Rev. 5.0 (latest version), this was original on the
notebook when it was bought. (Yes, I know, I am sking myself, which idiot is
using such a BIOS, and not AMI or hmmmmmm, Phoenix.)

Oh, and by the way, it is not my notebook, it is belonging a friend.

Best regards

Hans

[Stefan Monnier]

>> AIUI Windows 11 still works, so the notebook computer is not bricked;
>> but it no longer plays nice with dual-boot Windows 11 and Debian on the
>> NVMe drive.
> Yes, as Debian can not be booted any more, due to the wrong UUID of the root
> device.

I don't understand how the UUID could be such a hard problem.

I can see that a change in UUID could pose a problems but not an
insurmountable one.

Maybe if you give some more details, people will be able to help.
This said, if you don't have a /dev/nvme* and the disk you need to
access is accessed via nvme, then no amunt of UUID change will help you
(the UUID is just one of the ways you can name the disk, but the actual
access needs to go through the /dev/nvme* thingy in the end anyway).


Stefan

[Hans]

Hi Jeff,

yes, I tried this, and if I set a password for the hdd in BIOS, I can disable
UEFI. However, the nvme-drive needs UEFI activated, thus my livesystems won't
boot.

I tried to overwrite the actual firmware, but as it was the newest one, the
installer inhibits to overwrite the existing BIOS.

Hope this make things clearer

Best

Hans

[Michel Verdier]

On 2023-09-30, Hans wrote:

> At boot, I can edit the kernel params, there is root=UUID=MY_UUID, here I also
> tried "root=/dev/nmve0p1n6", but also got no success. As I said, I can get
> access to the /etc/fstab, but without the correct UUID it makes no sense.

Did you change both kernel param and fstab ? You can use /dev/xxx in
fstab, no need to know the uuid.

You can also add the kernel param biosdevname=0 to get the old name. In
this case your nvme should be the first so named /dev/sda.

If you don't remember partitioning you can install cygwin and use fdisk
on it. cygwin also provides blkid to get label and uuid.

[Hans]

Hi Stefan,

that is easy to explain. The kernel is searching for a device with the special
UUID. As I changed the size of the partition with gparted, the UUID changed.

Now the kernel says: This UUID is not existent, what is correct (kernel param:
root=UUID=MyUUIDXXXXX)

I can not get the new UUID (blkid -l /dev/nvme0Pn6) , because no livesystem
does see any /dev/nvme. If I could, I could edit the kernel param and set the
correct UUID by hand. (as you know, in grub I can edit the boot parms).

This is the problem.

Hope this makes things clearer.

Best

Hans

[Hans]

Am Sonntag, 1. Oktober 2023, 20:24:40 CEST schrieb Michel Verdier:


Hi Michel,> Did you change both kernel param and fstab ? You can use /dev/xxx

in
> fstab, no need to know the uuid.
>

I tried /dev/nvmeXXXXX (I could see the correct device in /etc/fstab "device
was /dev/nvmeXXXX at inbstallation"), but this did not help.

> You can also add the kernel param biosdevname=0 to get the old name. In
> this case your nvme should be the first so named /dev/sda.

Hmm, this I did not try! Will try it tomorrow.

>
> If you don't remember partitioning you can install cygwin and use fdisk
> on it. cygwin also provides blkid to get label and uuid.

I tried to get the UUID in Windows but I am not sure, if GUID (Microsoft
naming?) is the same as UUID in Linux.


Setting the GUID in kernel parm did also not help.

But I will try biosdevname=0, thats a good hint!

Best regards

Hans

[The Wanderer]

On 2023-09-30 at 11:34, Hans wrote:

> Dear folks,
>
> since days I am now fighting with a big and special problem I fell
> into.
>
> On my notebook I have 2 drives, one is a NVME drive, the other a
> normal harddrive.
>
> The NVME has got Widows_11 and Debian_12 on it.
>
> But here is the problem:
>
> As I resized the Windows and Linux partitions, the UUIDs have
> changed. Thus, now the root partition can not be found any more, as
> the UUID has changed.

Having read over the rest of this thread, so far I do not see anything
to indicate that the UUID has changed.

> This is not the only problem! Windows has changed the BIOS settings
> during an update. Now it has set from AHCI to RAID. This is the first
> problem.

Rather, I think that this is likely to be the entire problem.

At least on some (many?) systems, when this is set to RAID rather than
AHCI, a different driver is required. When that driver is not present or
is not compatible with the hardware, Linux will not see the storage
device.

That is the symptom which you are seeing, and because of that, I think
that this is the cause you need to deal with.

It is possible that the UUID of the storage device and/or the partitions
on it may have also changed, but until the storage device is accessible
from Linux again, the question of whether it has or not is irrelevant.

> Second: The setting of AHCI has disappeared, so I can not change the
> settings in BIOS. And: the BIOS can not be reflashed!

Please describe exactly what you have done to try to downgrade the UEFI
(which isn't a BIOS, as I understand the definitions of those terms, but
may sometimes be called one).

It's possible that there may be parameters which you could pass to the
tool you're using to try to do this, which would override the refusal to
downgrade.


If you can get the "AHCI" option back, then that is almost certainly
going to be the simplest way to fix the problem (or at least to move on
to the next stage of the problem, which would probably be more tractable).

If you can't, then the solution is likely to require getting a
compatible driver in the Linux environment (whether live or otherwise)
that you're using to try to access the system. The details of *that* are
not something that I have sufficient experience with to want to try to
advise someone on at a distance.

(If you're unlucky, there may not *be* any such driver for that model,
or at least not one you can get your hands on. In which case, barring
the downgrade-the-firmware angle, you'd probably be out of luck.)

--
The Wanderer

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw

[Eduardo M KALINOWSKI]

On 01/10/2023 14:08, Hans wrote:
> The kernel is still starting, but does not find the root partition, as the UUID
> is wrong.
>
> And I can not get the correct UUID, as no Linux livefile does see the /dev/nvme
> partitions.

I don't think the problem is an incorrect or changed UUID, but simply
that you SSD is not being detected, and so it cannot find the partition
with the given UUID (it can't find any partitions, I'd guess).

Sorry I can't be of more help.

--
The only difference in the game of love over the last few thousand years
is that they've changed trumps from clubs to diamonds.
-- The Indianapolis Star

Eduardo M KALINOWSKI
edu...@kalinowski.com.br

[Hans]

Some other idea: As the kernel boots, but does not find the root-partition, I am stopping at the shell

(initramfs)

Is there anything I can do from this point?

I also see, that the kernel tries to find some "block" device, but i am not sure, what he actually does Kernel output is:

---

Begin: Running scripts/local-block  ... done

---

for about 10 times, then stops with:

---

Gave up waiting for file root file system device. Common problem:

- Boot args (cat/proc/cmdline)

- Check root-delay= (did the system wait long enough?)

- Missing modules (cat /proc/modules; ls /dev)

Alert: /dev/nvme0n1p6 not exist.. Dropping to a shell.

BusyBox v1.35.0 (Debian 1: 1.35.0-4+b3) built-in shell (ash)

Enter 'help` for a list of built in commands

(initramfs)

---

I looked at ls /dev/block and saw some 8:0 , 8:1 , 8:2 etc, but not sure, if these are my partitions.

Can I do more fron this shell?

Hans

 

[Hans]

Hi the Wanderer,

> Having read over the rest of this thread, so far I do not see anything
> to indicate that the UUID has changed.

Ok

>
> Rather, I think that this is likely to be the entire problem.
>
> At least on some (many?) systems, when this is set to RAID rather than
> AHCI, a different driver is required. When that driver is not present or
> is not compatible with the hardware, Linux will not see the storage
> device.
>
> That is the symptom which you are seeing, and because of that, I think
> that this is the cause you need to deal with.
>
> It is possible that the UUID of the storage device and/or the partitions
> on it may have also changed, but until the storage device is accessible
> from Linux again, the question of whether it has or not is irrelevant.
>
> > Second: The setting of AHCI has disappeared, so I can not change the
> > settings in BIOS. And: the BIOS can not be reflashed!
>
> Please describe exactly what you have done to try to downgrade the UEFI
> (which isn't a BIOS, as I understand the definitions of those terms, but
> may sometimes be called one).

In short; I tried (as most people tell): Starting windows in secure mode, then
boot into the BIOS and there set from RAID to AHCI, afterwards start windows
as normal.

This setting in BIOS was existent some time ago, but now it is complete gone
(this point is completele disappeared!)!! I know that it is in RAID, because
Windows told so: BUS form = RAID.

>
> It's possible that there may be parameters which you could pass to the
> tool you're using to try to do this, which would override the refusal to
> downgrade.
>
>
> If you can get the "AHCI" option back, then that is almost certainly
> going to be the simplest way to fix the problem (or at least to move on
> to the next stage of the problem, which would probably be more tractable).
>
> If you can't, then the solution is likely to require getting a
> compatible driver in the Linux environment (whether live or otherwise)
> that you're using to try to access the system. The details of *that* are
> not something that I have sufficient experience with to want to try to
> advise someone on at a distance.
>

Yes. I am wondering, why the debian installer DVD does not see the nvme-
device. When I installed Debian_11 a year ago, it did see the drive. Of course
I tried with this DVD again to reinstall, but today it does not see the drive
any more (I suppose because of RAID).

> (If you're unlucky, there may not *be* any such driver for that model,
> or at least not one you can get your hands on. In which case, barring
> the downgrade-the-firmware angle, you'd probably be out of luck.)

I guess I am unlucky..... :)

Thanks for the help.

best

Hans

[hw]

On Sun, 2023-10-01 at 00:01 -0700, David Christensen wrote:
> On 9/30/23 19:59, hw wrote:
> >
> > I guess your notebook is now bricked. If it's still under warranty,
> > have them fix it.
>
>
> AIUI Windows 11 still works, so the notebook computer is not bricked;
> but it no longer plays nice with dual-boot Windows 11 and Debian on the
> NVMe drive.

Right, it's bricked. What good is a computer when you can't run the
software you want to run on it.

It's kinda like a bicycle you can't ride on paved surfaces. Such a
bycicle is effectively bricked. There aren't many surfaces that
aren't paved you could ride on, and riding bicycles on unpaved
surfaces is even worse than riding a bycicle ...

[Felix Miata]

Hans composed on 2023-09-30 17:34 (UTC+0200):
...

> On my notebook I have 2 drives, one is a NVME drive, the other a normal

> harddrive....

What I would try to do in sequence if I had it here:

1-have Acer support explain why the AHCI option disappeared, and get it to restore
it with new BIOS or laptop if necessary. I wouldn't have high expectations that
this would succeed unless the OEM boot device with Windows remained as shipped for
delivery to support for analysis, but try at least. Usually best when buying a
brand new computer with Windows for use with Linux to not disturb the OEM drive
content before the warranty expires. IOW, store it elsewhere than in the computer.

2-remove both drives

3-clear/reset the UEFI BIOS so that no boot devices appear

4-reboot into BIOS do see if AHCI option has reappeared

5-try booting a live USB without any installed HDD or NVME

6-install one NVME or HDD that has been wiped or otherwise virgin

7-install Debian in UEFI mode
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.

Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata

[The Wanderer]

On 2023-10-01 at 17:39, The Wanderer wrote:

> On 2023-10-01 at 15:36, Hans wrote:
>
>> Hi the Wanderer,

>>> (If you're unlucky, there may not *be* any such driver for that
>>> model, or at least not one you can get your hands on. In which
>>> case, barring the downgrade-the-firmware angle, you'd probably
>>> be out of luck.)
>>
>> I guess I am unlucky..... :)
>

> I don't think we've reached the stage of concluding that there is no
> such Linux driver, at least not yet.
>
> What steps have you taken to try to identify the device for which a
> driver is needed?
>
> A 'lspci' verbose report, from one of the live environments where
> the NVMe device does not appear, might be helpful as a starting point
> in doing that. I'd probably start with 'lspcn -nnn', and look in the
> output for either anything which mentions "NVM" or "nvm", or any
> unidentified devices.

Mrph. I of course meant 'lspci -nnn'.

[The Wanderer]

On 2023-10-01 at 15:36, Hans wrote:

> Hi the Wanderer,

>>> Second: The setting of AHCI has disappeared, so I can not change
>>> the settings in BIOS. And: the BIOS can not be reflashed!
>>
>> Please describe exactly what you have done to try to downgrade the
>> UEFI (which isn't a BIOS, as I understand the definitions of those
>> terms, but may sometimes be called one).
>
> In short; I tried (as most people tell): Starting windows in secure
> mode, then boot into the BIOS and there set from RAID to AHCI,
> afterwards start windows as normal.
>
> This setting in BIOS was existent some time ago, but now it is
> complete gone (this point is completele disappeared!)!! I know that
> it is in RAID, because Windows told so: BUS form = RAID.

I apologize; it seems I was not sufficiently clear.

By "downgrade the UEFI" I meant "revert the installed UEFI to an older
version" - what you were attempting to do by "reflash"ing the "BIOS".

I was looking for a response like "double-clicked the EXE which I got
from [place] and followed the prompts, selecting [option] when given a
choice" or "ran the EXE which I got from [place] from the command line,
using [list of command-line parameters]".

If you did it via a graphical interface, and ran into a no-downgrade
wall, it may well be worth looking at the documentation which is
probably available along with the download; it may provide a
command-line version of the process, which might support parameters to
tell the tool to allow the downgrade to occur.

(Downgrading is suboptimal, but would be one way to address the
proximate issue.)

>> If you can get the "AHCI" option back, then that is almost
>> certainly going to be the simplest way to fix the problem (or at
>> least to move on to the next stage of the problem, which would
>> probably be more tractable).
>>
>> If you can't, then the solution is likely to require getting a
>> compatible driver in the Linux environment (whether live or
>> otherwise) that you're using to try to access the system. The
>> details of *that* are not something that I have sufficient
>> experience with to want to try to advise someone on at a distance.
>
> Yes. I am wondering, why the debian installer DVD does not see the
> nvme- device. When I installed Debian_11 a year ago, it did see the
> drive. Of course I tried with this DVD again to reinstall, but today
> it does not see the drive any more (I suppose because of RAID).

My first suspicion would be that the installer environment does not
include - or, at least, is not loading - the necessary drivers for some
portion of the stack which is in use when the "RAID" option is enabled.

>> (If you're unlucky, there may not *be* any such driver for that
>> model, or at least not one you can get your hands on. In which
>> case, barring the downgrade-the-firmware angle, you'd probably be
>> out of luck.)
>
> I guess I am unlucky..... :)

I don't think we've reached the stage of concluding that there is no
such Linux driver, at least not yet.

What steps have you taken to try to identify the device for which a
driver is needed?

A 'lspci' verbose report, from one of the live environments where the
NVMe device does not appear, might be helpful as a starting point in
doing that. I'd probably start with 'lspcn -nnn', and look in the output
for either anything which mentions "NVM" or "nvm", or any unidentified
devices.

> Thanks for the help.

You're quite welcome.

[Michel Verdier]

On 2023-10-01, Hans wrote:

>> If you don't remember partitioning you can install cygwin and use fdisk
>> on it. cygwin also provides blkid to get label and uuid.
>
> I tried to get the UUID in Windows but I am not sure, if GUID (Microsoft
> naming?) is the same as UUID in Linux.

Not directly from windows, Install cygwin on windows. You will have *nix
tools. From cygwin install and launch blkid. It will show you partitions
names and uuid.

[Jeffrey Walton]

On Sun, Oct 1, 2023 at 6:29 PM Hans <hans.u...@loop.de> wrote:
>
> I already thought of this. Problem is in the BIOS, as I can not set AHCI there
> (Menu disappeared), so no Linux sees the device.

Maybe it is hidden?

https://superuser.com/questions/1711770/unlock-advanced-menu-hidden-in-bios

Jeff

[Stefan Monnier]

> that is easy to explain. The kernel is searching for a device with the
> special UUID. As I changed the size of the partition with gparted,
> the UUID changed.
>
> Now the kernel says: This UUID is not existent, what is correct
> (kernel param: root=UUID=MyUUIDXXXXX)
>
> I can not get the new UUID (blkid -l /dev/nvme0Pn6) , because no
> livesystem does see any /dev/nvme. If I could, I could edit the
> kernel param and set the correct UUID by hand. (as you know, in grub
> I can edit the boot parms).
>
> This is the problem.

So the problem is not the UUID, it's the lack of /dev/nvme*
[ E.g. using the "right" UUID wouldn't magically let you access that
partition. ]


Stefan

[David Wright]

On Sun 01 Oct 2023 at 21:27:17 (+0200), Hans wrote:
> Some other idea: As the kernel boots, but does not find the root-partition, I am stopping at the
> shell
>
> (initramfs)
>
> Is there anything I can do from this point?
>
> I also see, that the kernel tries to find some "block" device, but i am not sure, what he actually does

Disks, USB sticks, SD cards, and so on, are all block devices.

> Kernel output is:
>
> --------------------

>
> Begin: Running scripts/local-block ... done
>

> --------------------

>
> for about 10 times, then stops with:
>

> --------------------

>
> Gave up waiting for file root file system device. Common problem:
> - Boot args (cat/proc/cmdline)
> - Check root-delay= (did the system wait long enough?)
>
> - Missing modules (cat /proc/modules; ls /dev)
>
> Alert: /dev/nvme0n1p6 not exist.. Dropping to a shell.
>
> BusyBox v1.35.0 (Debian 1: 1.35.0-4+b3) built-in shell (ash)
> Enter 'help` for a list of built in commands
>
> (initramfs)
>
>

> --------------------

>
> I looked at ls /dev/block and saw some 8:0 , 8:1 , 8:2 etc, but not sure, if these are my partitions.

Yes, they'll be symlinks to the appropriate /dev/… devices. Under
normal circumstances, they'll have equivalent entries like
/run/udev/data/b8:0, which contain plain text information about
the corresponding device file.

8:0 will be the disk device, and 8:1 … will be partitions. However,
8 means they're probably the "normal harddrive", mentioned at the
top of your OP. Check there is the correct number of them—but
don't be fooled by seeing 8:16, 8:17 …, which would mean that you've
got a USB stick plugged in. Or if you booted from an SD card, you
might see symlinks like 179:0 …

However, the "NVME drive" would typically be numbered 259:0, 259:1 …
rather than 8:0.

> Can I do more fron this shell?

I'm afraid stopping at this point (rather than earlier or later
in the booting up sequence) is something I've never done.

BTW your OP confused me somewhat— In the summary you wrote:

1. Debian Installer does not see the harddrive (/dev/nvmeXXXX)

Presumably you meant: "NVME drive (/dev/nvmeXXXX)"; and so you can
see what you called the "normal harddrive", ie those 8:0 … devices.
I guess you have both Windows and Linux OSes on the NVME disk, which
is why you had to resize things. What's the "normal" harddrive for?

Cheers,
David.

[Steve McIntyre]

Hi Hans!

hans.u...@loop.de wrote:
>
>In short; I tried (as most people tell): Starting windows in secure mode, then
>boot into the BIOS and there set from RAID to AHCI, afterwards start windows
>as normal.
>
>This setting in BIOS was existent some time ago, but now it is complete gone
>(this point is completele disappeared!)!! I know that it is in RAID, because
>Windows told so: BUS form = RAID.

Right. I have one of these machines as a test box locally, and I think
I know what the problem is.

The core issue is that the BIOS setup screen has a ridiculous
mis-feature - it hides some BIOS entries from the user, with no
indication that it has done so. On the model I have, it needs you to
hit Ctrl-s on each of the BIOS setup screens to show them. I've read
about other models where you need to hit other key combinations. Doing
a web search for "<model> hidden bios settings" should help you here.

The "InsydeBIOS" thing is utter crap, basically. I'd *reallY* strongly
recommend getting rid of the machine and replacing it with something
less awful.

Be aware that if you switch storage from RAID to AHCI mode then you'll
probably lose access to the Windows installation - it will be
depending on the RAID setup.

--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. st...@einval.com
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky,
Tongue-tied & twisted, Just an earth-bound misfit, I...

[Curt]

On 2023-09-30, Hans <hans.u...@loop.de> wrote:
>
> Second: The setting of AHCI has disappeared, so I can not change the settings
> in BIOS. And: the BIOS can not be reflashed!
>

I've read that on some Acer machines the procedure is:

'Main' BIOS tab/ctrl+s (as suggested by Steve and Jeffrey)/toggle VMD
Controller to [Disabled].

--

[Hans]

Hi Curt,

tried both, but sadly no success.

Thanks anyway!

Best regards

Hans

[Hans]

Am Montag, 2. Oktober 2023, 10:42:42 CEST schrieb Steve McIntyre:
Hi Steve and all ones who helped me.

I had to search a solution for my problem and so I dind the following:

1. After I spoke to my customer, i installed Debian_12 to the second
harddrive. And yes, it is a normal SSD and slower than the NVME-drive.

2. After it I accessed to the old partitions on the NVME under Windows. Here I
am using Paragon drivers, to get access to the partitions. So I could rescue
the old data and copied them to the new /home.

3. It appeared, that grub was now on the second drive and does NOT see windows
any more. So I can not start Windows from the grub menu (os-prober in grub is
activated, but does not see /dev/nvme and so not windows) The solution is, to
boot via "F12" key which shows the BIOS option to choose, what to start. My
customer agreed to this.

All in all, this solution is unsatisfied, but accepted by my friend (customer).

Some important: During the installation, I discovered, that the BIOS was
corrupted. The menu, where the boot line should be shown (1. Windows, 2.
LinpusLite, 3. Debian) was completely crapped with random signs.


Even "Load defaults" could not rescue it! More bad: I could not get into the
BIOS any more with the F2-key.

The trick: Using the grub menu and there the point: UEFI-settings I managed to
get into the BIOS again, but the menu point was still no more existent. The
screen was full with random signs.

After some reboots and removing from power, holding power button for 10
seconds and some other things, this was suddenly ok again (luckyly!!!).

What shall I say? I suppose, the INSYDEH20 Bios is fully crap and should
avoided in the future whenever possible.

Oh, and there is no way, to overwrite it, as the BIOS installer does only an
upgrade, no overwrite. Yes, there is HOW20EZE, which you can edit the binaries
and maybe give thme a highjer version. But you need specialo knowledge and it
is dangerous and could brick your notebook completely. Thus I did not burn my
fingers.

Ok, I found a solution, not for the problem, but for my friend. And I am sure,
the cause of all these is the BIOS itself, Changed by Windows or changed by
crap.

Again, thank you all for your help. I learnt again a lot (what is always
important) and could see the reason.

This problem can be marked as solved.

Best and happy hacking!

Hans