EFI is so much better
this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2024
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GPT you mean. Linux can boot in a non-EFI machine that has GPT disk partitions.. Windows can't because it's dumb.
Yes but by doing so you're using the same principles as MBR boot. There's still this coveted boot sector Windows will attempt to take back every time.
What's nice about EFI in particular is that the motherboard loads the file from the ESP, and can load multiple of them and add them to its boot menu. Depending on the motherboard, even browse the ESP and manually go execute a .efi from it.
Which in turn makes it a lot less likely to have bootloader fuckups because you basically press F12 and pick GRUB/sd-boot and you're back in. Previously the only fix would be boot USB and reinstall syslinux/GRUB.
I just had a bug on both of my EFI computers where they wouldn't boot any more and a grub-install fixed it, apparently the regular update processes do not update the version on the ESP for some reason and my assumption is that it became incompatible with the modules in /boot
Adding an EFI Boot Entry for netboot.xyz after it happened on the first one really helped fix the second one though.
I’m not having an AI boot my computer!
GPT is a partitioning table. EFI is a bootloader firmware interface.
No I mean EFI. It is a much simpler than MBR.
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Start using and efistub and never worry about boot loaders again!
systemd-boot is a reasonable compromise. i like it
The reality is that a bootloader will seemingly always be needed to account for difficult BIOS' and legacy setups (I'm looking at you, dual-booted Ubuntu 20.04).
Naah I just disable secure boot altogether, then you don't have to worry about all that TPM security theatre.
You don't need secure boot to use EFI. It's better all around regardless of SB.
Fair enough I don't miss the old BIOS.
Yeah, but Windows 11 needs it.
Can be disabled though. Easiest way - use Rufus when burning the USB.
Fun fact, you can also install Win11 in MBR mode, no UEFI needed whatsoever.
Ah yes, simplicity. MBR, with all its limitations had one killer feature: it was extremely simple.
UEFI, as powerful as it is, is the opposite of simple. Many moving parts, so many potential failure points. Unfortunately, it seems like modern software is just that: more complex and prone to failure.
Exactly why old devices are so hard to break - they're incredibly simple.
To be honest, I see nothing wrong with MBR boot, it does the job, I'll use it till I can or till it doesn't do the job I want/need.
I work in IT for many years and I think your last sentence is very true. And is also why the industry is so lucrative haha
True, but… When MBR Grub drops to rescue or doesn’t appear at all, it’s not only difficult (at least for newbies) but somewhat random if you can actually boot a given OS. With EFI Grub, I’ve often managed to boot using BIOS boot override to launch a usable Grub configuration.
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Do we really ever fix the bootstrap, or does the bootstrap fix us?
I once fucked up my grub.cfg, wrote over the part needed to unencrypt. Had no idea what had happened. Was a fun night :)
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Was upgrading Devuan and something happened with grub-update, could be my btrfs subvol setup?
Anyway a rescue boot, chroot and grub-update later, and it's running great again.
Nuke the boot loader and burn your compiled code directly onto the bare metal the way the designers intended.
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i prefer EFI, MBR breaks easily and dual booting with it is horrible
I have litelarly never broken MBR boot while dual booting and I have done it for at least a decade now. Windows updates and everything, not once has MBR boot been broken for me.
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I've been struggling with the boot loader for four days now and now my laptop boot loops and I can't even access my primary OS (still windows) and can only access Ubuntu via flash drive. So yeah this meme is too fucking on.
Chroot into the main Ubuntu partition from the live USB and update GRUB.
Honestly can't remember the last time I had a bootoader issue. Don't get me wrong, I've broken plenty of other things.
Windows 7 used to thunderfuck grub at random every few updates just to keep everyone on their toes.
Nice new verb you got there. Thunderfuck, indeed!
Did it stop after W7? I feel like it still does this at every opportunity, be that W10 or W11
UEFI boot is why this happens. In MBR, Windows doesn't check or update the MBR magic, thus GRUB is left alone.
Installed in MBR mode 🤨? Cuz Win7 does support GPT, but not UEFI boot AFAIK.
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MBR is so easy to understand. UEFI, has so many things to understand EFI, ESP, MOK, signing procedures and signing chains, ... it's just so darn complicated.
- Disable secureboot
- Things just work
And in the end you just remove the need for a physical attacker to use whatever vulnerability there is in your EFI implementation anyway.
Things just work
Yeah, if you have only one OS. Or when you have more than one, but the other one doesn't constantly try to fuck up the first one.
MBR is easy in this regard. Windows never touches the MBR magic, even when updating, so it's all good. GRUB keeps the MBR in check, Windows doesn't meddle, everything's hunky dory in MBR boot land.
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Yep. Plus, the less the firmware knows what you're booting, the better.
Started using UEFI booting with secure boot. Much easier to fix and work with.
I feel this.
Although my last bootloader is adventure was pretty easy...installed a completely separate drive for Linux and wanted to boot off of that drive (sdb). A bug in the Linux mint installer put the bootloader on my the windows drive instead (sda).
Was fairly straightforward to switch over though (change in fstab then installing grub). I use the bios boot selector (F11) for me to select either the win loader or my Linux mint efi.
Am switching over to Linux as primary driver. So tired of nags, ads, "switch to Edge", long updates, etc. love being able to ssh+x onto that (relatively beefy) box from my laptop and run ides and such.
Can't relate to be honest, I have a life and use Fedora
No need to fix it, the bootloader is safely installed on a write-protected floppy disk
I had used Arch for years before and never once messed up my bootloader. What are yinz doing over there?
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