Make new ssd the boot drive

English Install/Boot/Login
61

Hi
AFAIK, if using btrfs need a /boot on a non nvme drive, as per my setup…

62

That last line is the 15.3 / partition just installed to. How NVME #1 got labeled as NTFS I cannot imagine. It was created as ESP but never formatted.

Apparently that means kernel and initrd on non-NVME is absolutely required. System’s Grub menu is provided by custom.cfg in TW. My sda3 is an EXT2 utility partition, so I will copy them there to boot from…

63

I tried to follow the latest posts, but I’m doing something wrong. My latest attempt failed. My procedure:
Using Expert Partitioner,
I deleted nvme0n1p1 - the proposed EFI boot partition
This left me nvme0n1p2 for 476 GB and nvme01p3 for SWAP 2GB
A WARNING came up

Warning

The system might not be able to boot:


• Missing device for /boot/efi with size equal or bigger than 129 MIB and filesystem vfat


Do you want to continue?

I selected “Yes”
I let the install continue and near the end, I got another warning. I took photos of the screen to remind me what I did. I tried to crop them to make them small enough for pasting. I accidentally cut the key info in this warning. But, it was something like this

Execution of command [/user/sbin/shim-install, -c????-??e -/boot/grub2/grub.cfg]] Failed
Exit code: 1
Error output: No valid EFI partition

The installer exited to a reboot and Windows booted, where I am now.

64

You must have a EFI boot partition if you are booting UEFI. Since you have a regular drive just tell the installer to put the EFI boot partition on the HDD needs at lest 300 meg but it may complain if less then 450 meg Just ignore the nagging. If there is an existing UEFI booting OS on the HDD then there should already be a EFI boot partition and you can simply point the installer to use that partition mounted as /boot/efi ( DO NOT FORMAT)

IF using MBR booting then the /boot directory has to be on the HDD on a small partition. Note with his configuration you can not use snapper to roll back from grub since for BTRFS and snapper all must be on root (/) Use ext4 format

65

Booting 15.3 installation on NVME does succeed this way, but I somehow managed to break name resolution even though using same resolv.conf file as the other installations on the same PC, which all work. :frowning:

Aside: booting 15.3 from either SATA SSD or NVME is taking 4+ times as long as booting TW SATA SSD, 20s+ vs. <5s. :frowning:

66

This is what as yet hasn’t worked here. 320MB SATA ESP works fine for TW, 15.2, 15.3 et al on the SATA installations, and was directed to be used in 15.3 installer’s expert partitioner for / installation on nvme0n1p2 last night. :frowning:

67

There is a EFI Boot partition on both the ssd and the hdd. I can figure out no way to get the TW install to point to the hdd (Windows) boot partition. I tried just deleting the ssd boot partition. That didn’t work. The bios no longer “saw” the ssd as a boot device. In previous install attempts, the bios saw it as either nvme or opensuse with no input from me.

On the last attempt, I tried to get the subvolume of nvme0n1p1 labeled /boot with the x64 efi file on it to point to the hdd (sda) boot partition but there was no way to edit it…that I could figure out. I thought the right way was, not to delete the nvme efi partition, but to have it point to the windows boot partition. But, in the same way, I can’t see how to edit it. By that I mean there does not appear to be direct editing. You have to select a response from a drop-down list.

If I boot to a live cd, is there a way to edit the partition setup to get it to point to the hdd efi partition. If so, please be as explicit as possible.

68

Use Expert partitioner > /dev/sda1 > Edit > Don’t format > Mount device > /boot/efi. That’s all.

69

Disable secure boot. Secure boot can create lot of issues.

70

I tried to do exactly this. I even photographed the recommendations in this thread to make sure I had syntax etc right! Unfortunately, nothing changed. The boot instructions always came out the same. I am now convinced there is an issue with the Inspiron 3668 that all the collective wisdom here can’t resolve. As my way of saying “thank you,” I gave everyone a reputation boost.

To give you some examples of what has frustrated me:
I did many re-installs from both cd and usb. Each time, I followed the recommendations put forth here. When it didn’t work, I tried a slightly different method on the next install. I did this to see if I misunderstood the directions and needed to try something else. But nothing changed.
I booted a live system and tried to copy the grub files to sda1 but Windows would not allow the copy to the boot folder.
By deleting the EFI partition on the ssd, I couldn’t get the pc to recognize the ssd. My intent was to point opensuse to sda1.
Booting to a live usb works only once. When I try it a second time, the Tumbleweed spinner gets about half way around one revolution and the system halts. When it does, I have to hold the pc power switch for several seconds to get the system to shut off. This PCIe card has blue led lights on it, just for decoration. Even though the system is halted, the lights remain on. So, I can tell the system is still powered up. The next time I press and hold the power switch, the system starts for 2-3 seconds and shuts down. The next time I press the power button, the pc boots normally. Similarly, when I boot the usb to the Failsafe option, I get only one boot before it fails to boot again. When the Failsafe option does boot, I get to the GUI with the startx command.
Once the usb fails to boot a live system, I use Imagewriter to write the latest live boot image to the usb and it works again.

This isn’t everything that I tried, but I wanted everyone to know I wasn’t careless or casual with the help suggested. I tried each suggestion exactly as offered before I tried anything else.

71

Hi
OK, so what you need to do is add the following boot option to grub;


nvme_core.default_ps_max_latency_us=0

Just edit grub (press e) arrow down to the linuxefi line, press end to get to the quiet, add a space then the above entry, then press F10 to boot.

Again, is there anything on the Windows setup you need/use? Is it windows 10?

72

Did you try to proceed as documented at: What Are PCIe SSDs and How to Use Them As a Boot Drive for a Dell Computer | Dell Deutschland

Can I install an Operating System on it?…
Supported BIOS Types

The UEFI BIOS is currently the only one which supports these devices.

**Always make sure you have the latest revision of your BIOS installed.**

**Make sure that your BIOS is configured to use the EFI boot loader.**

**Pre-install Instructions**Here are some different methods to get a PCIe SSD ready for installation

Usually the commonest and easiest way to get into the BIOS on a  Dell PC is to tap rapidly on the &lt;F2&gt; key at the Dell Splash  screen during the system start up. This should take you straight into  the BIOS on most systems.

Method 1

  1. CSM
    (Compatibility Support Module) is enabled by default on the Boot screen in your BIOS. Click on CSM to show further options.

  2. Look for the option Launch Storage OpROM Policy
    within CSM. Change the default setting from Legacy Only to UEFI Only.

  3. In the Storage Configuration
    screen the SATA mode is default set to AHCI, which can change to RAID or IDE. (DO NOT set IDE at any point.) Most often this will be left as AHCI, as you may be using additional SATA drivers or have one of the AHCI PCIe SSDs.

  4. Save and Exit from the BIOS and then go back into it.

  5. Your PCIe SSD drive may not show in the Storage Configuration
    screen or Boot Order List, but make sure your Windows Installation Media (Whether USB or Optical Drive) does show in the Boot Order list.

  6. You should see UEFI: <Installation Media Device Name>
    entry in the list. (Where <Installation Media Device Name> is the Device you have the installation media on.)

  7. If you see one with an AHCI prefix - Ignore it. You must use the one with the UEFI
    prefix.

  8. Once you’ve selected the UEFI
    entry, Save and Exit from the BIOS again. The Windows Installation should begin.

  9. The windows Install is as normal. Follow a guide appropriate for the version you are installing.

  10. Once Windows has installed, the boot drive should show in the BIOS Boot Order
    list as Windows Boot Loader or Windows Boot Loader : <SSD Name>, depending on your BIOS version.

  11. Remember
    if you are using a PCIe NVMe SSD, install the driver from the drive’s manufacturer.

What works for Windows is expected to work for Linux too.

73

Once again, my thanks to all who have helped me. I tried all the suggestions, including the long instruction list from karlmistelberger, most of which were the default settings. When all failed, I went to the computer store, returned the PCIe hardware and got sata hardware. (As an aside, the day I was there they released a new video card. At least 200 people were in line to get it! The clerk said it was nothing special, just new and in-stock.)

The sata install failed too. Either the adapter is defective (I had trouble getting the nvme seated) or I have damaged the ssd through repeated handling and formatting etc. The pc does not even see the sata adapter card. I used many different cables and slots, but nothing worked.

So, it looks like a regular dual boot on the single hdd. I previously shrank the Windows partition by a bit less than 300 GB. I’ll use that unformatted space to install Tumbleweed.

Thanks again for your continued efforts.

Prexy

74

Hi
You do realize a NVME is NOT the same as a SSD, different keying options… if your device is a NVME it will not work in a SATA adaptor…

OK, answer one question, is there any reason NOT to reinstall windows and work on a proper SSD/NVME setup?

This is what I’m using, holds one SSD and one NVME: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JKH5VTL/

75

It’s a shame you couldn’t wait any longer. I’ve been formulating a solution with my own NVME PCIe adapter in a PC with UEFI BIOS not supporting NVME boot. I just could not put in enough time on it before you gave up.

The tentative recommendation:

  1. Use expert partitioner:
  2. existing (Windows) SATA ESP mounted on /boot/efi/, with possible option of using a second ESP on sda mounted on /boot/efi/ just for use with the NVME.
  3. /boot on a small SATA non-journaled EXTx partition, approximately 200GB as a minimum, depending on how many kernels you expect to keep installed
  4. / filesystem on NVME partition (no less than 40GB if using BTRFS and separate /home partition; 20GB should be more than enough for EXT4 with separate /home)
  5. /home on separate NVME partition (optional)

Alternate recommendation:

  1. Use expert partitioner:
  2. existing (Windows) SATA ESP mounted on /boot/efi/, with possible option of using a second ESP on sda mounted on /boot/efi/ just for use with the NVME.
  3. /boot on a small SATA non-journaled EXTx partition, approximately 200GB as a minimum, depending on how many kernels you expect to keep installed
  4. LVM on NVME
  5. / filesystem on NVME LVM
    *]separate /home on same NVME LVM (optional)
76

Hi
That’s my exact setup… UEFI, non boot nvme so boot from sda… along with the nvme_core boot option… trivial to add a second os…

77

Methinks the way you explained it may have gone over OP’s head. :frowning: e.g. in post #24 you made explicit the need for sda1 ESP on /boot/efi/, without any reminder that a second Linux partition on sda is required for /boot/. I understand your post #28, while OP quoted it without mentioning anything about it. Neither in post #15 did you make any mention of a need for /boot/ on sda somewhere. I missed any OP acknowledgement of having read the wordpress link you provided in post #26. I sense he didn’t from his #27 response to it, possibly because of the absence of any mention on it of ESP/UEFI.

along with the nvme_core boot option… trivial to add a second os…
Neither https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt nor anything DDG or Google have to offer explains this. All the hits seem to be diffs, patches or bug reports. Can you suggest where you found it explained?

I’d never seen BTRFS used for a separate /boot/ before, so I missed the inference that might have been made in your post #15 that it was there for /boot/ on your NVME installation.

78

My original attempt used this adapter… except it was a few dollars cheaper on Amazon than I paid at the store. I was in error, thinking a complete re-install would lose my Windows OS. In the past, I always needed a disk. I was unaware that I could download it without proof of purchase.

BTW, working with the tiny screws is a nightmare for an old guy with one numb thumb!

79

There was a /boot/efi/ partition on each drive. From other posts, I couldn’t get it to point to sda1 (the windows boot partition)

/boot on a small SATA non-journaled EXTx partition, approximately 200GB as a minimum, depending on how many kernels you expect to keep installed
The suggested partitions were always BTRFS. I didn’t know what other fs to pick. Seeing this, I guess I could have taken any EXT format?

  1. / filesystem on NVME partition (no less than 40GB if using BTRFS and separate /home partition; 20GB should be more than enough for EXT4 with separate /home)
  2. /home on separate NVME partition (optional)
  1. I tried both of these, in succession.

Alternate recommendation:

  1. Use expert partitioner:
  2. existing (Windows) SATA ESP mounted on /boot/efi/, with possible option of using a second ESP on sda mounted on /boot/efi/ just for use with the NVME.
  3. /boot on a small SATA non-journaled EXTx partition, approximately 200GB as a minimum, depending on how many kernels you expect to keep installed
  4. LVM on NVME
  5. / filesystem on NVME LVM
  6. separate /home on same NVME LVM (optional)

You may be getting a picture of how many times and how many different options I tried. I installed with both LVM and without. What mystified me is that the install was not identical each time. Sometimes the ssd came up as “opensuse” and other times it showed up as “nvme.” When I tried to manually set up a boot sequence, I would see two “opensuse” boot options which had identical parameters. In other words, edits didn’t take. Layer on top of all this my own lack of understanding and failure was a certainty,

80

You’re right!!! Most of this WAS over my head. But, I did look at every article that was suggested. Often, the suggestions were already the default. All the proposed opensuse partitions were listed as BTRFS, including /boot/. Windows had a /boot/efi/ partition at sda1. That and the nvme0n1p1 boot ESP were each 500MiB. There were 2 boot subvolumes; one for i386-pc and the other for x86_64-efi.