I'm not really sure why Ubuntu 20.04 LTS isn't working, but I did stumble across this:

[https://askubuntu.com/questions/1085550/cant-install-ubuntu-18-10-on-xps-15-efi-boot-mmx64-efi-not-found](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1085550/cant-install-ubuntu-18-10-on-xps-15-efi-boot-mmx64-efi-not-found)

"I booted an Ubuntu Live USB stick, went into my hard disk drive's /boot/efi folder and renamed the file grubx64.efi to mmx64.efi

Reboot the machine and it should work."

so in theory if you can manage to rename that file, you should be able to get Ubuntu 18.04 working at least...

How do I change the permissions to allow a live session - with no username or password (because it automatically logs-in) - to read / write in /boot/efi?

I found a couple of suggestions online, but they were all for an installed system and when I tried to do this from a live session, it kept whinging at me that it wasn't allowed, even when I used "su" or "sudo" (which is what I would have expected, due to the fact that there is no username / password associated with a live session)... I also tried re-mounting the filesystem as writable, but I'm still getting "read-only" errors.

I hope think your suggestion might work, but I need to work out how to get that filesystem writeable before I can test this theory.

Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 29 Apr 2020 at 11:17 am UTC

If UEFI is the blocker, maybe you could boot the hard drive in a different computer? Rename the file there and pop it back in. Otherwise maybe maintenance mode would help you get to your files to edit the one. This video helped me recently with a hard drive that wouldn’t boot (though for completely different reasons):
https://youtu.be/9D3hvnnby9A?t=240

You have minimal features, but it allowed me to act on a drive that was seen as read-only from a live media.

Quoting: SalvatosIf UEFI is the blocker, maybe you could boot the hard drive in a different computer? Rename the file there and pop it back in.

This is the only "desktop" we have (it's one of those stupid all-in-one things); everything else is a laptop...

Quoting: SalvatosOtherwise maybe maintenance mode would help you get to your files to edit the one. This video helped me recently with a hard drive that wouldn’t boot (though for completely different reasons):
https://youtu.be/9D3hvnnby9A?t=240

You have minimal features, but it allowed me to act on a drive that was seen as read-only from a live media.

Never heard of "maintenance mode", but I'll check that video out in the morning, see if it's any help to me...

--

Another thing I tried, which someone suggested elsewhere is this, from root (/)...

Input:
fdisk -l

Output:
/dev/sdb1 (type is "empty")
/dev/sdb2 (type is "EFI")
/dev/sdb3 (type is Linux)

Input:
mkdir efi

Output:
mkdir: cannot create directory 'efi': Permission denied

Input:
sudo mount /dev/sdb2

Output:
mount: /dev/sdb2: can't find in /etc/fstab

What I want is to delete mmx64.efi and rename grubx64.efi as mmx64.efi (I figure if I am going to rename grubx64.efi as mmx64.efi, I might as well delete mmx64.efi first), like is discussed over [here](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1085550/cant-install-ubuntu-18-10-on-xps-15-efi-boot-mmx64-efi-not-found) ( [my problem](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1230318/vaio-tap-20-unable-to-clean-install-ubuntu-20-04-multiple-issues) is different, but very, very similar and it has been suggested that [this solution](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1085550/cant-install-ubuntu-18-10-on-xps-15-efi-boot-mmx64-efi-not-found) might fix [my problem](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1230318/vaio-tap-20-unable-to-clean-install-ubuntu-20-04-multiple-issues) as well).

You must be super user to create directories in the root of the drive, so you’d need to do sudo mkdir. It’s not necessary, though, you already have /mnt to mount random partitions.

To mount a partition, you have to indicate where to mount it, unless it’s already listed in /etc/fstab, hence the error. So you need to do sudo mount /dev/sdb2 /mnt

Then go into /mnt and see if the files are there.

Last edited by damarrin on 29 Apr 2020 at 4:22 pm UTC

Quoting: Cyba.Cowboy

Quoting: SalvatosIf UEFI is the blocker, maybe you could boot the hard drive in a different computer? Rename the file there and pop it back in.

This is the only "desktop" we have (it's one of those stupid all-in-one things); everything else is a laptop...

Depending on the kind of drive it has, that can be worked around, though you might not have the parts for it lying around. My external HDD happens to have a detachable adapter so I can pop any hard drive out of a laptop and run it on a different machine via USB in place of the actual backup drive. Something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM). I also have a thing my uncle made for bigger desktop drives but that one is more like a DIY assemblage of cables :) Actual converters [do also exist](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B075WY92BW), though it might be a slightly expensive solution to your current problem.

Just putting that out there, of course if you can resolve it from within that would be ideal, but I don’t know anything useful on that front :)

Ugh, I can't win.

I managed to get the file renamed, but now I get a new (albeit similar) error message on startup
Failed to open |EFI\BOOT\grubx64.efi - Not found
Failed to load image \EFI\BOOT\grubx64.efi: Not found
start_image() returned Not found

Quoting: SalvatosDepending on the kind of drive it has, that can be worked around, though you might not have the parts for it lying around. My external HDD happens to have a detachable adapter so I can pop any hard drive out of a laptop and run it on a different machine via USB in place of the actual backup drive. Something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM). I also have a thing my uncle made for bigger desktop drives but that one is more like a DIY assemblage of cables :) Actual converters [do also exist](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B075WY92BW), though it might be a slightly expensive solution to your current problem.

It's one of those "plug-in" SATA "laptop" drives... Might have to get one of those adapters; I never really thought about it, but I suppose it makes sense that something like that would exist (me - showing my age - pictures the solution as a plug-in caddy from the early-mid '90s).

Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 29 Apr 2020 at 11:56 pm UTC

Do any other Distros based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS install properly? If they don't, then maybe the Newer kernel just doesn't play well with the old hardware.

Maybe see if Ubuntu Mate 20.04 installs, and if it does, just install Unity.

I've ran into this problem before with older computers that just refused to work with certain kernels/distros.

Edit: Another option is to try setting the UEFI to legacy mode and doing a legacy install and see if that makes any difference.

Last edited by Dragunov on 30 Apr 2020 at 1:54 am UTC

Quoting: DragunovDo any other Distros based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS install properly? If they don't, then maybe the Newer kernel just doesn't play well with the old hardware.

No dice. Even Ubuntu Mate doesn't want to run after I install it... Just a plain, black screen after the manufacturer logo.

Great, now I need to spend more money in the middle of a pandemic.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Thanks for your help, anyway guys... Unsurprisingly, the GamingOnLinux Community has been more helpful than other communities I have sought help in.

Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 1 May 2020 at 12:17 am UTC

Ubuntu 16.04 is still receiving security updates until 2024 if you wanna give that one a go, but yeah, i'm out of ideas.

Quoting: DragunovUbuntu 16.04 is still receiving security updates until 2024 if you wanna give that one a go, but yeah, i'm out of ideas.

I'll have a look tomorrow, but I think it might be something wrong with the UEFI itself, because I have also had issues when I was trying to use 18.04... Thanks for the suggestion.

Quoting: Cyba.CowboyWhen I try to "clean" install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ("Focal Fossa") onto a Sony VAIO Tap 20 SVJ20215CGB with secure boot enabled, everything goes fine, until I restart... Once I restart the computer, I see the "VAIO" logo, then only a black screen - this is before the full-disk encryption password box appears.

As is to be expected, I cannot access Terminal or anything else at this time.

If I try to "clean" install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ("Focal Fossa") with secure boot disabled, everything seems to install just fine - but after the reboot, various components are missing - the Ubuntu Software Center is the most obvious example, but there are plenty of others (yes, I picked a "normal" installation - I did it twice, just to be sure!).

In an attempt to fix this, I also tried installing Ubuntu 18.04 ("Bionic Beaver") with Secure Boot enabled, with the intention of waiting for the first "point" upgrade (e.g. Ubuntu 20.04.1 or higher), but I get this error message on startup (immediately after the manufacturer logo):
Failed to open \EFI\BOOT\mm64.efi - Not found
Failed to load image \EFI\BOOT\mmx64.efi: Not found
Failed to start MokManager: Not found
Something has gone seriously wrong: import_mok_state() failed: Not found

This installation media has been used to "clean" install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ("Focal Fossa") on multiple other computers (different manufacturers and models), *without issue*, so there is nothing wrong with the installation media.

At this point, I suspect either the UEFI is corrupt - which I don't know how to fix - or the UEFI is faulty - which I can't fix (Sony haven't manufactured computers in a long, long time)... But I'm out of ideas, so if anyone has any suggestions, it would be appreciated.

I am aware I am a bit late, but maybe I can help.

Are you aware that Ubuntu Software is now just called Software and a snap, and that you can install it as deb called gnome-software?

You wrote it worked on other computers so its probably not that, but I think it is worth mentioning.

Did you get any errors during the install where stuff was missing at the end, and was that not available to install after, and what else was that?

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair might help, the live iso with it can do a lot in automatic repairs.

And https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCdRecovery has some good info how to repair a system from a live iso.

Can you summarize how far you are now in the install? Which releases are you trying now?

Quoting: RedfaceAre you aware that Ubuntu Software is now just called Software and a snap, and that you can install it as deb called gnome-software?

I figured this is the case - pretty much every component of Ubuntu can be installed separately, if required - but it is a sign that something is going wrong with the installation and even if I manually installed "Ubuntu Software" (as it is now called), this doesn't solve the actual problem.

So I didn't even bother trying to manually install Ubuntu Software, and just kept seeking solutions to the actual problem...

Quoting: RedfaceDid you get any errors during the install where stuff was missing at the end, and was that not available to install after, and what else was that?

I occasionally see a screen that says something about ACHI errors - I saw this when restarting the computer after the installation, for example... But I only see it (very) briefly, so it's hard to catch the full message or get a photograph of it.

Quoting: Redfacehttps://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair might help, the live iso with it can do a lot in automatic repairs.

And https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCdRecovery has some good info how to repair a system from a live iso.

I had dusted off and installed the only copy of Microsoft Windows we have in the house (Windows 8), then used some "computer recovery" tool found on its disk (it did absolutely nothing)... Following this, I used a "live" installation to run Boot Repair.

You can find the report Boot Repair generated [here](https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/xYMJN7DDnq/).

After that report, I restarted the computer and re-installed Ubuntu 20.04, but the "black screen after the manufacturer logo and before the decryption box" issue was still present, so I booted back into the "live" disk and ran Boot Repair again.

You can find the second Boot Repair report - from after I re-installed Ubuntu - over [here](https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/p7VtFNTH8c/).

Quoting: RedfaceCan you summarize how far you are now in the install? Which releases are you trying now?

The install completes, but after I restart the computer, I see the manufacturer logo, then a plain, black screen and nothing more - this is before the (full-disk) decryption screen has appeared... I have tried to install Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 20.04.

The issue is always the same.

Like all of the computers in our house, this computer single-boots Ubuntu... Previously the computer was running Linux Mint 19.2 without issue, which it had been doing for about the last 9-ish months.

Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 3 May 2020 at 9:31 am UTC

Could GRUB just not be showing up for some reason? Have you tried holding left shift or escape as it starts?

Edit, sorry I quoted a wrong post and poster.

You are right, I mixed up the names of the deb and the snap software center.

Have a look at https://www.mikekasberg.com/blog/2020/04/08/dual-boot-ubuntu-and-windows-with-encryption.html
You do not want to dual boot with Windows so skip those steps, but it has detailed instructions how to do a luks install with the "something else" option which gives a lot more control.

It seems that another thing that is missing apart from Ubuntu Software is the complete setup to boot from an encrypted root partition.
Maybe the setup of /etc/crypttab is all that is missing, but you also want a successful install without anything missing, hopefully that article can help.

Last edited by Redface on 3 May 2020 at 5:43 pm UTC

Lots of people have suggested loads of solutions, and not one of them has worked... Furthermore, neither a "lightweight" Linux distro nor the previously-working distro (before I had these problems) will work; I have the same problem as described above.

So I'm putting this down to some sort of hardware fault, likely with the UEFI, and I am giving up (I was planning to replace the computer in the near-ish future, anyway).

Thank you to all of the Gaming on Linux Community - you guys have been far more helpful than pretty much every other community out there... Disappointingly, not many Linux Communities can make this claim anymore.

I appreciate all of the help given.