How to change boot loader target drive to sdb for full USB install?

[linuxbeliever]

Hi! Everyone

I trying to do a full USB install (not live or persistent, but a real clean install). It seems that debian based distros have a problem detecting the right drive to install the boot loader (target drive), I have read in other forums that is a bug in grub2, it usually targets an sda drive instead of the actual drive in the computer sequence, which may be sdb or sdc in some cases. Mine is sdb according to the disks or gparted, because I have a an SSD for my primary distro and a NVMe module for my windows 10 OS, I know my internal SSD is seen as an sda disk. My question is how to tell the installer to choose other drive or partition other than sda? Any ideas? Thanks for your time and help in advance. Have a nice day.

[Justinian]

What I have done with a loaded MX-15 or AntiX-17 DVD is open the install shortcut and select the sdb option for the target drive in the following screen and identify the root and home target partitions in the USB stick. Once finished and you reboot, the stick works on the same machine as well on others as a system drive.

[linuxbeliever]

Hi! Justinian

Thanks for the reply, first of all I'm running MX 18.1 64 bit on a uefi asus laptop. There is no way to open the main installation script or shortcut to change target disk, unless you have right permissions to the file. it is within the installer and grub that the problem is. Now, anybody in the forum have another idea? Thanks for the time and help in advance. Have a nice day.

[dolphin_oracle]

Hi! Justinian

Thanks for the reply, first of all I'm running MX 18.1 64 bit on a uefi asus laptop. There is no way to open the main installation script or shortcut to change target disk, unless you have right permissions to the file. it is within the installer and grub that the problem is. Now, anybody in the forum have another idea? Thanks for the time and help in advance. Have a nice day.

Update the installer before proceeding. The updated installer allows you to put grub pretty much anywhere you want.

[KBD]

Update the installer before proceeding. The updated installer allows you to put grub pretty much anywhere you want.

This. I've installed MX to about 6 usb sticks in testing, trying out, or just wanting a few to keep handy. You merely point grub to the stick: sdb, sdc, etc., and you are good to go.

[linuxbeliever]

Hi! everybody

dolphin_oracle do you mean doing an update on the installer, thru synaptic by searching what? Can you be more precise in you answer, please? I do not know the actual name of the installer to search for, do you? Thanks for the time and help. Have a nice day.

[dolphin_oracle]

Hi! everybody

dolphin_oracle do you mean doing an update on the installer, thru synaptic by searching what? Can you be more precise in you answer, please? I do not know the actual name of the installer to search for, do you? Thanks for the time and help. Have a nice day.

from the live media

Code: Select all

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mx-installer

should do hte trick for you. it would also be in synaptic as "mx-installer".

[linuxbeliever]

Hi! dolphin_oracle

Okay! I try and will see what happens. Cross fingers for good luck. Thanks for your time and help. Have a nice day. Cheers.

[Sgthawker]

Unfortunately this is the way UEFI is designed to work. It will search for a pre-existing /esp and if there is one,in a sequential search, it will install grub to it even if you have asked the installer to use a later drive in the sequence.

To get it to install to the USB you can remove any HDD or SSD and select the appropriate disc for grub install. I have done it a couple times this way. Good Luck!

[fehlix]

It will search for a pre-existing /esp and if there is one,in a sequential search, it will install grub to it even if you have asked the installer to use a later drive in the sequence.

That's rather unusual. The location where the GRUB-EFI bootloader get installed is determined by the installer option --efi-directory of the grub-install'er, which defaults to the /boot/efi mount point, where the "target" ESP (EFI System Partition) is mounted on, and by the installer option --bootloader-id, which e.g is "MX18.1".
Both options identify uniquely the ESP-partition and the directory on the ESP, e.g to be ESP@/EFI/MX18.1
With this two parameters chosen within the MX Installer the GRUB-EFI boot loader will be generated and placed into this unique ESP-location.
In addition the installer will announce the new (or updated) EFI-bootloader to the UEFI-firmeware to get registered into NVRAM boot-entry table.
HTH