[Bug 1229488] Re: EFI install to removable media not supported

[S0AndS0]

This bug also effects Mint 18, removing the USB that Linux was installed
to causes host to drop into grub prompt at boot time!

Thankfully typing `exit` will cause system to boot to OS on host's
internal drive... for now...

However, attempting to install Linux to a second USB has resulted in no-
joy.


___


General steps used to install Linux to USB;

- Make installer USB (sdb) from ISO
- Reboot Win10 while holding shift
  - Select boot from USB
- While booting press [Esc] key
  - Then select compatibility mode from boot menu
- Once booted into Live session disable screen-saver, and other display blanking stuff
  - Use GParted to format second USB (sdc) that'll be targeted for installation
  - Use installer application to install to second USB
    - Select something else option
    - Select second USB (sdc) for installing boot stuff and OS to


I've tried this both with and without internet enabled on the installer Live USB (sdb), and though everything selected within the installer's options where targeting the other USB for installation (sdc), for some reason the internal host's drive was touched (sda)... in a very bad way!

What's really funky is that attempting to install onto a second USB
(with the intention to replace the previously used media), causes the
system to boot into grub shell too... for some reason the host is only
happy when the USB from first install attempts is plugged in; without it
or with only the other installed to USB plugged in I'm greeted with a
grub prompt.


___


So far the best advice that I've seen is from a relatively recent guide on the subject...

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=287353

... that mentions either removing the host's internal drive (sda), or
removing various flags, or (probably the easiest) using Virtual Box to
load up the installer ISO so that it never sees the host's internal
drive(s).


___


If anyone's has gone through this and figured out how to un-bork the host's boot records I'd certainly appreciate some tips, because I don't relish the idea of re-installing Win10 just to get things booting without a specific USB plugged-in.

Additionally if someone would be so kind as to point me to the repo for
the Installer application, I'd be happy to poke around a bit and
experiment a little with getting it to do as it's told... at the very
least it would be nice to have the installer pop a warning that states
sda was detected and not chosen, but will be touched anyways, perhaps
with some kind of message that tells users to figure out how to remove
the drive or use VBox.

-- 
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1229488

Title:
  EFI install to removable media not supported

Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Downloaded Sept. 20 daily build of 13.10, 64 bit, desktop ISO, md5sum
  checked it, used "create startup disk" on 13.04 secure boot host to make
  USB live media, rebooted from it, and successfully installed 13.10 to
  another USB. Target USB had gpt partitioning, had an EFI partition set
  up on it, and the user selected bootloader location was the USB's EFI partition.  The USB installation does not boot (ESP is empty, bug 1173457) and the laptop no longer boots from its hard disk, leaving you at the grub prompt.

    The cause bootfailure was twofold:
  1)The installation improperly changed the hard disk's grub.cfg (bug 1173457).
  2)The NVRAM boot entry was improperly changed from shimx64.efi to grubx64.efi (this bug) which will not boot when secure boot is enabled.  

  No NVRAM changes or additions were expected from installing to a USB
  stick.   The existing NVRAM  boot entry was correct for secure boot -- /EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi.  The changed NVRAM was /EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi and
  is incorrect for a secure boot, it doesn't work.

  Additional notes: The shim entry which was changed to grub was not the
  default, Windows was the default boot entry.

  Hardware: Toshiba Satellite S855-5378, Insydh20 firmware version 6.60,
  8G memory, 750G hard disk, Intel HD4000 video, running dual boot W8 and
  fully patched 64 bit 13.04 Ubuntu desktop with secure boot enabled. The only
  secure boot issue with this machine is the inability to boot Windows
  from grub (bug 1091464), so Windows is the default, and the EFI menu is used
  to select Ubuntu to run shim/grub.  In /EFI/Boot is a copy of shimx64.efi named bootx64.efi and a copy of grubx64.efi. This machine uses this as a
  fallback, allowing Ubuntu to boot.

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