[Bug 2142406] [NEW] [SC8280XP] Live ISO GRUB fails to load — embedded config prefers internal SSD over live media

[Jens Glathe]

Public bug reported:

Booting the Ubuntu 26.04 daily-live ARM64 ISO on SC8280XP (ThinkPad
X13s, Windows Dev Kit 2023) results in GRUB falling back to the
installed GRUB on the internal SSD instead of the live environment.

Reproduction:
1. Boot latest 26.04 daily ARM64 live ISO (USB).
2. GRUB loads but immediately shows “/boot/ not found” (or similar) and boots the SSD’s Ubuntu instead of the live desktop.

The embedded config in EFI/BOOT/grubaa64.efi (extracted from the ISO via
binwalk + unsquashfs) is:

```
if [ -z "$prefix" -o ! -e "$prefix" ]; then
if ! search --file --set=root /.disk/info; then
search --file --set=root /.disk/mini-info
fi
set prefix=($root)/boot/grub
fi
if [ -e $prefix/arm64-efi/grub.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/arm64-efi/grub.cfg
elif [ -e $prefix/grub.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/grub.cfg
else
source $cmdpath/grub.cfg
fi
```

Because the `search --file` for `/.disk/info` (or `/.disk/mini-info`)
succeeds on the internal SSD, GRUB sets prefix to the installed system
and sources its grub.cfg. There is no reliable way for the live media to
take precedence over this baked-in logic.

This makes the live ISO effectively unusable on SC8280XP machines that
already have Ubuntu installed — a very common testing/development
scenario.

Expected behaviour:
The live ISO should always prefer its own configuration and boot the live environment, regardless of what is installed internally.

Workaround:
Replacing grubaa64.efi with an older binary allows the live config to work again, but this breaks Secure Boot and is not acceptable for normal use.

This appears to be a regression in how the live GRUB EFI image is built
for 26.04.

** Affects: grub2 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: 26.04 arm64 efi grub2 livecd regression sc8280xp

** Summary changed:

- SC8280XP] GRUB 2.14 live ISO regression — embedded grub.cfg now finds internal SSD first, “/boot/ not found”
+ [SC8280XP] Live ISO GRUB fails to load — embedded config prefers internal SSD over live media

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2142406

Title:
  [SC8280XP] Live ISO GRUB fails to load — embedded config prefers
  internal SSD over live media

Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Booting the Ubuntu 26.04 daily-live ARM64 ISO on SC8280XP (ThinkPad
  X13s, Windows Dev Kit 2023) results in GRUB falling back to the
  installed GRUB on the internal SSD instead of the live environment.

  Reproduction:
  1. Boot latest 26.04 daily ARM64 live ISO (USB).
  2. GRUB loads but immediately shows “/boot/ not found” (or similar) and boots the SSD’s Ubuntu instead of the live desktop.

  The embedded config in EFI/BOOT/grubaa64.efi (extracted from the ISO
  via binwalk + unsquashfs) is:

  ```
  if [ -z "$prefix" -o ! -e "$prefix" ]; then
  if ! search --file --set=root /.disk/info; then
  search --file --set=root /.disk/mini-info
  fi
  set prefix=($root)/boot/grub
  fi
  if [ -e $prefix/arm64-efi/grub.cfg ]; then
  source $prefix/arm64-efi/grub.cfg
  elif [ -e $prefix/grub.cfg ]; then
  source $prefix/grub.cfg
  else
  source $cmdpath/grub.cfg
  fi
  ```

  Because the `search --file` for `/.disk/info` (or `/.disk/mini-info`)
  succeeds on the internal SSD, GRUB sets prefix to the installed system
  and sources its grub.cfg. There is no reliable way for the live media
  to take precedence over this baked-in logic.

  This makes the live ISO effectively unusable on SC8280XP machines that
  already have Ubuntu installed — a very common testing/development
  scenario.

  Expected behaviour:
  The live ISO should always prefer its own configuration and boot the live environment, regardless of what is installed internally.

  Workaround:
  Replacing grubaa64.efi with an older binary allows the live config to work again, but this breaks Secure Boot and is not acceptable for normal use.

  This appears to be a regression in how the live GRUB EFI image is
  built for 26.04.

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