I have tried to get rEFInd to boot on a EFI only tablet made for Best Buy by Insignia.
I can get Windows 10 to place all the files on S: in the EFI space.
I also get the boot menu to show my description so know I made an impact.
What doesn't happen is the rEFInd menu popping up.
I have used it on many systems but this one is not happy with somthing.
The tablet is Intel Atom so I use EFI/refind/refind_ia32.efi as implied by my research.
I can also get to the EFI Shell using the BIOS boot menu choice "Use UEFI builtin shell" at startup.
The help rolls off the screen so not able to read or find what is possible commands.
EFI Shell is version 2.40 [5.11]
American Megatrends
Ver 5.011
Current running mode 1.1.2
fs0: dir EFI shows refind directory as placed by Windows 10 (ADMIN)
I suspect [this ia32 issue](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface)
Therefore the EFI application must be compiled for that specific firmware processor bitness/architecture.
Anyone here able to help ?
Lee
Last edit: Cool Games 2018-08-08
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Chances are you're running into one of two problems:
Contrary to your expectation, the tablet may have a 64-bit EFI, in which case you'd need to install the 64-bit version of rEFInd (refind_x64.efi). I don't think this is very likely, actually, since all x86 tablets I've seen have 32-bit EFIs. You can check your EFI's bit depth as described in the rEFInd documentation. Note that if the computer has a 32-bit EFI, rEFInd will be able to launch only 32-bit boot loaders, which will have follow-on implications for the OS. Few Linux distributions support EFI-mode booting from their 32-bit x86/IA32 installers (Debian is one exception). Thus, you'll probably have to jump through extra hoops to either install a 64-bit version (if the CPU supports it) or install a 32-bit version. It can be done, and there are Web sites dedicated to these tasks, but you should be aware you're in for a challenge. Similar comments apply to other OSes, but I'm not familiar with the details.
You may be running into a Secure Boot issue. The vast majority of EFI-based computers that ship with Windows pre-installed also ship with Secure Boot enabled. To deal with this, you must do one of three things: disable Secure Boot, install a program like Shim to enable rEFInd (or any other Linux boot loader) to run, or replace the computer's standard Secure Boot keys with ones that will work for you. This is covered for rEFInd specifically on rEFInd's Secure Boot documentation page; but for more detail see my generic Secure Boot page and my page on fully controlling Secure Boot. The last time I checked, there was no 32-bit Shim package, so that option may not be available if your EFI is a 32-bit version; you'll need to either disable Secure Boot or go "all-in" with replacing the computer's default keys. Disabling Secure Boot is definitely the easiest way to get it working, but that option leaves the computer more vulnerable to some types of malware.
Chances are you're seeing a Secure Boot issue, since (as I say) I'm unaware of any tablet that uses a 64-bit x86-64 EFI, and since you didn't mention disabling or otherwise dealing with Secure Boot, which would be required on a computer with Secure Boot enabled.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I have tried to get rEFInd to boot on a EFI only tablet made for Best Buy by Insignia.
I can get Windows 10 to place all the files on S: in the EFI space.
I also get the boot menu to show my description so know I made an impact.
What doesn't happen is the rEFInd menu popping up.
I have used it on many systems but this one is not happy with somthing.
The tablet is Intel Atom so I use EFI/refind/refind_ia32.efi as implied by my research.
I can also get to the EFI Shell using the BIOS boot menu choice "Use UEFI builtin shell" at startup.
The help rolls off the screen so not able to read or find what is possible commands.
EFI Shell is version 2.40 [5.11]
American Megatrends
Ver 5.011
Current running mode 1.1.2
fs0: dir EFI shows refind directory as placed by Windows 10 (ADMIN)
Anyone here able to help ?
Lee
Last edit: Cool Games 2018-08-08
Chances are you're running into one of two problems:
refind_x64.efi). I don't think this is very likely, actually, since all x86 tablets I've seen have 32-bit EFIs. You can check your EFI's bit depth as described in the rEFInd documentation. Note that if the computer has a 32-bit EFI, rEFInd will be able to launch only 32-bit boot loaders, which will have follow-on implications for the OS. Few Linux distributions support EFI-mode booting from their 32-bit x86/IA32 installers (Debian is one exception). Thus, you'll probably have to jump through extra hoops to either install a 64-bit version (if the CPU supports it) or install a 32-bit version. It can be done, and there are Web sites dedicated to these tasks, but you should be aware you're in for a challenge. Similar comments apply to other OSes, but I'm not familiar with the details.Chances are you're seeing a Secure Boot issue, since (as I say) I'm unaware of any tablet that uses a 64-bit x86-64 EFI, and since you didn't mention disabling or otherwise dealing with Secure Boot, which would be required on a computer with Secure Boot enabled.