Trying to minimize the layout for rEFInd -- n00b.
An EFI boot manager utility
Status: Beta
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Hello,
I have been using computers since the late 1980s. I never got extremely involved in programming or advanced procedures besides installing a couple of operating systems and using basic office programs, and an occasional diagnosing of TCP/IP networking issues. I took about 10 years off in the mid 2000s from regularly using computers and after I decided to come back to using them about 3 years ago, I installed my first copy of Linux in the form of Linux Mint.
I upgraded my PC and instaled Linux Lite, ran it for a couple of weeks, and then decided to try everything from its source in the form of Debian. I also grew a bit of a fancy for KDE Neon, although, KDE PLasma is very similar in its layout.
Long background short, I decided to put Debian and KDE onto a single PC, and have since been doing quite well with everything that I am doing thus far.
However, I decided to install rEFInd and went through a number of configurations and icons before I decided on one that I felt look nice. THere was a fellow, who if one were to google, "How to configure rEFInd" he will be the first to show up, under the name Librebowski.
I followed his procedures, downloaded his custom theme, and got to work. Everything worked quite well.
When I boot up, rEFInd launches immediately after BIOS and then displays 5 options. I only desire two; Debian and KDE Neon without an additional GNU GRUB bootloader.
If I click the first two choices, Debian and KDE Neon, they both go into GNU GRUB.
The 3rd choice loads back the bootloader of rEFInd and the following 2 options are Debian and KDE again which then boot WITHOUT GNU GRUB.
My curiousity is, how can I go about transcribing what is autodetected, and then export that data of the choices within the bootloader that import to a text file so tha I can avoid auto detection altogether and only have the choices of Debian and KDE without the GNU GRUB loading option.
One might be inclined to make a suggestion of a workaround, and I would be okay with that. -- I have tried to bypass the GNU GRUB by changing its timeout data to 0, and using GUI Grub applications (GRUB Customizer) as well, but to no avail. It still continues to boot into GNU GRUB after I select the first two choices of Debian and KDE.
I have also uninstalled GNU Grub using synaptic package manager as well as using the dpkg from command line @ terminal.
GNU Grub insists on being here to stay.
I am inclined to try and do a complete reinstall of both KDE Neon and Debian, and install KDE Neon first, as I want to have it appear first in the boot sequence.
Barring the reinstallation, I would like to figure out why this is working in this way, export the data of where each of the 5 EFI bootloaders are appearing via autodetect (at least as far as where they are mounted so that I can manually configure rEFInd) and then just force the two distro choices (Debian and KDE with GNU GRUB loading after their selection) out of the picture and load only the two that are not booting into GNU GRUB when I chooose those.
I am willing to take any additional advice, and if any screenshots, video, or other procedures would help in this diagnosis and/or recommendation, I would be happy to provide them. Please let me know what additional informaiton you need, as I mostly want to avoid my kids possibly clicking into an advanced procedure that could possibly damage the PC while I am on the road, as a result from using GNU GRUB to get somewhere which they should not.
Thank you for your assistance.
Last edit: Nick Shades 2020-05-12
I managed to get this to work by using the dont_scan_for tag in the refind.conf ...
I will post a video a little bit later in the week, but with all that text in the conf file it is both a blessing and a curse. Finally, I just decided to dig in and try a couple things.
I still wish there were a way to create a log file of what goes on during autodetect so that I could learn a litle bit more, hands on, about how rEFInd is doing what it is doing, but this at least provides the solution which I was looking for, for the time being.
I think the best that you can do is:
1. hide them with
-2.
dont_scan_foroptionsI have this issue too.
Regarding uninstalling grub, I forgot how I did it, I think I most likely removed some files from the ESP and then from
/boot.If my memory serves me right, there should be
ubuntuor something similiar in your ESP (not/boot!) and inside it should be grub. Delete that folder and grub shouldd be gone. Take it with a grain of salt though.