refind menu doesn't show after reboot

[Vasily Biryukov]

Hi there,
I'm succesfully install refind 0.9.2 on my machine, but I have a problem. If I shutdown the machine and turn it on - all works, but if I use reboot instead of shutdown, refind menu doesn't show up. The same issue come up if I enter the UEFI setup and exit it. How can I fix it?

Sorry for my english.

[Roderick W. Smith]

Some questions:

• What OS(es) do you have installed?
• Does this problem occur when you reboot from any OS, or just from some of them?
• What does appear when you reboot but don't see rEFInd? (Does it boot to another OS, launch the setup utility, etc.? Are any error messages shown?) If you see something complex, posting a digital photo or even a video may be helpful.
• If any Linux distribution is one of your OSes, what does efibootmgr -v show (typed as root or using sudo)?
• What EFI boot loaders are installed, and under what names? In Linux, typing find /boot -iname "*.efi" should return a list. (You may need to precede that command with sudo, depending on your mount options.)

[Vasily Biryukov]

• I have Windows 10 and Linux Mint 17.1 installed (both are 64-bit).
• Problem occurs when I reboot from any OS and even when I reboot from UEFI setup.
• I just see a black screen. No messages. Pressing any keys does nothing.
• efibootmgr -v:

BootCurrent: 0002
Timeout: 2 seconds
BootOrder: 0002,0001,0000,000C,000D,000F
Boot0000* Windows Boot Manager  HD(2,96800,32000,253efba3-ab5a-4c82-881a-0b61ef3daf45)File(\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi)WINDOWS.........x...B.C.D.O.B.J.E.C.T.=.{.9.d.e.a.8.6.2.c.-.5.c.d.d.-.4.e.7.0.-.a.c.c.1.-.f.3.2.b.3.4.4.d.4.7.9.5.}...d................
Boot0001* ubuntu    HD(2,96800,32000,253efba3-ab5a-4c82-881a-0b61ef3daf45)File(\EFI\ubuntu\shimx64.efi)
Boot0002* rEFInd Boot Manager   HD(2,96800,32000,253efba3-ab5a-4c82-881a-0b61ef3daf45)File(\EFI\refind\refind_x64.efi)
Boot000C* UEFI: IP4 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller  ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(1c,3)PCI(0,1)MAC(80fa5b070db6,0)IPv4(0.0.0.0:0<->0.0.0.0:0,0, 0..BO
Boot000D* UEFI: IP6 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller  ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(1c,3)PCI(0,1)MAC(80fa5b070db6,0)030d3c000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004000000000000000000000000000000000..BO
Boot000F* ubuntu    HD(2,96800,32000,253efba3-ab5a-4c82-881a-0b61ef3daf45)File(\EFI\Ubuntu\grubx64.efi)

• find /boot -iname "*.efi"

/boot/grub/x86_64-efi/core.efi
/boot/grub/x86_64-efi/grub.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgr.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/memtest.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/MokManager.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind_x64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers_x64/ext4_x64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers_x64/ntfs_x64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers_x64/iso9660_x64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers_x64/ext2_x64.efi
/boot/efi/EFI/tools/memtest86_x64.efi

[Roderick W. Smith]

This sounds like a firmware bug to me; however, you might want to investigate the /boot/efi/EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi file. That's the "fallback" boot loader, and it's possible that it's either related to the problem or could be a workaround, in any of several ways:

• The computer could be booting EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi when you reboot, rather than booting the regular boot loader, thus causing the problem.
• The computer could be booting EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi when you start cold, and this program may be passing control to rEFInd or fixing the firmware's boot variables, thus partially working around the problem -- but only on cold boots, not on reboots. (Fedora ships with a program that's often installed here to try to work around buggy firmware by storing and then restoring EFI boot variables, for instance.)
• Copying rEFInd to this filename might work around the problem. See the Alternative Naming Options section of the rEFInd installation instructions for information on how to do this.

Overall, I recommend you try to figure out what this file is. Check its file size vs. other .efi file sizes on your ESP, and look for other files in that directory that might provide clues -- for instance, configuration files, etc. You can then try experimenting by moving/renaming EFI/Boot, replacing that file with rEFInd, etc. This may enable you to work around the problem, or at least figure out what's wrong.

Another thing you might try is upgrading your firmware. Check with your computer's manufacturer to see if there's a firmware (they'll probably call it a "BIOS") update. If there is one, you can try applying it -- but be aware that this sometimes breaks the boot order, so you may need to use efibootmgr to reset it. (Re-installing rEFInd is an overkill way to do this, if you're unfamiliar with efibootmgr.)

One more thing you might try is entering your firmware and disabling your network-boot options. Your efibootmgr output indicates that these are active, and it's conceivable that they're somehow interfering with normal operation. This is a long shot, though.

One further diagnostic question: When you reboot, do you see any of the normal startup messages, like your computer manufacturer's logo? If not, it's possible that your computer is hanging on the shutdown part of the reboot operation, rather than on the startup portion. This would put the whole problem in a new light. There are some Linux kernel options that change how Linux handles shutdown and restart operations, and passing those might help. See here for some basic information on this subject. The fact that you're seeing the same problem in both Windows and Linux suggests that this isn't the cause, though -- or if it is, it's because of a firmware bug that will take a firmware update to fix.

[Vasily Biryukov]

The issue was with windows fast boot. I forgot to disable it. Thanks for the help.