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Hello everyone! Maybe someone of you remembers some of my questions on this forum about installing Slitaz on UEFI.
Well, I have this Windows 10 Tablet with a 64bit cpu but with a 32bit UEFI.
Microsoft makes everything to avoid the installation of any O.S. on devices like this... (even windows 7 or 8.1 grrr) So imagine trying this with Slitaz! Our Developers are supporting uefi just recently!
Anyway I learned that to boot a linux distro from a usb drive we need at least a "bootia32.efi" or "bootx64.efi" file inside the "efi/boot" directory of the iso/usb.
Debian fully support uefi so I resulted to boot and install it (it runs very good)
The problem is that Slitaz doesn't even have these efi files... so I had the idea of copying Slitaz files on my tablet flash memory and then trying to work from Windows with softwares like "Easy uefi" or "EasyBCD" to make it bootable. Well, nothing worked.
I also resulted to install "Grub2Win" and "Refind" on the device, they both allow me to dual-boot windows and linux.
(I don't excatly know the difference between them because somewhere I read that one is a bootmanager and the other is a bootloader...)
I wanted to win this challenge but especially help this community doing something useful.
I contacted both the Grub2Win and Refind developers... They helped me, we finally booted Slitaz in uefi mode but we got a black screen, we figured out that Slitaz can just run in Bios mode.
I don't know if Devs just need to add uefi parameters during the Slitaz generation or if it's a more complex matter...
If anyone is interested (https://sourceforge.net/p/refind/discussion/general/thread/13e66fc4/
https://sourceforge.net/p/grub2win/discussion/general/thread/78e5dbf5/ )
Greeting from Italy, Michele 
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Hi Michele,
If you are trying to install Rolling, this can be the reason. The best I've done is to boot in console mode 
But Next runs on a recent hp computer.
If you have a 32bit UEFI, you'll find a bootia32.efi in the grub2-efi package. Create a /efi/slitaz repertory, copy bootia32.efi (you can rename it if you want but keep the.efi extension) in it and create a grub.cfg configuration file in the same directory. So, rEFInd should find it.
Or you can add an entry for SliTaz in the Debian's config file.
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Hi @Ceel thanks for the reply. First of all I think I didn't grasp your steps (what do you mean with grub2-efi package and where is located? Where should I create that efi/slitaz directory?)
I'm sorry for my ignorance XD
Anyway I configured Grub2win to find Slitaz kernel but the distro didn't boot because it can't work in uefi mode, so I presume that even following your steps and making Slitaz bootable from Refind instead of grub2win, I'll get another black screen anyway... What do you think?
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sorry for comin' back on the road, linuxians;
but i'm still wondering if you're trying to launch slitaz using uefi WITHOUT legacy/CSM mode.. which should not be possible as a snap fingers...
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Hi Michele,
the distro didn't boot because it can't work in uefi mode
SliTaz Rolling core (32bit) and SliTaz Next boot well both on EFI computers.
SliTaz Rolling core64 has a problem; boot only in cosole mode (@devs, any ideas about this?).
Which SliTaz ISO did you use?
I presume that even following your steps and making Slitaz bootable from Refind instead of grub2win, I'll get another black screen anyway... What do you think?
You're right. I think your problem comes from the way you installed SliTaz. You told in your discussion on the rEFInd site "I copyed its 2 necessary files (vmlinuz and .img) into the ESP and in an empty ext4 partition"
Do you mean the [c]efi.img[/c] file by ".img? This is not the good file.
Seems you want to do a frugal install more than a full install. This is possible too and you don't need a separate partition (unless you want persistence).
I didn't grasp your steps [...] I'm sorry for my ignorance XD
I only started to look at EFI only for 7 months; as you, I learn thing every day.
You already know that UEFI computers have a hidden partition (ESP); this partition is used for the boot loaders and the boot manager.
The boot manager is in the /efi/boot repertory and has always the name [c]bootia32.efi[/c] for EFI 32bit or [c]bootx64.efi[/c].
The boot loaders of the OSs are in repertories in /efi; probably you have then a /efi/debian for Debian.
If you want to install SliTaz on your tablet, I can help you.
I think all distros, as well as 32bit than 64bit, can run on EFI computers (@lm2, of course with [c]UEFI Boot Mode= Enabled[/c] and not in BIOS Legacy, only the [c]Secure Boot[/c] needs to be [c]Disabled[/c]).
P.S. I've modified the second link (add a space at the end) in you first post because it didn't work.
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>SliTaz Rolling core (32bit) and SliTaz Next boot well both on EFI computers.
using rufus?
exfat as filesystem for UEFI, with formatted GPT?
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Hi Ceel thanks again, well
>Which SliTaz ISO did you use?
I don't remember if I used Slitaz 32 bit 5.0rc3 or Slitaz 32 bit rolling. Maybe we can determine it from the name of the kernel (it was vmlinuz_.53_)
>Do you mean the efi.img file by ".img? This is not the good file.
Seems you want to do a frugal install more than a full install.
Now I can't check it on my tablet but Actually I don't remember which file I copyed XD
Yeah to simplify things I tought to make Slitaz bootable from the tablet just as a live medium and then doing a proper install from the live booted version
>If you want to install SliTaz on your tablet, I can help you.
Yes Ceel! It would be awesome if you could provide us a quick summary of the steps needed for booting Slitaz on devices like mine It would be even better if we also figure out how to boot Slitaz from a usb.
I'm going to factory-reset my tablet in the next days. So for now we have a clean Win10 without refind or grub2win residues.
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Hi Michele,
Doing a frugal install first is probably the best solution. You don't need to create a separate partition for it.
Create a folder (say slitaz) in your main partition (c:\) and copy the rootfs.gz and bzImage files of the last Rolling-core ISO in it.
You could also use SliTaz Next; its kernel is the most recent but the ISO dates from 2017-09-30, most of the packages have been udated since.
Then I propose GRUB 2 or rEFInd (or rEFInd + GRUB 2) to boot SliTaz.
GRUB 2: here 2 ways.
[*]The simplest: start GRUB 2 using the Multiboot (press F12 or F9 or... key when the computer starts or reboots) but I don't know if tablets have also this possibility (I don't know anything about tablets, I don't like them )
Or start it with rEFInd you already know.
[*]Or rEFInd that will propose to choose between Windows and SliTaz (and eventual other OSs) at boot.
rEFInd should allow to run SliTaz without we need to install a boot loader (I never done it because I don't have any EFI computers to test it, I work on friends's computers but I do not allow myself to modify the configuration or install software on a PC that is not mine, excepeted the Secure Boot)
As you already successfully installed rEFInd a few month ago, I guess you know how to access to the ESP partition of your computer; if not, this is what I do in Win 8/10... for a computer:
[*]Right click on the Home button in the left bottom corner of the screen and select Windows Power Shell (admin).
The Users account control asks to accept modifications; click [YES].
[*]In the terminal, type [c]mountvol s: /s[/c] to mount the ESP partition.
[*]Check the ESP partition is mounted: [c]dir s:\[/c]
Note that Windows uses "\" and "/" where Linux respectively uses "/" and "-".
To install GRUB 2:
[*]Create a \grub repertory in \efi:
[c]mkdir s:\efi\grub[/c]
[*]Copy the bootia32.efi file from the grub2-efi package (see my post above) in the (ESP)\efi\grub directory...
[c]copy <<em>path\to\your</em>>\bootia32.efi s:\efi\grub\grubia32.efi[/c]
[*]... and the GRUB 2 modules:
[c]copy <<em>path\to\your\rep</em>>\i386-efi s:\efi\grub\[/c]
[*]Create a \boot\grub directory for the configuration file of GRUB 2:
[c]mkdir s:\boot\grub[/c]
[*]Create the configuration file:
[c]notepad s:\boot\grub\grub.cfg[/c]
- example -
[c]### CONFIGURATION FILE FOR GRUB 2 ###
#
# Comment the line if you want SliTaz start immediately or
# change the value to define the time (seconds) to wait before booting.
set TIMEOUT=-1
# Menu 0: boot SliTaz Rolling
menuentry "SliTaz Rolling (frugal install - kernel 3.16.55)" {
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,4)
linux /slitaz/bzImage ro root=/dev/null video=-32 kmap=it autologin
initrd /slitaz/rootfs.gz
}[/c]
According to your screenshot in the Grub2Win discussion, your main partition (c:\) is (hd0,4).
Note also the [c]insmod ntfs[/c] line; GRUB 2 cannot read NTFS partition natively, you must load this module.
[*]Save and quit.
IMPORTANT! If you didn't do it before, disable the fast startup of Windows (see my comment in section 6. of the linked page below). In the admin terminal of Windows, type [c]powercfg /h off[/c]
You can now close the terminal and reboot.
Hope I didn't forget anything. Don't hesitate to ask questions if something is not clear or doesn't work for you.
If you think to do it, please take notes during you install SliTaz. It would be interesting to complete the UEFI guide with HOWTOs for tablets.
It would be even better if we also figure out how to boot Slitaz from a usb.
I've already started this a few weeks ago; I have some comments to modify but nothing in the way to realize the Live. I'll do it when the second part -HOWTO install in frugal mode on a UEFI computer- will be finished (for the end of may I hope)
I think all distros, as well as 32bit than 64bit, can run on EFI computers
OK, I'm probably wrong. I tested slitaz-rc3 you tried to install a few months ago with the same result you had: black screen (so, you probably did things correctly, you haven't had any luck in choosing this ISO, like me with core64 ). There are things I need to deepen. But later, rc3 is really to old now.
@lm2,
I didn't use Rufus and kept the system in its initial state (GPT). For the full install, I resized c: and create an ext3 partition for SliTaz (now ext4 since I've overwritten it when installing Debian).
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regarding UEFI, just know a latest thing, learned with fedora /toshiba /uefi:
when you move the hard drive from an uefi-well-booting computer, you have to reinstall grub -at least with fedora-
when you want to install grub, you SHOU/DMUST install it in UEFI to have grub installed in uefi (like a declaration, something is "connected" between uefi and hard drive).
you must have a full-uefi/class3 bootloader to be able of starting slitaz in uefi (no csm/legacy of course)
btw, it's highly better and simple to use grub instead of grub2.
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Hi Michele,
Sorry, my mistake. I've writen Something wrong in my previous post: the grub.cfg mustn't be in [c]s:\efi\grub[/c] but in [c]s:\boot\grub[/c] :-/
I've edited the post.
Hope you didn't waste your time with this. Sorry again.
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No problem Ceel. Thanks for the update. I'm pretty busy in this period, I' ll report back after the test
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Well guys I don't know if developers read this thread, but I on 5th may 2018 I dowloaded the last rolling iso (32 bit) and I recived a plesant surprise: finally new isos come with the bootia32.efi file!
With that file my uefi tabet can start Linux distros (and now also Slitaz) even from a usb like any other Bios computer, so I didn't have to work on partitions ecc (@Ceel @lm2 
many thanks anyway)
I flashed and started the iso, the problem is that I got an error during the boot... can you help me? https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UKPejOk2ijQgxB9d6mcm-Pe8ioXESylV
Could this error be generated from a wrong flash? My usb contains JUST this: efi/boot/bootia32.efi it's strange...
I'm not very familiar with dd, flashing rufus on usbs from dedicated programs on Windows ALWAYS gave me errors, but Rufus (used with the right settings) always worked for me, so I used rufus also this time
UPDATE I will try with the latest iso as it worked for another user (http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/slitaz-rolling-32-works-on-uefi-1) I hope it won't get that error again
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NEW update---
Tryed with the latest iso from usb.
It worked and it booted extremely fast! (just a few seconds!)
Wifi doesn't work but it's not a problem, I've compiled and installed software from source in the past.
The main lack is that the touchescreen doesn't work and I can't even use my Wacom pen do draw and take notes. (with Debian and MX linux they work both)
The problem is that I don't know at all how to identify the correct driver for my touchscreen
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oops duplicated
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can you post the output from lsmod from debian or mx linux?
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Hi kultex. This is the result of lsmod from a live version of mxlinux: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1aL177zn1q4oFMPP04pUS5YPbGWALZFTp (I'm sorry for the photos but I had poblems with ctrl +c in the terminal)
P.S. The 32bit uefi that comes with this tablet should allow to boot just 32bit distros, but if I'm not wrong it booted MX also in 64bit mode. Does It change something in this case?
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Normally you can boot both, 32 and 64 bit.....
But please don’t post fotos, connect with your tablet to the forum and copy the text
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It seems to be a Wacom tablet....
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/wacom_tablet
You have to install the following packages
linux-input-tablet and linux-input-touchscreen
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