Note - This should work on Ubuntu and other Ubuntu based Distros.
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📦 Linux Mint XFCE Installation + Bootloop Recovery Guide (Sony VAIO)
🖥️ System Setup Summary
- Laptop: Sony VAIO (UEFI-capable, boot quirks present)
- Distro: Linux Mint XFCE
- Boot mode: UEFI
- Disk layout (Manual Partitioning):
- /dev/sda1 → EFI partition (512MB, FAT32, mount point: /boot/efi)
- /dev/sda2 → Root (50–100GB, ext4, mount point: /)
- /dev/sda3 → Home (remaining space, ext4, mount point: /home)
- /dev/sda4 → Swap (8–16GB, type: swap)
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🧰 Installation Steps with Manual Partitioning
1. Boot Mint XFCE Live USB in UEFI mode
- Enter BIOS and ensure:
- Boot Mode: UEFI
- Secure Boot: Disabled
- Select UEFI: USB Name from boot menu
2. Launch Installer & Choose Manual Partitioning
- Select “Something else” when prompted for installation type
3. Create/Mount the Partitions
In the partition editor:
- EFI partition:
- Select /dev/sda1
- Format: FAT32
- Mount point: /boot/efi
- Boot flag: esp
- Root partition:
- Select /dev/sda2
- Format: ext4
- Mount point: /
- Use as system root
- Home partition:
- Select /dev/sda3
- Format: ext4
- Mount point: /home
- Stores user data
- Swap partition:
- Select /dev/sda4
- Use as swap area
- No mount point required
> 💡 Set EFI partition as the installation target for bootloader when prompted.
4. Proceed with Installation
- Username, hostname, password set as usual
- Wait for installer to complete and reboot when prompted
From there, we encountered the bootloop and performed the advanced recovery steps
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🛠️ Linux Mint XFCE Installation & Bootloop Recovery on Sony VAIO
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⚠️ Issue Overview
After a fresh Mint install, the system entered a bootloop, stuck at the VAIO splash screen, never reaching GRUB. EFI variables appeared inaccessible, and boot entries weren't sticking.
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🧪 Initial Diagnostics & Partition Discovery
Commands used from live USB:
`bash
lsblk -f # To see partitions and types
sudo blkid # To confirm partition labels and types`
Identified:
- sda1 as EFI
- sda2 as root (/)
- sda3 as home (/home)
- sda4 as swap
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🧱 Attempted GRUB Reinstallation
Chroot Process:
`bash
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
sudo chroot /mnt`
GRUB Install & Update:
`bash
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB
update-grub`
Sony VAIO Quirk Handling:
`bash
mkdir -p /boot/efi/EFI/Boot
cp /boot/efi/EFI/GRUB/grubx64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi`
Outcome: GRUB still not detected on boot due to suspected NVRAM lock.
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🧰 Boot Repair Attempt
`bash
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt update
sudo apt install boot-repair
boot-repair`
Result:
- Error: "EFI variables are not supported on this system"
- Confirmed /sys/firmware/efi and /sys/firmware/efi/efivars were populated
- This confirmed UEFI boot but likely firmware lock on EFI variable writing
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🚀 Successful Fix via rEFInd
Installed rEFInd from live session:
`bash
sudo apt install refind
sudo refind-install --usedefault /dev/sda1`
Verified:
- refind_x64.efi in /boot/efi/EFI/refind/
- bootx64.efi in /boot/efi/EFI/Boot/
Reboot Result:
- rEFInd screen appeared
- Manual selection of grubx64.efi booted Linux Mint successfully
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🧼 Post-Boot Cleanup & Config Update
Once inside Mint XFCE:
`bash
sudo update-grub # Refresh GRUB config`
Note: refind-mkconfig not available via apt; rEFInd autodetection works or can be manually edited in refind.conf.
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✅ Final Boot Health Status
- System boots via rEFInd reliably
- GRUB is functional when launched via rEFInd
- No persistent bootloop
- NVRAM still locked, but bypassed successfully via fallback bootloader path
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Hope this guide helps anyone who needs this. I just spent 5 hours troubleshooting this.
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