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I have linux on usb(32bit x86) and two PCs,

  1. one an laptop 64x uefi boots fine.
  2. one tablet having 64bit processor but 32bit uefi-bios do not boot.

The second one has no option for legacy boot, but it has the possibillity to boot from .efi-File.

Unfortunately none of the .efi-files ...

  • /efi/boot/bootx64.efi
  • /efi/boot/grubx64.efi

... loads and give the same message: \efi\boot\bootx64.efi boot failed.

Any suggestions?

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4
  • Your system is not capable of booting a 32-bit kernel while in UEFI mode. So either use legacy mode or use a 64-bit kernel. Since only one is possible, your options are limited, none of those files are meant for a 32-bit operating system. They both specifically indicate 64-bit.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jan 30, 2016 at 14:33
  • how can that even be possible: a 32-bit linux having 64-bit .efi-File!?
    – Grim
    Commented Jan 30, 2016 at 14:40
  • It isn't possible. The EFI files are only for the 64-bit installation on the disk.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jan 30, 2016 at 14:57
  • 1
    It is possible to do what Peter is asking; it's just a very bleeding-edge configuration. See my answer for more information.
    – Rod Smith
    Commented Jan 31, 2016 at 20:28

1 Answer 1

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EFIs support programs, including boot loaders, of like bit depth. In other words, an x86-64 (aka AMD64, x64, or EM64T) EFI can launch a 64-bit binary, which normally has a filename ending in x64.efi; and an x86 (aka IA32, i686 or related) EFI can launch a 32-bit binary, which normally has a filename ending in ia32.efi. Note that, if you have a 32-bit EFI, the bit depth of the CPU is irrelevant. The result is that your system with a 32-bit EFI and 64-bit CPU is limited to running 32-bit EFI programs.

Normally, the bit depth of the EFI boot loader (which is just a particular type of EFI program) also limits the bit depth of the OS it runs. Thus, it's easiest to install a 32-bit OS on a computer with a 32-bit EFI. There are ways around this limit, though. In particular, both Apple's OS X boot loader and Linux's GRUB support cross-bit-depth kernel booting, so you can launch a 64-bit kernel from a 32-bit boot loader or vice-versa. (Obviously, you need a 64-bit CPU to launch a 64-bit kernel.) Since you say you're using Linux, but don't say what distribution you're using, I can't give very detailed instructions -- and in fact I don't have the details handy. Such cross-bit-depth installations are very much "bleeding edge," and I recommend avoiding them if at all possible.

Sticking with a 32-bit OS is likely to be easier, but many OSes (including most Linux distributions) have neglected 32-bit EFIs, so you may need to add a boot loader yourself. This process is described for Ubuntu here. IIRC, Debian now provides 32-bit EFI support, so you might get it working "out of the box."

Ultimately, to have one disk that's bootable on both 32-bit and 64-bit EFIs, with BIOS/CSM/legacy-mode boot support out of the question, you'll need to install both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of a boot loader, and configure one to boot in a cross-bit-depth manner. It's likely to be better to have two disks, or at least two installations on one disk, one being 32-bit and the other 64-bit. For an external disk, the 32-bit boot loader will be EFI/BOOT/bootia32.efi and the 64-bit boot loader will be EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi.

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