asus predator helios 300 boot hang debugging

• modell: asus predator helios 300
• bios download page: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/Predator_PH317-56/downloads
• the proper debug tools… xD … https://designintools.intel.com/intel-based-platform-debugging-tools

the situation

laptop not able to boot windows (stuck in the spinner). any linux boot-stick also just stuck with no output. bios/boot menu fully working. grub (and other bootloaders) also completely work.

• when booting a linux kernel with the linux efi stub two log lines are visible TODO recreate those two log lines and screenshot

  • quick digging in the linux source by melektron revealed that those lines are printed using efi_printk() instead of the usual printk()
  • this lead to the theory, that smth about the “exiting efi and fully taking over the hardware” (aka ExitBootServices()) is hanging.

• bios updating would be a good idea, but the bios download page gives you a windows exe… which would flash the new bios. kinda a problem, when windows does not boot.

the debugging setup

• asus predator remote debubing setup

log

• plan: put efi_print()s all over the efi_stub_entry.

• Pasted image 20260712115413.png … high res screen, small font, cheap camera… nothing readable

  • counting through though it is indeed exit_boot()… as suspected earlier
  • BUT… efi_err() obviosly does no longer work after efi_boot_exit()… so the hang might happen far after that actually.