bionic (8) mvrefind.8.gz

NAME

       mvrefind - Move a rEFInd installation from one location to another

SYNOPSIS

       mvrefind SOURCE DEST

DESCRIPTION

       Move  a  rEFInd  installation  from SOURCE to DEST, where both SOURCE and DEST are directories on the EFI
       System Partition (ESP), with SOURCE containing a working  rEFInd  installation.  This  operation  entails
       taking several actions:

       *      Renaming the SOURCE directory to DEST.

       *      Renaming  the  rEFInd binary to a suitable value given the new destination.  For instance, if DEST
              is EFI/BOOT on the EFI System Partition  (ESP),  the  rEFInd  binary  should  be  bootx64.efi  (or
              something similar but with a different architecture code).

       *      Altering the computer's NVRAM entries to point to rEFInd at its new location.

       *      If Shim is detected, renaming operations and NVRAM entry pointers are adjusted appropriately.

       *      If the DEST exists, its contents are preserved.

       Broadly speaking, mvrefind understands three types of locations for both SOURCE and DEST, relative to the
       root of the ESP:

       *      EFI/BOOT -- The bootx64.efi (or similar for other architectures) filename in this location is  the
              "fallback  filename," which is used by removable boot media and as a boot loader of last resort on
              hard disks. Some EFIs can't remember their normal boot  entries,  and  on  them,  rEFInd  must  be
              installed  here  (or  as  the Windows boot loader). When this directory is the DEST and it already
              exists, the existing EFI/BOOT is backed up to EFI/BOOT-rEFIndBackup; and if the SOURCE is EFI/BOOT
              and  EFI/BOOT-rEFIndBackup  exists,  it  is  renamed  to  EFI/BOOT  after  rEFInd  is moved to its
              destination.

       *      EFI/Microsoft/boot -- The bootmgfw.efi file in this  location  normally  holds  the  Windows  boot
              loader.  Machines  with  broken EFIs may refuse to accept or remember proper boot entries and will
              instead boot this entry in preference to all others. In such cases, using rEFInd  requires  moving
              the  Microsoft  boot  loader  elsewhere  and replacing it with rEFInd.  When this directory is the
              DEST, mvrefind moves the original bootmgfw.efi file down one level (to EFI/Microsoft)  and  stores
              refind_x64.efi  (or  Shim)  in that location. When moving from EFI/Microsoft/boot, this process is
              reversed.

       *      Anything else -- Any other SOURCE or DEST location is treated as a  regular  rEFInd  installation,
              with a proper NVRAM entry created by efibootmgr.

       mvrefind  attempts  to identify the ESP and refuses to move between the ESP and any other partition. When
       it does move files, it moves the main rEFInd binary, the refind.conf file, any  identified  Shim  binary,
       and the icons, icons-backup, drivers_*, and keys subdirectories. If other rEFInd files or directories are
       present in SOURCE (such as a custom theme/icons directory), they will not be moved. If  SOURCE  is  empty
       after the specified files and subdirectories are moved, SOURCE will be deleted.

AUTHORS

       Primary author: Roderick W. Smith (rodsmith@rodsbooks.com)

SEE ALSO

       mkrlconf (8), refind-install (8)

       http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/

AVAILABILITY

       The mvrefind command is part of the rEFInd package and is available from Roderick W. Smith.