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Boot management

Solus uses clr-boot-manager from the Clear Linux project to handle all boot configuration. This tool automatically configures the appropriate boot loader based on your system type:

  • Legacy BIOS systems: GRUB2
  • Modern UEFI systems: systemd-boot

Because clr-boot-manager manages these configurations, any boot customizations must go through this tool rather than manual edits. If you try to modify the configurations manually, clr-boot-manager will overwrite your changes during the next system update.

Access the boot menu​

On systems with UEFI installations, the boot menu doesn't appear by default. To display the boot menu:

  • Press the Spacebar key repeatedly as your computer starts. You may need several attempts to get the timing right.

Display the boot menu by default​

To make the boot menu appear automatically with a five-second timeout:

  • Run the following command:

    sudo clr-boot-manager set-timeout 5 && sudo clr-boot-manager update

Add kernel parameters​

You can add kernel parameters by creating configuration files that clr-boot-manager uses when updating kernels.

To add kernel parameters, do the following:

  1. Create the configuration directory:

    sudo mkdir -p /etc/kernel/cmdline.d

  2. Create a configuration file with your kernel parameter:

    echo 'parameter-name' | sudo tee /etc/kernel/cmdline.d/40_[description].conf

    For example, to add the nomodeset parameter:

    echo 'nomodeset' | sudo tee /etc/kernel/cmdline.d/40_nomodeset.conf

  3. If you want to add multiple parameters, put them on one line with spaces between them in the configuration file.

    For example:

    echo 'nomodeset quiet splash acpi=off' | sudo tee /etc/kernel/cmdline.d/40_multiple_params.conf

  4. Apply the new kernel parameters:

    sudo clr-boot-manager update