Installer errors (Bad Shim Signature & You need to load kernal first)

TrueNAS General
1

Hi, I had TrueNAS runing on another system for the past couple months without issue as a test setup to decide if it was something I could benefit from, well I did like it. I decided to move to a better system setup. I know nothing about Linux, self hosting, homelabs, etc. but I worked for 40+ years in electronics and played with computers since my Atari 800 days. Yes I’m old. any ways I configured a system and when I go to install TrueNAS I select Start TrueNAS Scale Installation and immediately get “ERROR: bad shim signature & ERROR: you need to load the kernal first” . I have downloaded the iso file repeatedly and created a USB Flash drive over and over with the same results. I don’t remember getting any issues installing or configuring the first system I setup. I don’t know what this error is. Any help would be appreciated.

My System is an ASUS ROG Z390 E Gaming MB, i7-9700K CPU, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (OS), 2 x 2TB SATA HDD, 4 x 8TB SATA HDD, and a Nvidia GTX1070 GPU.

2

What method are you using to create the USB and have you checked the signature on the ISO downloads?

3

I used Etcher to create USB same as the 1st time I installed. Checked iso via SH256.

4

This looked related to Secure Boot when I did and internet search? Is Secure Boot on or off in the BIOS / UEFI? If ON, try turning it off

The Nvidia GTX1070 may give you trouble depending on the version of Scale you have chosen.

5

Secure boot is disabled and the keys have been deleted. UEFI enabled for all. CSM enabled. I didn’t have a GPU on the 1st system I setup, but it doesn’t get anywhere installing, ie. doesn’t ask for destination drive to install or anything. I don’t know what kind of frontend checks it does before queries for setup thou. I can remove the GPU later today and see if that makes a difference. Thanks, as I hadn’t thought of the GPU being and issue.

6

The GPU would only be an issue with version 25.10 and later. You just face the driver issue. If you install 25.04, it should work okay.

Have you checked for BIOS / UEFI updates for the motherboard?

Not sure what would be next. You can try burning the ISO to USB with Rufus tool and chose DD mode.

7

It also wouldn’t affect installing TrueNAS at all, just driver support to use that GPU

8

I pulled the GPU no change. I’m installing 25.10.01 from 12/25 the same version I used before. I’m going to dump the CMOS and reconfig BIOS from scratch. I only set to default before I started, maybe somethings latched up in BIOS but doesn’t show. If that doesn’t do it I’ll try different versions of truenas and different USB creation tools. Thanks again for your time.

9

Hey guys, I got the installer working. Dumped CMOS and set BIOS from scratch and all is good. Thanks for your input its greatly appreciated. I don’t know if I was just overlooking something in the BIOS settings or if it was latched or corrupted.

1 Like
10

Did resetting the BIOS also disable CSM by chance?