Trying to replace grub2 with refind

[hviaene]

Laptop involved is Compaq H000SB which is UEFI, and runs two instances of M9 (testing updates e.a.)
I ran again in the old bug with grub2, that is as soon as there are some 8 kernels or more on the laptop, the grub2 does not list the one I last installed.
I know refind does not have this problem.
But just using MCC's boot facility to install refind does not disable the default booting of grub2. I resorted to delete all grub2 packages, reun MCC - boot system, but no change, the default boot system keeps looking for grub2, whichn is't there.
So I have at boot to go the route ESC - press F9 for boot options, select refind there and procedd. Thyat works but is annoying.
I ran refind-install as root, and this one reports that refind is not the default boot option, and says it will replace it as default. Not true, the default reamins grub2.
What is frustrating is that I configured my desktop PC with refind OK in M8, converted that to M9 in 2023, and never looked back, so I cann't remember havin,g to do something out of the ordinary then.

[Germ]

I've never used refind, but even with 2 instances of mga9 why would you have that many kernels installed? You don 't need more than two kernels, at most, for each instance. One main kernel and one backup kernel.

After I install a new kernel, I run it long enough to assure there are no problems then remove the old kernel. Never had any problems.

[hviaene]

Fine for you, but primo I don not always remove all old kernels, because I tend to forget about them.0 Secundo, I use this laptop for testing new kernels, so quickly removing is not at the order. And tertio, I use the rok command now to every now and then to clean, but that one leaves 3 kernels for each instance separately. And quatro, this is still a very modest installation. Once we get started om Mageia 10, there wil be even more instances on this machine.

[sturmvogel]

Did a test conversion from grub2 to refind and the process was absolutely straight forward. There was no need to uninstall grub2. Maybe you only have to tick both checkboxes in the last screenshot.

Install refind. Choose refind in MCC Bootlader settings, Run through the wizard. Reboot.

Bildschirmfoto_20251124_164056.png (60.79 KiB) Viewed 694 times

Bildschirmfoto_20251124_164203.png (81.08 KiB) Viewed 694 times

Bildschirmfoto_20251124_164251.png (75.07 KiB) Viewed 694 times

[hviaene]

Nope. I had that setting in the first place. On scanning thru this forum I found a suggestion to unset the last checkbox, but that didn't help. Setting it again does not help either.
But I see some difference:
1. In the fisrst screen where you choose refind there is a second box which is hidden in your screenshot, asking to define the boot device.
2. In your last screenshot the first option is greyed out, set by default. I have to set it.

[hviaene]

Tried the procedure on a more recent HP laptop (3 years old), and the result is even worse.
The default boot option is refind, but apart from the splash screen, nothing else comes on the screen. When applying the MCC bootloader, I have the same second remark as in my previous post.