Score:0

Ubuntu 20.04 USB Stick doesn't start Ubuntu on Asus Windows 7 Laptop

gr flag

I want to install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a 2011 Asus Windows 7 Laptop. I used Rufus to create a bootable Ubuntu USB and I am able to boot from it. However, when I select the first Option "Ubuntu" in the Grub Bootloader, the screen stays dark after some reading from the USB (blinking LED on stick) and there is apparently no progress (no further LED blinking, i.e. no read/write from USB). Same for the second option "Ubuntu (safe graphics)". I have verified that the Ubuntu USB stick works properly - it does boot Ubuntu on my more recent Windows 11 ThinkPad with the same stick. Is there maybe any compatibility issue or some other Bios option I need to activate? Could not find any comparable issues yet.

oldfred avatar
cn flag
May be the option you selected in Rufus. Most tools create a bootable flash drive that is both UEFI & BIOS. But options in Rufus create just a UEFI/gpt or BIOS/MBR configuration. Shows screen with gpt & UEFI https://askubuntu.com/questions/1364249/cannot-boot-ubuntu-in-uefi-mode Shows BIOS CSM - Systems since 2012 are UEFI https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#3-usb-selection Newer systems have default boot in UEFI for installed systems, but you have to select boot mode of live installer in UEFI menu. Older BIOS systems will only boot flashdrive in BIOS mode.
Akeo avatar
hk flag
@oldfred, _"But options in Rufus create just a UEFI/gpt or BIOS/MBR configuration"_ That is not correct unless you're talking about non-default options. By default, Rufus creates a dual BIOS + UEFI boot media when selecting any Ubuntu image. You may choose to restrict to UEFI-only by changing the __defaults__ if you wish, but if you don't do anything, it'll work for both BIOS and UEFI, like the original source ISO. Source: I am the developer of Rufus.
oldfred avatar
cn flag
@Akeo Good to know. User then has to select correct boot mode in UEFI boot menu. I do see screen shots showing one or the other. Are those now obsolete screenshots. rufus select gpt (uefi non csm) Screen shows MBR UEFI-CSM is BIOS, Most want gpt & UEFI https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#3-usb-selection Shows screen with gpt & UEFI https://askubuntu.com/questions/1364249/cannot-boot-ubuntu-in-uefi-mode I just follow what others have posted as I use grub2 loopmount to directly boot ISO. I do see your site says both. http://rufus.akeo.ie/
Akeo avatar
hk flag
I'm pretty sure the screenshots were GPT/UEFI is selected are the result of users changing the defaults from Rufus. Obviously, I can't guarantee that someone posting a screenshot will keep the defaults. But I am not aware of any issue where Rufus will not select dual BIOS+UEFI boot when first selecting an Ubuntu images, as this is what I designed the software to do. Unfortunately, whoever wrote the Ubuntu tutorial misguides users into first creating a FreeDOS drive, which is both wrong (because completely unnecessary) and confusing since that'll show BIOS only.
zaddo avatar
gr flag
Thank you for your suggestions and sorry for my late reply. It feels like the USB stick is booting, even though I just get to it's GRUB boot menu. The answers suggested appear to help if the stick doesn't boot at all. Or shouldn't I count that as "booting", i.e. "just loading GRUB" is not the same as "booting one of the options GRUB provides"? In that case I wouldn't really know where to start, since Rufus is apparently not the problem
zaddo avatar
gr flag
@oldfred luckily my issue is solved, but I'm not sure what to learn from this; was my computer "booting" from the USB since I got to the GRUB bootloader menu (see my answer below)? Or was this not realted to the ubuntu USB drive? I am not sure why exactly turning off UEFI helped in my case, since this action apparently just "skipped" the GRUB menu in some way. Can you help me understanding what happened here?
oldfred avatar
cn flag
If originally a Windows 7 system, those were mostly BIOS/MBR. But Windows 7 could be installed in UEFI, or some Windows 8 systems were downgraded to Windows 7. Microsoft required vendors to install in UEFI/gpt mode with Windows 8. But many early implementations of UEFI were not particularly good, particularly for Linux installs, but even some Windows issues. Vendors updated UEFI & Linux created workarounds to get many systems then working. And then some drivers worked better with BIOS or better with UEFI on those early UEFI implementations.
zaddo avatar
gr flag
@oldfred Thank you for the explaination! Does this mean that in both cases (UEFI activated and UEFI deactivated) I have been "booting" from the USB stick, but once I got to GRUB bootloader and once I directly booted into ubuntu?
oldfred avatar
cn flag
Typical live installer will boot in either mode. UEFI actually has two modes, UEFI Secure boot on & UEFI Secure boot off. BIOS/CSM/Legacy mode is only available on UEFI systems if Secure Boot is off. Vendors now are building new systems with UEFI Class 3 which means no BIOS/CSM boot mode at all, only UEFI modes. CSM - UEFI Compatibility Support Module (CSM), which emulates a BIOS mode
Score:0
gr flag

So disabling UEFI USB boot did the job. It was tricky in this specific notebook's BIOS setup to do so, since I could only select the USB drive as a boot device if the USB was plugged in and I had to restart and go again to the BIOS to select it afterwards.

Interestingly, after disabling UEFI USB boot it didn't show the GRUB bootloader at all, but directly booted into (USB-) Ubuntu. This came unsuspected, since on my other computer I selected the Ubuntu boot from the GRUB bootloader.

After successfull Ubuntu installation I reactivated UEFI boot for booting Ubuntu from my hard drive.

Thank you for your help!

Update on what didn't help: I tried to use the "nomodeset" parameter in GRUB (https://askubuntu.com/tags/nomodeset/info), but this didn't help.

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