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Unable to boot after installing Linux distribution

DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   -  
DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   -

Hello community,

I am considering eventually setting up a dual boot Windows-Linux on my current computer and I am also tinkering with a twelve-year-old Dell i5 laptop with 8 GB of RAM, and I am facing a very annoying problem.

From a few Live DVDs burned at a very low speed, I initially tested and then installed a few distributions without any problems: Mint Mate, Mint Cinnamon 20.2, Mint 20 XFCE, Zorin Lite, Zorin OS 16.
And the reboot allowed me to access the installed and functional version.

I proceeded exactly the same way and without changing anything in the BIOS or the boot order (CD/DVD first and Hard disk second) with other more recent distributions: Mint Vanessa and Vera for example.
No problem reaching the Live DVD stage. I start the installation which goes smoothly, but when it comes time to reboot, I get the following message:
"Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key"

And nothing else happens....

Of course, I have searched for information all over the internet, but have not found anything conclusive.

I am calling on your expertise to clarify this mystery...

Thank you in advance.


8 answers

  1.
    mamiemando Posted messages 33228 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   7 940
     

    Hello,

    To start, if you want to use a live distribution, I recommend preparing a live USB, which will be much more efficient than a live CD or DVD.

    Next, make sure to prepare this live version with the latest release of the distribution you wish to install. I see you have chosen Ubuntu 22.04. That's good; it is quite recent (April 2022) and is the current LTS (Long Term Support), so the recommended installation (since then, an intermediate version has been released, 23.04 (April 2023), as a new Ubuntu is released every 6 months). You might want to see if things go better with this version.

    Finally, your error message is typical (as others have pointed out before me) when secure boot is enabled. It is surprising to see that the issue arises when you boot in legacy mode (thus disabling secure boot). This suggests that the installation USB was not prepared correctly. When creating it, make sure to use software like rufus or usb creator.

    Be careful, if you plan to do a dual boot with Windows/Linux and secure boot is enabled and you are using a modern version of Windows (e.g., Windows 10 or 11), it will probably refuse to boot if secure boot is disabled.

    However, nothing prevents you from installing Linux without secure boot, then installing grub with EFI support (the partition that allows the system to be referenced as safe for secure boot), and then re-enabling secure boot (see this message). It is also possible to do it with boot-repair.

    Good luck

    1
  2. jeannets Posted messages 28396 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   Ambassadeur 6 603
     

    Hello,

    Not all versions of Linux will necessarily work on all PCs... it mainly depends on the processor used and the architecture of the motherboard + graphics...

    Typically, Linux installations should be on a partition of the hard drive, independent of Windows or others; and in the end, it installs a boot system (often GRUB)... It is this GRUB that gives you the choice at startup to go to Windows or Linux... But sometimes it only goes to Linux... so you can no longer boot into Windows...

    That's the dilemma to watch out for when creating the boot that Linux offers... And, it's the time to correct it or never.

    There are several GRUBs to know... the current advanced version is Grub-2, but there is also Grub 4 and Grub 4DOS

    https://www.malekal.com/grub-la-configuration-grub-cfg-commande-et-dossier-boot/

    It’s not necessarily user-friendly...!!! but it is efficient and powerful

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    1. brucine Posted messages 24844 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 169
       

      Hello,

      Yes, well... The dual boot installation of Mint 21 or 22 after Windows 10 shouldn't pose any problems if there are no remnants of another OS on the disk and if the basic conditions have been met (creating a dedicated empty partition, disabling Secure Boot if applicable, usually UEFI) and without Grub getting involved: all modern Linux versions handle the installation "elsewhere" of Linux after Windows perfectly well.

      I wonder if the bug might not result from the Live CD/DVD, which would only perform a "Live" installation, in other words, if it's unnecessary to use a USB stick created with Rufus or similar.

      0
  3. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39
     

    Thank you for your feedback.

    I should clarify (I should have done this from the start...) that the installations are done on a "blank" hard drive with no Windows installed, whether it's 10 or 11.

    What I can't explain is the "restart" failure after installing certain distributions... and no failures with others that are of the same "lineage" (like Mint, for example).

    The dual boot may only happen later on another much newer laptop.

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    1. steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   152
       

      Hello,

      at the end of the installation, it will ask you where you want to install "grub on which drive", you need to carefully check on which it is being installed and boot the PC from this disk.

      Look at what I'm using right now and there's no problem.

      It all depends on whether you boot in UEFI or not?

      Some versions do not support it; I’m talking about the OS, but on this one, I’m using EFI.

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  4. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39
     

    Hello,

    At the end of the installation, I'm not offered anything at all.

    I'm simply asked to remove the installation media (DVD) and press "enter".

    Nothing more.

    There is a restart... and the fateful phrase ""Reboot and select proper boot device.... etc..."

    0
    1. steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   152
       

      In this case, try to go into your BIOS and select the correct boot disk. Make sure to remove your installation media before rebooting, right? "USB drive or others?"

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  6. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39
     

    That's what I'm doing.

    However, I am not changing the boot order in the BIOS, as the DVD drive being empty, booting should normally happen from the HDD which is in the 2nd position.

    It works fine for the distributions that were able to start properly after installation, among others, Mint Cinnamon (version Uma), which I was later able to upgrade to the latest version (Vera).

    What I don't understand is why it doesn't work with other already upgraded distributions: DVD "Mint Vanessa" or DVD "Mint Vera," downloaded from the same place (https://linuxmint.com/) .....and burned with the same utility (CDBurnerXP) and at a slow speed (2X)

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    1. steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   152
       

      and in your BIOS do you have the option to start UEFI+Legacy?

      boot UEFI+Legacy? If so, select

      you can also disable secure boot and fast boot

      ps:

      when you installed LM did you do your partition tables manually or automatically maybe you have a bad table. or is there a problem with the DVD you can't install with a USB key rather than a DVD?

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  7. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39
     

    In the BIOS, I have this, which I have never changed:

    *Legacy USB support : Enabled

    *UEFI Boot support : Disabled

    *AHCI Mode control : Auto

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    1. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39
       

      .... I have the same problems with USB drives.

      and I let the partition tables be created automatically.

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      1. steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   152 > DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention  
         

        Set UEFI Boot support to Enabled

        1
      2. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39 > steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         

        OK, I will do that.

        I will try a new installation in a while with one of the "recalcitrant" distributions and will keep you updated.

        Thank you for your information and advice!

        Have a nice weekend!

        0
  8. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39
     

    Re-hello,

    For now, I am not considering a dual-boot Windows/Linux. Nor an installation of Ubuntu which is quite confusing when you're used to the Windows desktop + start menu.

    However, enabling the UEFI boot support allowed me to have an operational Mint/Zorin dual boot without any difficulty or error messages, all from a Live DVD.

    Even after creating a USB stick with Rufus, and changing the boot order with USB first, I get the "operating system not found" message on startup.

    Can we create this bootable USB under Windows, or is it better to do it with some Linux distribution?

    Thanks again for your insights!

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  9. jeannets Posted messages 28396 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   Ambassadeur 6 603
     

    Using Rufus is almost mandatory to create a BOOTABLE and valid USB... to adapt a downloaded ISO for CD or DVD and make it work on a PC startup; if this creation is done correctly, on a key that has no defects...

    -- And, in my opinion, this Rufus mainly works on Windows PCs... I don't know about Linux, but it may exist... So my answer is: yes, on Windows.

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    1. steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   152
       

      Hello, the choice 3 products per day:

      1. RUFUS windows https://rufus.ie/fr/
      2. VENTOY windows, linux https://www.ventoy.net/en/download.html
      3. BALENA ETCHER windows, linux, macos https://etcher.balena.io/
      1
      1. DCI Posted messages 85976 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   39 > steph810 Posted messages 1865 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         

        Hello,

        That's very clear!

        ;)

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