Tutorial Basic checks if Linux fails to install

[Brickwizard]

Why Linux fails to load/install direct to HDD, common reasons

1] Corrupt download [check SHA sum]
2] bad burn to installation medium [try again] [if you used Rufus then try Balena Etcher or Ventoy]
2A] if optical drive burn at slow speed [no more than x3]
3] Wind 8.2 and higher quick start/fast boot or secure boot not disabled [after disabling do a full power re-boot not a restart]
3A ] check that boot from USB/Optical drive is enabled in your BIOS?UEFI
4] defective pen-drive/DVD
5] hardware fault,
5A] If old style HDD run integrity check
5B]if SATA SSD check for hidden partition at the beginning of drive [this will stop Grub from loading] and delete it before re-installing Linux
If New M2.NVMe check, your system is NVMe compatible [not all older kit is]

Updated with additional checks 11/12/25

 

[Mike-BTU]

bad burn to installation medium [try again] [if you used Rufus then try ... Ventoy]

I've never heard of any complaints about Ventoy. That's all I use for this.

Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files. With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk again and again, you just need to copy the iso file to the USB drive and boot it.

www.ventoy.net

 

[CaffeineAddict]

3] Wind 8.2 and higher quick start/fast boot or secure boot not disabled [after disabling do a full power re-boot not a restart]

Since you're sharing this thread in help threads, may I suggest you to split this into 2 to 4 separate lines in correct order?

Quick start is Windows feature and should be disabled first in Windows.
Fast boot is UEFI/BIOS setting that needs to be disabled afterwards in BIOS and BIOS reloaded.
Same for secure boot.
Then follows CMOS reset.

This are 4 points, people are usually not careful when following and could easily skip points or do them in incorrect order.

And disabling TPM could also be added because it may be detected by Linux installer which can force installing with secure boot even if secure boot is disabled.

Another problem is that once CMOS reset (a last step) is done this will usually re-enable secure boot and TPM and these 3 configs will need to be done again or checked, so that's in total 4 steps if wanted to be done properly:

1. Disable quick start in Windows and reboot to BIOS
2. In BIOS disable fast boot / TPM / secure boot
3. Do CMOS reset / full power reboot
4. Repeat step 2.