Can't boot from USB

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

I installed Linux Mint Cinnamon from a USB drive on my windows 10 laptop, but after using it for a while I'd like to go back to Windows 10.

The trouble I am having is that no matter what I do I now can't get the laptop to stay in the 'System Recovery' page. To install 'Mint' initially, after I had formatted a USB flash drive with 'Mint' on it as all the tutorials advised, then I simply pressed the F11 key during start up and selected start up from USB via the 'system recovery' page. I found the initial set up quite straight forward, but far less so using it now it's installed, it just doesn't do quite enough of what I want. So, now I want to go back to Windows 10, I have made another USB drive with it on, but even though I have tried several other keys although it briefly states 'System Recovery' it then ignores anything I do and just takes me to the Linux log in. I even tried a different USB drive, the one with Mint still installed on it just incase it was a faulty flash drive; but that made no difference.

My reason for going back is that I am of an age where I still have iTunes credit and as much as I try using 'Playonline' 'Bottles' or 'Samba' it fails to install, all all I achieved was repeated error codes! I have a second Windows 10 laptop that I use at the same time, previously on the same Network and I was hoping to do the same with my Linux set up. Sadly the Warpinator/Winpinator 'Network' communication fails to connect more often than not requiring a 'troubleshoot' via the Windows 10 laptop to establish any sort of communication, which is a pain for me as before the 'Network' connection to transfer folders and files just worked without any fuss.

I have been using Open Source 'Libre Office' for years and have been very impressed, I genuinely find it as good to use as what Microsoft offer, which is why I was inspired to try Linux Mint. I was hoping it could do the limited things I use my laptop for, admin, web browsing, buying music with my iTunes credit, having both my laptops on the same Network for easy file swapping and playing Solitaire. As both my older laptops will neither run, or at least run well on Windows 11 after trying the live version I decided to give Linux Mint a go, in hindsight I should have mad a new partition for Linux Mint and run it alongside Windows.....

As I do my banking online I wanted something secure after October 2025, which in fairness 'Mint' will no doubt do, plus it is to be fair also as quick as I had hoped; it's really just that I don't want a clunky 'network' communication and I still want to use my iTunes Credit, I do miss Solitaire as well, the Linux versions I found were awful lol.

In time I may revisit and reinstall Linux, but I do kind of feel a bit trapped in a Mint loop at the moment.

 

[Brickwizard]

Did you install Linux [Mint] as a dual boot or as a bare mettle [single OS] installation, which would have wiped windows and will require you to re-install it.
link to W10 ISO

Download Windows 10 Disc Image (ISO File)

 

[Brickwizard]

sorry, got called away, so to continue.
If you have to reinstall w10, enter the bios of the machine and change boot sequence yo USB first boot or use the one time boot key [if F11 worked to install Linux, then it should work to install Windows] and remember to re-activate windows quick-start [fast boot] and secure boot,
you may need to be hard-wired to the router.as you will not have a product key [your computer should already be registered with Microsoft on their server]
make sure you save all files and folders to an external source as windows will overwrite all your current files

 

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

sorry, got called away, so to continue.
If you have to reinstall w10, enter the bios of the machine and change boot sequence yo USB first boot or use the one time boot key [if F11 worked to install Linux, then it should work to install Windows] and remember to re-activate windows quick-start [fast boot] and secure boot,
you may need to be hard-wired to the router.as you will not have a product key [your computer should already be registered with Microsoft on their server]
make sure you save all files and folders to an external source as windows will overwrite all your current files

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply Brickwizard, it was a bare mettle [single OS] installation, in hindsight I should have made a new partition for Linux Mint and run it alongside Windows.

I had tried the live version but assumed networking with another laptop and iTunes download was something that would be far more viable when it had been installed. I have hardly any files installed (they are backed up on another laptop and external hard-drive) as had only just recently done a clean install of Windows 10, with 4gb ram it had been struggling with 11, hence the clean install of 10. Even though it was then working well I thought as they will be stopping support for Windows 10 Oct 25 anyway this would be a good time to try Linux Mint in a bid to get the most out of this old low spec Laptop, it was my late father's so I wanted to keep it going as much for sentimental reasons than anything else really. If I liked it the plan was to have both laptops running Mint, the other also running Windows 10, a higher specification with 16gb ram, but it's over 10 years old and the casing is breaking up; I dare say neither laptop have years of happy life left!

I have made a USB flash-drive with Windows 10, but F11 to System Recovery no longer seems to work, yes it references it will do when pressed on restart, but then doesn't seem to load it (apart from a brief moment), instead taking me straight to the 'Mint' Login; I have tried other keys with no success.

I assume there is a work around, perhaps a code typed into Mint's Terminal app to force a restart booted from USB? Confess I can muddle along if things go to plan, but when they don't I get confused and lost quickly, not a clue what to do now plus if you do know a solution you will need to advise what to do in a very simple manner otherwise my little head will implode lol

 

[Brickwizard]

but it's over 10 years old and the casing is breaking up; I dare say neither laptop have years of happy life left!

this laptop is a 2010 with 4gb 3 lanes of dud pixels and a cracked case running MintLMDE I have a now 24 yr old acer [32 bit 2gb] running peppermint respin, yes its slow but still works as an emergency spare.

Now what is the make and model of your laptop

 

[Brickwizard]

oh and did you try running iTunes in wine [you will need the 32 bit codecs enabled

Setting up iTunes on Linux - LinuxForDevices

You can easily download and install iTunes on Linux! iTunes is a media player and the client app for the iTunes Store, owned and developed by Apple Inc. It

www.linuxfordevices.com

 

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

That was the appeal of Linux Mint, to prolong the life of older hardware, from what I can tell I have:

System:
Kernel: 5.15.0-94-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.4.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 6.0.4
tk: GTK 3.24.33 wm: muffin dm: LightDM Distro: Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia base: Ubuntu 22.04 jammy
Machine:
Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP Laptop 15-da0xxx v: Type1ProductConfigId
serial: <superuser required> Chassis: type: 10 serial: <superuser required>
Mobo: HP model: 84AA v: 82.53 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: Insyde v: F.4 date: 05/23/2023,

Yes I tried 'Playonline' 'Bottles' 'Wine' and 'Samba' to try and get iTunes, all came back with error codes and didn't install, I tried several iTunes 32 bit.exe files

 

[Brickwizard]

That's fair enough, the other option is Windows in a VM.

[off topic.. Before I retired to east anglia we lived in Kent, depending on how long we went out for and which direction I uae to walk the dog in E.Sussex, Surrey,or Kent]

 

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

That's fair enough, the other option is Windows in a VM.

[off topic.. Before I retired to east anglia we lived in Kent, depending on how long we went out for and which direction I uae to walk the dog in E.Sussex, Surrey,or Kent]

Spooky, I'm 60, been in the Cycle trade for nearly forty years, live in Surrey but Norfolk/Suffolk are on my radar for retirement, I've cycled there more times than I can remember; Norfolk more than Suffolk, including the Coast to Coast, I've cycled in Kent a lot as well, and my personal favourite being the Viking Coastal Trail

A tick for Linux Mint is that although I couldn't work out how to do iTunes I could get my bike BikeCAD design software on it, I can also edit my blog that I have linked to and I am have written these forum posts on it

 

[Brickwizard]

cycled there more times than I can remember;

Once your past being a MAMIL south Lincolnshire is flatter and still quite attractive around the Lincolnshire Fens.

 

[KGIII]

Hmm...

puts on mod hat

That's a lot of links to your website. I'm going to assume that you're genuinely interested in sharing that information and genuinely interested in Linux. I'm going to assume that this isn't a clever ruse to use Linux.org for SEO reasons.

Those are good assumptions, right? If they're good assumptions, carry on.

 

[Brickwizard]

hat's a lot of links to your website.

???????? David are we reading the same post.

 

[KGIII]

???????? David are we reading the same post.

I dunno. Are you reading post #9? (It's the one with all the links!)

 

[Brickwizard]

yer that's my fault, he is from my neck of the woods [before I retired] not that I know him personally, so I will take the hit for this going OT

 

[KGIII]

yer that's my fault, he is from my neck of the woods [before I retired] not that I know him personally, so I will take the hit for this going OT

It's not the OT that makes me curious. It's that it'd be a pretty clever spam ploy. They're a relatively new user that's posting a bunch of links.

I am assuming it's nothing of the sort, but figured I'd check.

I'm assuming they're just being conversational.

 

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

Apologies KGIII, edited that post to remove Links.

I had treated that post as us simply going off topic, to be fair we were the only two on this thread anyway so I didn't feel there was any harm in it. I keep my blog as I enjoy it, in the rare event that someone did see those links and it inspires them to visit Kent, Suffolk or Norfolk then that's great, the only benefit to me is sharing a potential common interest ; it's not for my personal financial gain. Along the same lines I am enjoying trying to keep my old low tech laptop going for as long as I viably can; rest assured that's why I joined the forum. I am a member of several that are Cycling focused where I am the one giving advice as apposed to asking for it, so I know how useful they can be and again that's why I am here, purely to get help and advice as a new user of Linux.

My motivation for this thread remains that I am struggling with Linux Mint Cinnamon, it's getting better the more I use it but I still prefer Windows 10, I find it frustrating that it seemed straight forward enough to install but now I can't find a way to get back, it's like I'm stuck with it now I have downloaded it! Potentially I may even decide to keep using it, as my reasons for trying it in the first place remain, but I would at least like to work out how I could get to something like the System recovery page on Windows 10 so that I can boot from a USB to an alternative should I decide that's what I end up wanting to do.

 

[Brickwizard]

edited that post to remove Links.

I saw them, you have more energy than i at your age,

you have an HP machine, the one time [quick boot key] is probably F9 or ESC but they dont give you much time to press it.

 

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

Some of those rides were sometime ago lol.

The F11 does state that it will go to the System recovery but then it seems to go quickly to the login, I'd have thought that page and how I got there would be similar, but it's not

 

[Brickwizard]

yes, F11 is recovery on my HP desktop as well. But F9 is the short boot menu

 

[Paul_Surrey_UK]

Thanks Brickwizard I will look at that later, assume the short boot menu will in effect achieve the same desired result that I could boot back to Windows 10 from a USB flash drive?