Hello. I have a new laptop and want to install Linux and dual boot with Windows 11. I tried installing Ubuntu 22.04 with a bootable USB but that didn't work. I could see the contents of the USB when I inserted it into my other laptop which already has Ubuntu 22.04, but when I inserted it on Windows 11 it wouldn't display the contents and said 'you need to format the disk before you can use it' and then that the drive's file system is not recognised. I then tried burning Manjaro onto a DVD and installing it but that didn't work either. I have managed to get up to the initial boot screen (the one where it gives you option to set the date and keyboard layout). I have tried selecting both 'boot with open source drivers' and 'boot with proprietary drivers' but neither of these options work. The screen goes blank then I am brought back to the screen with the options. Please note that I am not a software expert, so please post any replies in plain English.
I can't install Linux on my laptop
- Thread starter Woody728
- Start date
Hi Woody. I'm rather new at this myself but some things to look at that I know of are, from what I've read are,
Make sure secure boot and fast boot are off in the machines bios settings. And, I think, check the EUFI settings there too.
I can't tell you what they should be set at, but I've read they matter.
Good luck!
Make sure secure boot and fast boot are off in the machines bios settings. And, I think, check the EUFI settings there too.
I can't tell you what they should be set at, but I've read they matter.
Good luck!
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
What exact make and model is your laptop?
Did you disable secure boot and quick boot in the BIOS before you installed Ubuntu or Manjaro?
Acer Aspire 5 15
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7000
Graphics card: AMD Radeon
I have disabled both secure boot and quick boot. Just to be clear, I haven't actually installed the OS yet.
Thanks for the spec's.
You said in your first post that you tried to install Ubuntu 22.04 but that didn't work.
By 'that didn't work" can you give more details?
What happened when you rebooted?
Did you go into Disk Management and shrink your Windows partition to make room for your Linux installation?
Also a heads up on things....once you resize your Windows partition you will have to reboot and press whatever key it is to enter the BIOS and go to the boot section. Once in the boot section select the usb device and make that device to be the first choice in the list. Save the changes and reboot. Upon rebooting you should be able to start your Linux installation.
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
I am assuming this took place BEFORE
Correct ?....or was it attempted AFTER they were disabled
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Alex, he states it has a Ryzen 7, which makes it a recent gaming model
your laptop may have the latest cutting edge components for which there may not be Linux drivers available for at the moment,
Your best bet at this stage would be to try MX-21 AHS, if this doesn't work then for a while use Linux in either a VM or by using WSL, until drivers become available [could take up to 9 months]
The same as when I use the DVD. I get to the boot screen (the GRUB screen, I think). I select 'try or install Ubuntu'. The screen goes black then it just takes me back to the GRUB screen. Before I changed the boot order, it took me into Windows 11.
Yes. I did all those things. Shrunk the windows partition, changed the boot order, and disabled fast boot and secure boot. (At one point I thought I needed secure boot enabled and added USB0EFIubuntugrabx64.efi as a trusted option in the BIOS, so now that is there as a third option).
I have attempted using the USB after disabling fast boot and secure boot and changing the boot order.
It is an Acer 515-48M with a Ryzen 5 7530U CPU.
OK, Mr. Wizard. That sounds like a plausible explanation. What is MX-21 AHS? Another distro? Does it work with more advanced hardware for some reason? I don't really want to use a VM or WSL. That means I would still be using Windows, which defeats the purpose of getting Linux.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
MX-21 is a Debian based distribution, the AHS version contains many more updated drivers than other current distributions, and often works where others do not.
Download
splurge on mx-21 AHS
MX Linux has Released a New Edition for Newer Hardware
MX Linux 21 was officially unveiled last month while introducing a new Fluxbox edition. However, the Advanced Hardware Support (AHS) ISO was not a part of it. Recently, MX Linux announced the availability of MX Linux 21 AHS and a new AHS repo for existing MX Linux 21 users. In
news.itsfoss.com
arochester
Well-Known Member
(Aside) This person seems to have the same model and difficulty installing Garuda Linux. Might be worth watching. https://forum.garudalinux.org/t/unable-to-boot-live-acer/31750
So, do linux distros normally come with drivers for every make of CPU, except the latest ones?
splurge?
Thank you. That's exactly the same problem. Shame that they haven't managed to resolve it either.
MX23-ahs is out, it has a 6.x kernel, that supports many thing the 5.x kernel in MX21 does not support.
But even that kernel is old compared to some other distro's.
Looking at the driver list here... - https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mx
I would say it's a little behind on most of them.
Over the last 4 years, I have bought 4 laptops, they are all running Linux. They are different brands from different manufacturers.
I haven't had driver problems with a single one. In at least one case, the drivers for my sound card, came out before the drivers for Windows. In many cases, the "driver firmware" is released before Windows gets it.
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G'day @Woody728 and welcome to linux.org 
With the Acer is there a function key at startup which allows you to enter the BIOS? It could be anywhere between F2 and F12.
It's one you just go tap-tap-tap with and then it gives you a boot menu.
I would try it with that rather than reset the boot order in BIOS.
I had an Acer but I cannot remember what the key was.
Cheers
Wizard
With the Acer is there a function key at startup which allows you to enter the BIOS? It could be anywhere between F2 and F12.
It's one you just go tap-tap-tap with and then it gives you a boot menu.
I would try it with that rather than reset the boot order in BIOS.
I had an Acer but I cannot remember what the key was.
Cheers
Wizard
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
erm thinks.....
Did the ISO run from pen-drive in test mode?
Have you disabled both windows fast boot [quick-start] and secure boot, then done a full power restart ?
What did you use to burn the iso to pen-drive [Rufus often doesn't work unless you use the dd option], normally we recommend Balina-Etcher , and don't forget to check the Sha sum.
Is the pen-drive new and good quality [older ones and cheap ones often give problems]
Did the ISO run from pen-drive in test mode?
Have you disabled both windows fast boot [quick-start] and secure boot, then done a full power restart ?
What did you use to burn the iso to pen-drive [Rufus often doesn't work unless you use the dd option], normally we recommend Balina-Etcher , and don't forget to check the Sha sum.
Is the pen-drive new and good quality [older ones and cheap ones often give problems]
I don't know what that means. How can I tell?
I disabled fast boot in the BIOS. Should I disable it on Windows as well?
I used Balenaetcher. I didn't check the sum (don't know how). Nor did I check the sum for the iso file when I downloaded it. I've heard that you're supposed to do that, but I don't understand how or what the sum does.
Yes. I tried it with an old one at first but it didn't work so I bought a new one.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
When you put the iso pen-drive in the machine and tell it to boot from the pen-drive, do
the program load to ram with a usable desktop for testing
both need to be disabled usual in the BIOS but you must do a full power re-start ot windows will just re-initiate them
the sha sum is used to check the integrity of the download and the burn to the pen-drive, if they don't match then you have a problem
now is the time to check the SHA sum (if you are unsure how, then see this article).
No. I haven't managed to get into the desktop.
OK. I've disabled fast boot in windows and done a restart now (used the restart button rather than just turning it off and on again - is that what you mean?) and it still doesn't work.
I have just read about how to do the checksum process using this tutorial. https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/how-to-verify-ubuntu#1-overview Remember that the iso has been downloaded to a laptop that only has Windows 11 installed on it. From what I have read, I need to use bash for this process and to use bash on windows, I need to install a WSL and download ubuntu onto it. Do I really need to download ubuntu onto a WSL just to verify the iso file?
I doubt the problem is with the iso file anyway. I have tried ubuntu, manjaro, and XM now. It seems unlikely that all three files are corrupted.
I suppose I could copy the iso to my old computer that has ubuntu already installed on it, but that would defeat the purpose of using the checksum, since the iso could be corrupted as it is being transferred from one computer to the other. Although I suppose that if the checksums tell me it is not corrupted, that proves the iso on the new computer (the one copied from) is also not corrupted. It is only the case where it says it is corrupted that I won't get any useful information. Alright. I'll do it!
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