Indeed I watched a lot of videos about installing this operating system. In most videos, they say that I have to disable secure boot. But In my bios menu, there isn't an option to do it. And my pc doesn't recognize the bootable USB drive. Please, can someone give me the process to do it? Thank you for all!
I have a problem installing Linux on my Thinkpad T420
- Thread starter Prosper
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Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forums
Depending on the age of your think pad, it may not have a secure boot.
A guide to installing most Linux distributions for the beginner https://linux-tips.us/how-do-i-install-linux-a-general-guide
Bwiz
addendum.. to open the short boot menu as you switch on try jiggling F12
If that dosn't work then as you switch on press and hold Fn + F12
Depending on the age of your think pad, it may not have a secure boot.
A guide to installing most Linux distributions for the beginner https://linux-tips.us/how-do-i-install-linux-a-general-guide
Bwiz
addendum.. to open the short boot menu as you switch on try jiggling F12
If that dosn't work then as you switch on press and hold Fn + F12
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BoringZombie
Active Member
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/...ded-systems-thinkpad-thinkstation-thinkcentre
Someone mentioned that it doesn't support secure boot in Lenovo forums: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkP...ble-secure-boot-on-Thinkpad-T420/td-p/4548765
I tried this tutorial but the problem is that my bootable USB drive is not recognizable by the pc.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
About 12 years ago why
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
If you read the tutorial, then I must ask, Did you download direct from the distribution website, did you burn your USB as a bootable image, Did you check the shas sum, and finally which distribution are you trying to install
BoringZombie
Active Member
Just buy a new laptop.
LINUX MINT
The mate version
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Linux Mint is one of the easiest to install, I can't count the number of installations I have done since mint 3 [2007]
If you're having problems getting the installation medium to be recognised then it is either a corrupt download, a bad burn of the ISO to the pen drive, or there could be a fault in the pendrive itself, dose it have a dvd writer? you may find that easier
If you're having problems getting the installation medium to be recognised then it is either a corrupt download, a bad burn of the ISO to the pen drive, or there could be a fault in the pendrive itself, dose it have a dvd writer? you may find that easier
Assuming that you've checked that the BIOS has enabled booting from USB, and the boot priority is USB before HDD, here's what I think.
I am pretty sure that the problem is that the BIOS of your laptop has only technical means to boot from a drive that has an MBR partition table. You need to configure your USB-preparing tool of choice accordingly, as nowadays the default for many is GPT partition table and UEFI, which superceded the more basic BIOS and MBR.
Trying to boot a USB drive with a GPT partition table or for a UEFI system wouldn't work in your machine, which is what happens currenty.
Try using Rufus from a Windows PC (which I assume is what you have now) and setting the thumbdrive for a MBR partition scheme and a BIOS System (not BIOS and UEFI, just BIOS). Check also this article for more information, ignoring the Windows 10 part.
But I converted the hard drive system to GPT. So, I think it shouldn't have any problem.
I am seeing some replies in BSD and hackintosh forums that the GPT bootloader behaviour in Thinkpads T420/520 it's extremely quirky and incomplete, for example this one points out the possibility if the UEFI expecting a magic number MBR partition type within a GPT disk for a GPT disk to boot. Probably you had luck that the conversion took that quirkiness into account, but it won't work with a USB.
I honestly don't have any safe and sound advice to give.
I honestly don't have any safe and sound advice to give.
N
NorthWest
Guest
Prosper wrote:
That T420 model is normally able to boot from usb which can be done by bringing up the boot menu, usually pressing F12 on boot where the option to boot an attached usb should appear. If the usb ports are working as intended, you need a "good" usb. That's the problem that I would attend to first, which in all cases for me has been resolved by creating that bootable usb with the linux command: dd. If your usb ports can't boot at all, then the following isn't workable, but if the problem is just getting a good bootable usb, then it's an option.
If you don't have access to a linux computer to use dd, you can boot up a linux live disk, and configure the live disk to go online. You could then download your chosen install image and write it to a usb with the linux command: dd. The dd command will not change the iso, but some other writing programs do, which can, and does, create booting problems. Not that it's super relevant here, this phenomenon is checkable by comparing the sizes of images made with dd and with other image writers. They can vary in my experience.
That T420 model is normally able to boot from usb which can be done by bringing up the boot menu, usually pressing F12 on boot where the option to boot an attached usb should appear. If the usb ports are working as intended, you need a "good" usb. That's the problem that I would attend to first, which in all cases for me has been resolved by creating that bootable usb with the linux command: dd. If your usb ports can't boot at all, then the following isn't workable, but if the problem is just getting a good bootable usb, then it's an option.
If you don't have access to a linux computer to use dd, you can boot up a linux live disk, and configure the live disk to go online. You could then download your chosen install image and write it to a usb with the linux command: dd. The dd command will not change the iso, but some other writing programs do, which can, and does, create booting problems. Not that it's super relevant here, this phenomenon is checkable by comparing the sizes of images made with dd and with other image writers. They can vary in my experience.
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I'm going to try this. Magically, Grub displayed one time after having reconverted my HDD system to MBR and made a bootable USB with MBR partition. But I encountered an installation error of Linux mint. Then, I switched off my computer, and I tried again by rebooting, but Grub didn't display anymore. It was my only hope.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Yep not normally too many problems with the T420, I am wondering if he downloaded the X86 version or another version by mistake
I used balena Etcher. As it didnt work I used Rufus. But it didn't do better. I think that I'm going to abandon and stay on windows. Since three days ago I try without success. I think that the gods of linux are against me. I renounce and stay on windows system. Good bye every body! All the same you tried to help me. Thanks!
There is an option with Rufus through dd. But whatever I do I obtain the same result.
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