USB sticks don't boot (and other stuff) (Solved)

[Puppy_Nurak]

Hi folks.

First of all, the user Puppy Mark it's me, but the convalidating mail didn't arrive to my Gmail so I used my Yahoo mailbox to register. Please cancel it.

For me 2019 will be the year in which I began to hate not only Windows as I never did before, but also HP laptops, because their BIOS setups are enemies of free source OSs users. For the first time I found out that there are two way to install a OS (Legacy and UEFI). This ignorance led me to have many problems when I tried to install Ubuntu 18.04 at the beginning of this year because old 14.04 was going to be obsolete. During the last months I faced many problems also with the other laptop (another f...g HP) trying to have in dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu. Sadly, the hard disk had some failure and I had to change it. Meanwhile, the other computer had its own hard disk problems. I passed days and days cursing but obviously it was useless.
Now I have a laptop with two OSs, but with not dual boot.
This laptop also boots only the LIve USB with Ubuntu, but not the ones with Bionicpup and Slacko. Also the USB stick with Manjaro XFCE has the same problem. In the BIOS setup both Legacy and UEFI have the USB option in the first place. So I thought the problem was in the EFI partition and/or in the Grub options.
To enter in Ubuntu I must everytime press the Esc button then select F9 then enter in Ubuntu partition. Many times laptop is faster than me and shows only the HP booting screenshot.
The other laptop, a former freeDOS bought in 2015, has hard disk problems but boots peacefully Puppy sticks. I couldn't mind about the fact the other newer doesn't, but the old HP 255 has severe problems in the graphic card (and probably not only in it) and it's a suffering for my eyes to use it (dark colors turing into green, red turning into yellow...). Only sometimes, for some mysterious case, suddenly the screen fixes itself alone, but after few days it comes back to the old wrong setting.

Please help me to turn the newer laptop into a multiboot one .

Love,
Marco

[foxpup]

Hello Marco
Welcome to Puppyland!

I passed days and days cursing but obviously it was useless.

Of course it is useless, as well as praying lol

You confuse me because you talk about 2 laptops.
I try to summarize.

The older laptop is from 2015 - that is not old at all!!
The HD fails, but it boots up Puppy from pendrive.

The second laptop had a failing HD as well, but that has been replaced.
From pendrive it boots Ubuntu Live, but not Puppy or Manjaro.
You want dual/multiboot on this laptop, with windows I suppose.

The way Puppy and Manjaro have been put onto the pendrive may be not approprate to boot.
Let's leave that aside at the moment.

Let's concentrate on the second Laptop and the HD.
We need some information.
What is on the new HD? What have you installed? What did you try to install?
Can you boot something from HD?
When in Ubuntu Live, can you open Gparted for the HD and make a screenshot what partitions it detects?
.

[Puppy_Nurak]

Since Tinypic is closing its business and the attachment doesn't work (cursing, cursing, cursing), I'll show you, instead of the Gparted image, what the command 'sudo fdisk -l' says in the terminal:

Code: Select all

Disk /dev/sda: 465,8 GiB, 500107862016 bytes, 976773168 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: A51EF571-8211-487B-8240-44F8BB953A04

Dispositivo     Start      Fine   Settori   Size Tipo
/dev/sda1        2048   1085439   1083392   529M Windows recovery environment
/dev/sda2     1085440   1290239    204800   100M EFI System
/dev/sda3   500256768 976771071 476514304 227,2G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda4     1323008 491522047 490199040 233,8G Microsoft basic data
/dev/sda5   491522048 500256767   8734720   4,2G Linux swap

Partition table entries are not in disk order.

The older laptop is from 2015 - that is not old at all!!
The HD fails, but it boots up Puppy from pendrive.

The second laptop had a failing HD as well, but that has been replaced.
From pendrive it boots Ubuntu Live, but not Puppy or Manjaro.
You want dual/multiboot on this laptop, with windows I suppose.

All correct.

Let's concentrate on the second Laptop and the HD.
We need some information.
What is on the new HD? What have you installed? What did you try to install?
Can you boot something from HD?

In the new HD there are Windows and Ubuntu.
Yes, I can boot Windows and Ubuntu, but without dual boot window. I need to enter into the BIOS to use Ubuntu. Otherwise Windows boots directly.

[foxpup]

Thank you for your answers. This makes your situation clearer to me.

I am a bit surprised about the simplicity of your partitions.
I have a lot more 'Basic data partitions' from windows, small indeed. But that doesn't matter.

I see you have windows on sda4 and Ubuntu on sda3. Both full installs.
sda2 has the EFI boot installation.

When you installed Ubuntu, did you let it install its bootloader?
Probably yes, because your efi BIOS detects it.
But then it is strange Ubuntu did not manage to be the first boot option.
Maybe something was wrong during installation.
https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-1404 ... 8-81-uefi/
Also read the note at the end.


If this does not help:

To enter in Ubuntu I must everytime press the Esc button then select F9 then enter in Ubuntu partition.

I don't know this sequence <esc><F9>. Is this how you get into BIOS?

In the new HD there are Windows and Ubuntu.
Yes, I can boot Windows and Ubuntu, but without dual boot window. I need to enter into the BIOS to use Ubuntu. Otherwise Windows boots directly.

Can you set Ubuntu on the first place for uefi boot and save that leaving the BIOS?

Could you take a note of the possible efi boots offered in BIOS?

Also what is in sda2/EFI would be interesting.
I expect the directories BOOT, Microsoft and Ubuntu in there. Anything else?
Is there a directory Boot next to EFI (not inside EFI)? What is in it?
I also expect a file grub.cfg somewhere in sda2. The content of this might be intresting also.

Last question for now:
Have you tried to install something else besides windows and Ubuntu on this HD?
Maybe Puppy?

[Puppy_Nurak]

Hi.

I don't know this sequence <esc><F9>. Is this how you get into BIOS?

When I switch on the laptop, to enter in the Bios I must press Esc button. Then I select F9 and a window appears with the various booting option (OS Manager, Ubuntu, USB stick with Puppy -I found out it's possible using Puppy in this way-, hard drive etc.). To modify BIOS setting I must enter F10.

Can you set Ubuntu on the first place for uefi boot and save that leaving the BIOS?

I tried, unsuccessfully.

Also what is in sda2/EFI would be interesting.
I expect the directories BOOT, Microsoft and Ubuntu in there. Anything else?

Trying to solve the problem I made some shell work and now there's another folder called Linux, but it was useless and nothing changed. It's very long to explain what I did, surely it was wrong.

Is there a directory Boot next to EFI (not inside EFI)? What is in it?
I also expect a file grub.cfg somewhere in sda2. The content of this might be intresting also.

The directory could be in the root of Ubuntu. Am I wrong?
The file grub.cfg exists, but I don't remeber how to see the content.

Last question for now:
Have you tried to install something else besides windows and Ubuntu on this HD?
Maybe Puppy?

Only Windows and Ubuntu.

Now I'm on Puppy, using Palemoon.

[foxpup]

Hello again

Have you tried this in windows?

Code: Select all

bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi

It is from the link to itsfoss in my previous post.

Is there a directory Boot next to EFI (not inside EFI)? What is in it?
I also expect a file grub.cfg somewhere in sda2. The content of this might be intresting also.

The directory could be in the root of Ubuntu. Am I wrong?
The file grub.cfg exists, but I don't remember how to see the content.

Yes it will be in the root of Ubuntu, but that is not what intrests me. Is it in the root of sda2?
But it gives me a new idea: You should try to refresh the grub install from Ubuntu.

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

If grub.cfg exists in sda2, can you say where, what is the path?
You can open it in a text editor (like geany or leafpad).

When I switch on the laptop, to enter in the Bios I must press Esc button. Then I select F9 and a window appears with the various booting option (OS Manager, Ubuntu, USB stick with Puppy -I found out it's possible using Puppy in this way-, hard drive etc.). To modify BIOS setting I must enter F10.

Can you set Ubuntu on the first place for uefi boot and save that leaving the BIOS?

I tried, unsuccessfully.

Can you explain what does not work?
Can you not find the Ubuntu boot in the BIOS? (What boots are listed in BIOS?)
Can you not place it first?
Can you not save the change?
Is the change not permanently? Maybe it changes when you remove/insert a pendrive.

This means you can boot Puppy from usb with the F9 on the new laptop now? (and Manjaro?)
.

[Puppy_Nurak]

Hello again

Have you tried this in windows?

Code: Select all

bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi

It is from the link to itsfoss in my previous post.

I tried but there is a block.

Yes it will be in the root of Ubuntu, but that is not what intrests me. Is it in the root of sda2?

Yes.

But it gives me a new idea: You should try to refresh the grub install from Ubuntu.

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

I've just tried, then I will see if this works.

If grub.cfg exists in sda2, can you say where, what is the path?
You can open it in a text editor (like geany or leafpad).

This is what is written in the grub.cfg file:

Code: Select all

search.fs_uuid e7d73156-f93f-426d-8bfd-0e617402b921 root hd0,gpt3 
set prefix=($root)'/boot/grub'
configfile $prefix/grub.cfg

Can you not find the Ubuntu boot in the BIOS? (What boots are listed in BIOS?)

I dind't understand. I must enter F9 in the BIOS to have all the booting options.

Can you not place it first?

No, but if it's related to the other questione I must say "I don't know".

Can you not save the change?
Is the change not permanently? Maybe it changes when you remove/insert a pendrive.

As above.

This means you can boot Puppy from usb with the F9 on the new laptop now? (and Manjaro?)
.

Puppy yes, Manjaro USB pendrive is not recognized as a bootable device, only as a pendrive.

[foxpup]

Hello Marco

Have you tried the bcdedit command as administrator? You should open the command prompt in windows as administrator.

Let me know if the grub-update in ubuntu does any good.
I hope it does.

The grub.cfg you have edited refers to another one .
You should find it in /sda2/boot/grub/

I dind't understand. I must enter F9 in the BIOS to have all the booting options.

You should get into an interface with multiple tabs, not only a list of bootable options.
One of them should be "boot" or something like that.
You talk about a BIOS setup. Is that not like that?
To enter it you have to hit to hotkey a few times as soon as you switch on the laptop.
What the hotkey is, may depend: F2, F10, del, ...
On some computer it is on the flashscreen, on the bottom, but you have to be quick to read it.
Also you could try to enter the BIOS from windows.
Something like this: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/acce ... windows-10

You should try to restore the boot that Ubuntu installed.
It is EFI and with grub2.
So, if you get into BIOS, set uefi boot first,
and in the list of UEFI boots set the Ubuntu first.
The names in the list may not be obvious, so try all of them in turn.

Let me now how that goes.
If you have dual boot with ubuntu and windows from grub2 (from ubuntu), you can add Puppy to that if you want.
I will explain then.

[Puppy_Nurak]

I want to show photos of my BIOS, but with Tinypic closing its business and other platforms requiring to register to upload images it's impossible to me to do so. However, I fond out in these months that it's not only me to have problems with HP BIOS.

Have you tried the bcdedit command as administrator? You should open the command prompt in windows as administrator.

I didn't know this thing. Or better, I didn't remember. I use Windows so rarely ...

Let me know if the grub-update in ubuntu does any good.
I hope it does.

No, it doesn't.

You should find it in /sda2/boot/grub/

No, it's not present.

[Puppy_Nurak]

Now registered on Imgur .



BIOS:

[Puppy_Nurak]

Have you tried the bcdedit command as administrator? You should open the command prompt in windows as administrator.

I GOT IT! I gave the command as administrator and now I've got the dual boot!

YES! RESOLVED!

But Puppy USB pendrive doesn't boot sdirectly at the start yet.

[Puppy_Nurak]

But Puppy USB pendrive doesn't boot directly at the start yet.

Up!

[foxpup]

Have you tried the bcdedit command as administrator? You should open the command prompt in windows as administrator.

I GOT IT! I gave the command as administrator and now I've got the dual boot!

YES! RESOLVED!

It would be interesting to check this:

Let me know if the grub-update in ubuntu does any good.
I hope it does.

No, it doesn't.

You should find it in /sda2/boot/grub/

No, it's not present.

If the grub.cfg you edited before is still the same, I still think that there must be another one /sda2/boot/grub/grub.cfg. Can you check?
Probably "sudo grub-update" has produced it.
So my idea is you actually needed both, bcdedit and grub-update.

[foxpup]

But Puppy USB pendrive doesn't boot directly at the start yet.

Up!

Can you explain how?
I could learn something

[foxpup]

Marco

Your photos are interesting, especially the last one, Bios Setup Options.
On my lenovo ideapad i510-15isk I don't get the second (startup menu) and third one (Boot manager, Boot option menu).
I think I can get some of it through windows.

I can get to Bios Setup Options with F2 immediately when booting.
Btw, in the grub.cfg you can add this line to go into Bios Setup from grub2:

Code: Select all

menuentry "EFI Firmware configuration interface (BIOS)" { fwsetup; }

The Boot tab in the Bios Setup is a little different from mine.
I additionnaly can choose Legacy or UEFI first.
It strikes me that on yours that the lists for UEFi and Legacy Boot Order are almost identical.
I wonder if every entry actually boots.
My uefi always creates a Legacy entry for the harddisc, but it does not boot, because there is no MBR/Legacy boot on the harddisc.
And it puts it first whenever something changes, like removing/inserting a pendrive.
It's annoying.

[Puppy_Nurak]

Hi, Foxpup, later or tomorrow I will answer to your question and I will try reupdating the grub.
Off topic: since you've got a Lenovo laptop, and having now me too a new one of that brand I will ask you also how to fix the problem I and many other have with the Realtek driver for wifi (not detected by Ubuntu) and maybe the other one, Manjaro live USB freezes at boot (problem with USB stick?).

See you,
Marco