A computer question

[fecmech]

Gentlemen--I have been all over the web trying to find out how to run Linuxlite from a usb stick in my Asus notebook X205TA. I cannot get the usb to boot up no matter what I do. I have turned off Secure Boot in the bios but cannot find where to enable CSM or legacy boot. in the bios. On one site I found this"Copy this file (bootia32.efi) to /EFI/BOOT directory on the usb stick.". I think this enables the UEFI boot?? I am unable to open any files on my USB so I don't know where EFI boot directory is. I'm running 8.1 pro and every time I want to open a file it asks what app to open. I don't have a clue. As you can probably tell by this post am not too computer savvy, just enough to be dangerous. My Linuxlite USB stick boots just fine in my old Dell Pentium XP system so I think the stick is ok. I think if I could enable the CSM in my notebook I'd be ok but I can't seem to do that. Can any one help me?

[Bohica793]

Check the boot order in your BIOS setup and make sure that USB comes before your hard drive.

[gitchrodd]

Gentlemen--I have been all over the web trying to find out how to run Linuxlite from a usb stick in my Asus notebook X205TA. I cannot get the usb to boot up no matter what I do. I have turned off Secure Boot in the bios but cannot find where to enable CSM or legacy boot. in the bios. On one site I found this"Copy this file (bootia32.efi) to /EFI/BOOT directory on the usb stick.". I think this enables the UEFI boot?? I am unable to open any files on my USB so I don't know where EFI boot directory is. I'm running 8.1 pro and every time I want to open a file it asks what app to open. I don't have a clue. As you can probably tell by this post am not too computer savvy, just enough to be dangerous. My Linuxlite USB stick boots just fine in my old Dell Pentium XP system so I think the stick is ok. I think if I could enable the CSM in my notebook I'd be ok but I can't seem to do that. Can any one help me?https://superuser.com/questions/507111/if-usb-is-not-listed-in-bios-as-a-boot-option-does-that-mean-the-machine-cant

About 7 post down someone figured out how to get an Asus to boot usb. Asus doesn't want computers to boot usb. Planned obsolescence.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[fecmech]

No joy there "https://superuser.com/questions/5071...e-machine-cant" . My Usb shows up as a boot option, it just won't boot from it. I think (don't know for sure) that my problem is not being able to "enable CSM". I am unable to access that in my bios. Asus tech support no help at all, won't even talk to you after mentioning try to boot Linux.

[popper]

Your thumb drive has to be 'bootable' in order to work. IIRC I used 'pendrive' to get (format) a bootable stick, there is other software to do the same thing. It puts a boot sector in the correct place on the stick.

[fecmech]

I used Unbootin and my stick works in an old Dell running XP. I have selected the usb drive for boot on startup but it does not boot on the notebook, just goes to Win 8.

[WebMonkey]

Try creating your USB drive with Rufus.
I switched to Rufus over universal USB installer and unetbootin.
Same problem on some dell mobos. Rufus fixed it.

Xubuntu on almost everything here
Good luck

[fecmech]

No joy with Rufus. Have also tried Unetbootin and windows disc imager with zero results.

[gsdelong]

Let's start low tech. Do you have another computer try to boot from your usb drive. That will divide this problem in half in short order. If it boots on another pc, I would go into the bios and look for a few things to change. One turn of quiet or quick boot so all messages from bios display, second look for option to allow booting for legacy device, third once bios messages are displaying you should see a list of pre boot options look for some thing like press f10 to select boot device. Report back for more help

[WebMonkey]

By your previous posts, we know your USB drive works on other PCs.

My last thought is whatever Ubuntu uses for its "alternate install".
Quite some time ago, I used that iso to get around a limited boot PC.

Now, the sure fire solution, pull the hard drive out of the laptop.
Install your os of choice using a different PC.
Replace the hard drive.

Neat thing about Linux is how differently it handles hardware.
Windows would blue screen while nix would adapt and boot with the drastic hardware changes.

Extra good luck.
;)

[Soundguy]

Check the boot order in your BIOS setup and make sure that USB comes before your hard drive.

I agree.. In my asus netbook, there is a boot preference setting, and USB is one of them.

[fecmech]

I have disabled secure boot
I have disabled quick boot
My boot stick works in my old computer for both Linuxlite and another with Linux Cinnamon
My only Boot priorities in bios are windows boot manager. I cannot find CMOS or Legacy boot anywhere in bios.
ON startup I can tab "esc" and get boot option showing my usb stick. I can select it, press enter and after a pause it will still boot windows.
I can go into windows advanced and select boot from usb, always boots to Win 8.1.
I have used Unetbootin, Rufus and Widows disc imager to create bootable usb's. None work in my Asus X205TA EEbook.
Sorry to be such a pain but I would like to be able to run Linux lite or Cinnamon fro a usb stick. I really appreciate you fellows taking time to help me.

[gsdelong]

Anything in bios about uefi?

[Soundguy]

mine is an ee book as well. I have created a rescue boot usb stick from some flavor of linux from one of the major antiviral softwares. I know somewhere in bios there was a usb boot option. Mind you my ee asus is older, pre windows 8

[fecmech]

There is a "Launch EFI shell from file system device". When I highlight that and press enter I get a box that says "Warning, Not found" with a highlighted "OK" which when you press enter takes you back to the save and exit screen in bios(Where the launch EFI shell was located)

[dbosman]

I found this. The problem apparently is that the computer requires a UEFI 32 bit boot loader. (There is a thread on the 32 bit boot option here: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=184140)

Also, some of the mini-s can't boot from large thumb drives. I ran into that issue in another matter, today.

[fecmech]

After spending considerable more time poking around the web on this issue it looks like this is one of those situations "you can't get there from here". From what I see if I was a code writing Linux geek I might be able to get it to run but then have no sound or WiFi. The Atom processors and bios systems in these little notebooks do not seem to want to boot Linux and when forced to don't run well. I think I'm going to pick up an older cheap laptop on Ebay to play with Mint and Linuxlite. A big thank you to all who took the time to try and help me out.

[Soundguy]

Hmm.. At their most basic, atom's ate x86 compliant and will run any compatible os.

There are specific atom builds that are custom tailored to specific win os' though. Cloverfield, for instance was designed for W8, and near 90% of its special features won't work under Linux, etc.

I know the older atom processors designed for WXP, will for sure run Linux versions.

[WebMonkey]

Original Asus one netbook.
Runs Ubuntu netbook remix perfectly from a USB drive (2gb)

[fecmech]

My cpu is an Atom Z3735F 133GHz which from what I found on a linux site was designed specifically to run win 8 and will not run linux. The machinations shown to run on this cpu were way more than I wanted to do and then you had no sound or wifi. I'm currently looking at some <$100. laptops on Ebay to play with Linux on.

[Traffer]

I think that you can load the linux boot loader onto the hard drive. The last time I installed ubunto it gave me the option to "do you want to run this from the disk?" The boot files are on the hard drive but they point to where the operating system is (the usb stick). This info is old. I haven't done this is more than a couple years but may be worth a try.