How to modify the Qubes-R4.0.4-x86_64.iso

User Support
1

Hello Qubes users,

I was wondering if someone can help me with the issues I am having while installing Qubes on my new build. Thanks in advance.

System:

CPU: i5 10500

MOB: ASROCK ITX H410

RAM: 16 gb

DRIVE: NVME WD BLACK

Issue:

After downloading and verifying the ISO, I burned it on to a USB (Kingston 8GB). I tried with etcher and also via dd:

sudo dd if=Qubes-RX-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdY status=progress bs=1048576 && sync

Both ways I get to the same error, Xen is relinquishing VGA console and a black screen.

I started troubleshooting and the first step will be to modify the BOOTX64.cfg , removing noexitboot and mapbs. As indicated in UEFI Troubleshooting | Qubes OS

Here is where my issue starts, I am not able to modify the ISO or the burned USB, so I decided to edit the ISO image by copying the content locally and repacking it.

I am following the following steps:

1 Create a directory where I can copy the content and mount Qubes ISO

mkdir /tmp/my_iso

cd /tmp/my_iso/

mount -t iso9660 -o loop ~/Qubes-R4.0.4-x86_64.iso /mnt/

cd /mnt

2 Copy the content of the ISO on the directory

tar cf - . | (cd /tmp/my_iso; tar xfp -)

3 Modify the ISO

cd /tmp/my_iso

nano /tmp/my_iso/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.cfg

4 Repack the ISO

cd /tmp/my_iso

mkisofs -o Qubes-R4.0.4-x86_64.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -J -R -V "Qubes-R4.0.4-x86_64" .

5 Make it Bootable

isohybrid Qubes-R4.0.4-x86_64.iso

I then take that ISO and burn it to the USB. The problem is my BIOS will not recognize it as bootable.

I was wondering if anyone else is having the same issue or could guide me on how to edit the BOOTX64.cfg file on the ISO directly.

Thanks in advance

2

Welcome @cyberest!

I also had this error, and could never find a tutorial that actually explained how to edit a write-only iso and still keep it recognizable as a bootable device (I also mounted, edited, and mkisofs, but Coreboot wouldnā€™t see it as bootable).

I had an apci error (IIRC) which had to do with my CPU generation, and Reddit told me that my hardware needed a kernel >= 5.8. Since the signed Qubes R4.0 didnā€™t have kernel >= 5.8, I ended up coming here to ask if R4.1 supported a kernel >= 5.8.

I tried one of the signed R4.1 builds, but that didnā€™t work, so I ended up downloading several R4.1 iso files from the Qubes OpenQA and trying them. One of them worked, and thatā€™s what Iā€™m using to type this right now. Itā€™s not signed by a dev, so thatā€™s risky, but so is Windows ĀÆ\_(惄)_/ĀÆ.

Search on github or here for the signed R4.1 builds, and try those. If they donā€™t work, consider the OpenQA.

1 Like
3
2 Likes
4

Thanks @qubes-kernel-5.8. I will try the R4.1 iso

1 Like
5

Did you ever get it working? I am having the same problem