I broke my computer while trying to install qubes. Now it will only go to the bios setup screens. It is an MSI GS66 stealth 10sf. I have flashed the bios several times. I installed qubes on a brand new ssd drive which I had just put in the computer. I think my main mistake was trying to install on the slave drive instead of the master. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can fix it?
Well, I’m getting desperate here. Several people, including computer manufacturer’s help desk people, have suggested that I install windows, which I have never done before. I’m going to work on that. I would really appreciate any suggestions.
You flashed BIOS several times and you never installed Windows before. What have you installed before?
Many GNU/linux distros. I currntly use Kali, mostly. I have been using various GNU operating systems since last century.
Lots of ways to try different things to see where the problem lies
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Insert a USB drive with a basic distro and halt bios and force boot from USB
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pull the hard drive thats causing issues
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Try install a more basic distro on the “slave”
The only time my computer acts like this is if I have changed the hardware config or have a uefi boot on legacy, or vice versa or VMD on
I have pulled both ssd drives an tried them in various configurations. I can’t put anything else on them until I get a machine that will boot, or some kind of usb drive that will let me access them via usb. I have been using a Kali live usb drive which has been working well consistently for the past few months. How would I “halt bios and force boot from USB” ? The basic problem is that I can’t get it to boot anything at all, it is just stuck in the bios configuration menus.
Do you have Secure Boot disabled in BIOS?
When you get to the splash screen you hit key based on your manufacturer. On my Dell it is F12, on my Thinkpad it is enter/return.
Then you can tell it to boot from the flash drive.
Unless your master drive has windows on it. That always screws my control of boot options
Take a look thru bios settings, I usually have to change things on a new computer to get it to play nice with qubes
There is no such things as master/slave disks anymore.
Did you install Qubes OS directly using the computer, or did you install it on another and moved the disk? (it’s not clear for me from your message)
I went out and bought a .5 T ssd drive and put it in an extra slot in the laptop, and installed it there. Everything was fine until I rebooted, at which time the computer started going into the bios configuration menus, and refused(s) to boot from anything now!
Right now secure boot is disabled and it is in legacy mode. I think I have tried all possible configurations of these two settings.
Corny, it sounds like you are talking about getting into the bios configuration menus. My problem is that I am stuck there and my computer will not boot from any device, usb or otherwise.
Did you try to reset the BIOS setting to the factory defaults and then restore them manually (disable secure boot, enable VT-x/VT-d etc)?
Well, Windux (I mean MS Windows) finally finished downloading. I think it took about TEN HOURS. At least the checksum is just a simple sha256sum, as far as I can tell. After spending that long downloading, It seems that it is probably corrupted. Is there any faster way of downloading it? Maybe bittorrent? Do you think I could still use the same sha256sum?
Apparatus: Yes. I am thinking of just going out and buying a/some new computer(s). Does anyone know how to check for NSA spy hardware?
On the other hand, I have at least 2 hammers, and several chisels. Maybe I’ll just get some slate or granite and keep track of things that way!
Just like the old days!
What’s the legacy mode about in the bios? If it’s using MBR boot instead of UEFI, this may explain why it’s not working.
I currently have it set to legacy mode.
I have a computer which will not boot correctly if I try to dual boot it.
I have another computer where the BIOS/EFI will get along and let me select which drive as I want at boot time.
I suspect that for the first computer, it might be one could solve the problem by carefully setting GRUB. Insofar as it being the NSA gotcha, it is more likely security efforts to stop malware is causes difficulty.
Is your video card compatible with qubes? or is it, you are trying to determine that?
You might try an experiment.
Get a Live Distro on a USB stick, that has Gparted. Last one I used was one of the recent Puppy Linux. Not to get bogged down with other things.
I also have created a second USB key, with Mint 22.xx Cinnamon.
A third USB key, for use to use for the Qubes install. Your issue might be from the install Key you are using for qubes. Sounds like probably not.
You might want to step over some parts of my recipe :method of installing qubes. because you are sure you have it handled.
Remove one of the drives from the computer. For the experiment, I intend to have only one drive in the computer. (alternatively) for the time being, blank one drive; Using Gparted. preferably writing over the entirety of drive with ones or zeros. I don’t want the BIOS/EFI to see more than one boot sector.
I would here; Over write over the remaining drive. You could just go on, and come back to this step if install does not get started?work.
Start the Mint Linux Live, and install to the last, remaining drive in computer.
Start using the computer with Mint, this is temporary. Do Mint OS updates.
Download qubes into the computer with Mint OS. While doing that, make sure the USB flash drive you are going to install qubes to (to later install qubes back onto computer) has nothing else on it. Like overwrite it all. (or just take your chances it will work without doing that) Delete any folder on the drive that say, Windows might leave on it.
Verify the qubes you downloaded. You sound like you are the kind of person who already does that. I have used Kleopatra, and for Mint Linux, I use the software with Mint to install GTKhash. which is a program to verify the hash of the qubes download.
In Mint, bottom left, LM in a circle Click
at the top is a search bar, type in USB
brings up two programs.
“USB Image Writer”
“USB formatter”
With my suspicious nature. I have used the formatter. to again make sure the qubes drive is clean, fully prepared.
Use “USB Image Writer” to create. qubes install key.
If the qubes install: there is a time when my screen can go blank for several minutes. Like go eat dinner, don’t worry. You may come back and everything may have started.
Might be you will have to back up a step, and completely overwrite the one remaining drive in the computer. the attempt the install again.
I have not covered any possible problem with a video card. I read the that qubes 4.3 (in testing) might have a later kernel to deal with some problems.
My experiment,
Only have one drive in computer.
Overwrite all the drives before using them.
Use Mint Linux 22 cinnamon to download qubes and Mint Linux to install qubes to the flash drive, with “USB Mint Image Writer” program
If you omit any of these things, like you feel you already have a solid qubes drive to install from. Then ignore me until you are un successful.
I did not say this makes sense. It is just the result of my experiments, that by doing these steps, that something in these steps, allows me to install qubes.
Oh I usually format to FAT32. I hypothesize any distro installer program will see that, and change it to something it wants. Probably just a waste of time. but the tactic has worked for me.