Second Installation of Qubes OS on Asus Zenbook UX8402ZE

[tofu]

I reinstalled Qubes OS on Asus Zenbook UX8402ZE. The purposes include investigations on the issue of failure of checking the installer-USB and the failure on initialization.

Reinstalling Windows11

• I inserted the Recovery-USB, which I prepared before.
• I started the PC.
• I used F2-key to enter UEFI-settings screen.
• I set to boot from the installer-USB.
• I forgot to enable SecureBoot.
• I reinstalled Windows11 on the PC from the Recovery-USB.
• The installer requested WIFI connection.
• The installer (or Windows11 booted after installation) requested me to sign in Microsoft account. (For passkey, we need mobile phone with passkey to scan the QR-code. Alternatively, we can login by requesting the installer to send a code by email. Another method is by biometrics.)

Reinstalling Qubes OS

• I used balenaEtcher on macOS to make the installer-USB. This time I used a USB-memory with write-protection notch.

• I inserted the installer-USB to the PC.

• I booted Windows11.

• I shutdown Windows11.

• I started the PC.

• I used F2-key to enter UEFI-settings screen.

• I set to boot from the installer-USB.

• I realized that SecureBoot was left disabled.

• I booted from the installer-USB.

• The version of GRUB was 2.06

• I set-up options.

• I tested the keyboard-layout. Special symbols were as shown on the key-top.

• I planned initialization.

  • I retained EFI-partition, MSR-partition and ISO-partition.
  • I planned to remove the other partitions.
  • I set the filesystem to btrfs.
  • I clicked on the line of automatic configuration.
  • I chose to go forward.

• I set-up the account.

• I clicked a button to go forward.

• Installation proceeded smoothly.

• I continued to configure the system. I chose to accept the default settings.

  • unlike the previous time I choset to install debian-template and whonix-template.

• Qubes OS booted.

• I logged in the account.

• Whonix-template automatically began to check something.

• I connected to the WIFI.

• A dialog opened and requested update of whonix-gateway-18 templateVM.

The next issue to the following reply was the installer-USB corrupt while working also on preinstalled windows11.

New hardware Asus Zenbook UX8402ZE for installation of Qubes OS

I installed Qubes OS by the first two options of the installer. The second was to verify the media before installation. I did not try latest kernel. Yes: Any problems with installation? No: Was latest kernel required? No: Were some additional kernel options required?

The second installation confirmed the idea of using write-protect notch on the installer-USB works.

It also gave us another information.

• This time I reinstalled windows under SecureBoot disabled.
• Windows11 booted under SecureBoot disabled.
• I observed the difference of the installer of Qubes OS.
  • The previous time, the EFI-partition was encrypted.
    • The installer complained so.
    • Encryption is probably related with SecureBoot.
  • This time, the EFI-partition seemed not encrypted.
    • The installer did not complain so.
    • Booting Windows (before installation of Qubes oS) was without complaint of SecureBoot disabled.

The observation suggests the cause of the failure of initial trials of installing Qubes OS.

• Qubes OS installer is unable to add/replace data in EFI-partition.
• Qubes OS installer has a trouble in removal of EFI-partition.
• Currently, new user of Qubes OS is limited to those who already have some other OS on the PC.

I suspect we should have an option of creating the second EFI-partition, which is devoted to Qubes OS. This could be a workaround while Qubes OS does not support SecureBoot, encrypted EFI-partition.

I guess the version of grub was 2.0.4 before the second installation of Qubes OS and it is now 2.0.6. Can somebody verify truth of this difference?