Installing Linux (Debian Sid preferably, or else recent Ubuntu) on ACER Nitro5 AN517 51 72CQ

Hello,

I never used Windows in my life. I am 60 years old with a PhD in computer science (coding since 1974, e.g. coding today professionally), but not familiar with recent BIOSes (using Linux since 1993 and 0.99.12 kernel). I bought my ACER Nitro5 AN517 51 72CQ for the project (a GPLv3 project for Linux x86-64) and I want to wipe out Windows entirely and have just Linux on my Acer Nitro5 laptop. I just successfully updated the BIOS to v1.23 using Windows. The vendor who sold me that machine (and the Google checks I made) told me that it is Linux compatible.

The Ubuntu 19.10 ISO USB key is booting a Linux 5.3.0 ubuntu kernel, but I don't see any /dev/sd? device outside of /dev/sda which is the USB key. From sudo -s terminal, the fdisk -l utility don't see any SDD disk.

What did I do wrong? I did disable secure boot in the BIOS! Is there some kernel flag to set to boot a Linux seeing the SSD disk?

Thanks for your help.

[Post edited to remove inappropriate or personal content -Acer-Harvey]

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Commodore_1995#

I suggest you follow this procedure:

a) access windows and enable safe boot:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/tp/ywd8xghad9mq.png

b) then restart windows and access the bios.

c) go to the MAIN tab and change the sata mode function to AHCI. If the sata mode function is not available, press the CTRL + S keys.

d) now, the linux installation will see the ssd.

ed4myra

BasileStarynkevitch said:

The Ubuntu 19.10 ISO USB key is booting a Linux 5.3.0 ubuntu kernel, but I don't see any /dev/sd? device outside of /dev/sda which is the USB key. From sudo -s terminal, the fdisk -l utility don't see any SDD disk.

What did I do wrong? I did disable secure boot in the BIOS! Is there some kernel flag to set to boot a Linux seeing the SSD disk?

Answer:
You should know that if you have a nvme ssd, your disk will be named /dev/nvmen0 and not sda or sdb.
Better use gparted partition manager, to view your disks and partitions. You can install it in your live usb, if it is not provided,

You don't need to wipe out windows by yourself, the linux installer has an option to erase the whole disk, if you want to.
However I would not advice you to do so, leave always Windows available, because this is the only way you can update your BIOS from time to time.

And you will need it more than in Windows, because Linux kernel and drivers are more sensitive to the BIOS, as the BIOS firmware is written around Microsoft's interpretation of the standards e.g. ACPI.