Bootable usb not detected in boot menu Acer Nitro 5

shan_naik

I'm trying to dual boot my Acer Nitro 5 laptop. Currently Windows 10 is installed on SSD, with NTFS file system. The usb is booted in GPT mode, NTFS file system. Secure boot is disabled. But the usb option is not displayed in boot menu. Please help!

{ edited the title from content to change the model number }

Commodore_1995#

What is the exact model of the laptop? Example an515-51-58vh. Also, have you ever converted the usb stick to gpt and formatted it in fat32?

shan_naik

It's AN515-52. And yeah, I converted the usb stick to gpt and formatted it in fat32 before. And then noticed that Windows is in NTFS. So trying out that now.

Commodore_1995#

Then let me know if you managed to solve the problem.

shan_naik

No,  the usb is still not getting detected.

aphanic

Two questions for you @shan_naik:

1. What do you have in the USB drive? E.g. another Windows installation, a Windows To Go kind of thing, a Linux installation, a live Linux environment, ...
2. How did you create such a bootable disk? Did you use any specific utility? If so, which one? Please be specific.

Booting under UEFI, whether the disk is GPT partitioned or not, requires a FAT32 partition containing boot files. It could be an EFI partition on a GPT partitioned media or it could just be boot files inside a FAT32 partition on an MBR partitioned drive.

Booting under Secure Boot changes nothing in terms of the partitioning, you're perfectly able to boot an external drive MBR formatted with Windows' boot files for UEFI inside a FAT32 partition marked as active because they're properly signed; but yes, it's typically better to disable Secure Boot if you're unsure that what you're booting is signed or not.

shan_naik

1. I'm trying to dual boot with ubuntu 18.04 along side windows 10.
2. I created it using rufus software. It's in GPT mode and NTFS file system. I'm still not sure if I should be using NTFS or FAT32, but the Windows currently installed is in NTFS. So I chose NTFS file system for the USB.

The USB is not visible in the BIOS menu either.

aphanic

The thing is that by default UEFI doesn't have an inbox driver to read NTFS partitions, that's why the EFI one even when partitioned as a GPT is a FAT32 partition.

Use Rufus with the following settings:



A word of advice though, ubiquity isn't very good of an installer and will give you trouble if it can't see the internal HDD/SSD of your system. Meaning that if the SATA operation mode in the BIOS (Ctrl+S in Main tab may show it) is set to anything other than AHCI it won't allow you to install it. Even on an external disk, because the ***** modifies the internal EFI partition regardless...

If you have it as RST you'll need to switch it to AHCI and make some changes in Windows first before it can accept the change, Windows doesn't like to be changed from RST to AHCI and vice versa without first stopping by secure mode I believe (there was something else to be done, but I don't remember).

Commodore_1995#

To complement the topic, you also have the option of converting the usb stick, using the power shell as an administrator as well:

diskpart

list disk

sel disk x

clean

convert gpt

create partition primary

format fs=fat32 quick

assign

About sata mode, you should change it to ahci. However, you must activate safeboot on windows by pressing windows + r and typing msconfig.

shan_naik

@egydiocoelho Once I perform the said steps in power shell, am I supposed to just copy the extracted files from OS? Also, when I enter windows in safe mode, its display is weird and primitive, like that of windows XP. 

shan_naik

@aphanic
I booted the USB in the above configuration. The usb is still not detected. When I checked the BIOS, SSD is the only drive listed there.

aphanic

Alright, let's go for the bare-bones approach, create the bootable drive by directly writing the image into the device, it's a hybrid ISO anyway, so it's perfectly supported:

billsey

Can you try the USB device on another system, just to verify it is actually a bootable image? It would be much easier if we could pin it down the where the issue lies.

shan_naik

@aphanic
When I try in DD image mode, the rufus software shows its ready.


But when I check the drive, its blank.


And again, it's not displayed in boot menu.

shan_naik

@billsey
Yes, I tried the same USB in another laptop and it's listed in the BOOT menu.

shan_naik

I don't usually use windows. Installing only Ubuntu OS would also be fine. But even for that, USB needs to be detected I guess.

shan_naik

@egydiocoelho

I tried to create the bootable usb using power shell, as said in this page: https://techrrival.com/create-bootable-pendrive-windows-cmd/

When I check 'Select an UEFI file as trusted for executing' in BIOS, USB is listed there. But still not displayed in BOOT menu. 

aphanic

shan_naik said:

I don't usually use windows. Installing only Ubuntu OS would also be fine. But even for that, USB needs to be detected I guess.

Not necessarily true, Linux is way more permissive with startup and you could install Ubuntu in one system, even a virtual machine, then transplant the hard drive. As long as the boot method is the same (read: UEFI vs legacy) it would work just as fine.

But I have noticed you're going for Ubuntu 16.04? I don't know the state of UEFI booting for that release, it may require Secure Boot to be disabled, or maybe it doesn't even boot at all in UEFI. How come you're going for a 4yo release?

I could try on my end to create a bootable disk out of that image, but I can't switch away from UEFI, it's UEFI or die for my machine. Still, I have never encountered problems with proper bootable sticks not being recognized, and I've booted all kind of ***** in here. Could it have something to do with the firmware?

Both Rufus in ISO mode, Rufus in DD mode, ImageUSB, dd directly from a Linux system, produce bootable sticks of Linux, even with a persistent layer if you so desired, I just don't know what's going on there.

EDIT: Oh, and do as @billsey said verify the stick is bootable in another computer if possible.

shan_naik

@egydiocoelho

I tried to create the bootable usb using power shell, in gpt mode, as said in this page: https://techrrival.com/create-bootable-pendrive-windows-cmd/

When I check 'Select an UEFI file as trusted for executing' in BIOS, USB is listed there. But still not displayed in BOOT menu. 

SazzAspire3

I am facing same problem with my acer aspire A315-51-39GU model. I did lot of research on Internet to overcome this problem  and found that thousands of acer laptop buyers are facing this issue. But no straight answer is found to problem yet. Seems Acer has purposely left this bug or added this on BIOS firmware to make user persist only with Windows and not let them use any other OS. Sounds so mean but seems I am stuck with this now. I want Ubuntu on my laptop and have tried all options suggested above. I could get the live OS to work but if I try installing it on external drive (USB or HDD or SDD) BIOS doesn't detect any of them on boot. @ACERCustomer @aphanic

billsey

@SazzAspire3 you should start your own thread for this. Include your full model number again, which OS you are trying to boot and how your created the boot drive. Do you want to dual boot or to run only one OS?