Unable to get my PC to boot from a USB drive

QuicktellPro said:

In my last post to Marie SWE, I displayed the main components of my laptop. After reading what RST does, it seems to me that I absolutely need it because disabling it could ruin the striping and corrupt my data. I know very little about these things so that may be total nonsense, but at this stage, I'm unwilling to take the risk.

I initially went for TAILS because the video I linked to earlier explained how you could surf the net without being tracked. With free speech under constant attack, that seemed to me to be a wise choice. That said, if I dare post replies to anything, I would instantly become visible anyway. Then there's the question of storage. If I could have gotten TAILS to run, I would have been able to unplug it after a session, but it seems to me that anything I download, which is usually documentaries, would need to be stored locally because the USB drive would not have enough space. Ergo, I lose the advantage of having been invisible, no?

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Why don't you use a larger USB to create TAILS so it also has space for your data? Make sure you avoid DD mode which dedicates the whole disk to the image making it impossible to add data.

spapakons said:

Why don't you use a larger USB to create TAILS so it also has space for your data? Make sure you avoid DD mode which dedicates the whole disk to the image making it impossible to add data.

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TAILS would not run on my machine due to my graphics card. Unlike Ubuntu, there is no option at startup to change to safe graphics, therefore it loaded as far as the window for setting persistent storage space and then promptly black screened.

I don't know what DD mode is but TAILS persistent storage option creates a partition to allow for storage of anything downloaded. The largest USB pen drives I have come across are 512 Gb which is absolutely not enough for my needs. I am unaware of whether one can use an external HDD instead of a pen drive? Another question I am unaware of is whether, once in Linux, I will have access to all my other HDD's normally used by Windows?

Of course you can use an external USB hard disk, but why save all your videos in the USB flash drive? You can connect an external USB hard disk and save your work there. In that case even a 16GB USB flash drive just holding TAILS OS is enough. If you have another computer in the same network you could even use a network folder either shared on the other computer or a dedicated NAS instead of storing locally.

spapakons said:

You can connect an external USB hard disk and save your work there.

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So, I CAN access the external drives already connected to the PC. That is really important because none of the content I have downloaded is physically stored on the laptop's hard drives. Nonetheless, even though TAILS did not request me to disable RST, I still could not get past the graphics card issue. I assume that, if there was a way to start it in safe graphics mode, it should be possible to install the Nvidia driver for Linux (extension is .run) which I already downloaded, although I have no idea how to go about doing that?

I don't know exactly how, but on Grub boot loader (used by many Linux distributions) you see the boot list for a few seconds before booting the default entry (usually first). If you press E you can edit the boot entry before booting. Add the relevant parameters, such as nomodeset or xforcevesa. I don't know the exact parameters for TAILS, Google them.

QuicktellPro said:

Because that's how the laptop came when I bought it.

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Hi again
Then i understand why.
If you ever plan on a clean install, so strongly consider undo the Raid. You will have more options with two disks then two disks as one. Its easier to make a disk image on one then on a Raid array. Raid 0 is sensitive as if one disk fails all data is lost if you dont have a external backup.
Raid 0 is really good if you need high write/read speed and is often used in some servers that handles a lot of raw data 24/7
Raid 1 then the second disk becomes a mirror of the first one.. so if one die, the system keeps on going. Downside, you lose half of the data storage space as one disk is just a mirror of the first one.
So next time you considering a clean install.. keep this in mind.

QuicktellPro said:

Not doable. I do have plenty of programs to reinstall. I am not looking to create a dual boot system. I was only looking to maximize privacy.

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Dualboot system is the best way to privacy. It is totally doable to run Linux inside windows WSL Windows subsystem for Linux.. But this will become useless in privacy when Microsoft kickstart the Windows Recall.. Then its game over.

If you feel uncomfortable with messing with your Raid setup and wants to get the best of both worlds.. Then you can get an external USB SSD/M.2 disk that someone else mention instead of using USB sticks. Way-way-way better performance and longer lifespan as a USB stick will fail after to many writes compare to a SSD/M.2 disk.
One thing that Linux can that windows cant, is to install the operating system on an external harddrive. so you can get a dual boot system without messing with your current setup.

QuicktellPro said:

I have never used Linux, however TAILS is Linux based. I chose TAILS purely after it had been recommended in this video. Right now, I get the feeling I'm chasing rainbows.

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I started with Linux in 2018 and i had never-ever even touched a computer with Linux before, so i can relate to what you feeling when it dont working out of the box as you want it too.
As for Tails.. i would not recommend that for "stage 1" of privacy. And about now you wonder... stage1?
I have been in the Privacy track since 1995.. the right to be anonymous online, so i have set it to 3 levels of privacy.
Stage1. is when you only want hide from Big tech to have the right to chose to who you share your data with.
This mean a OS that isn't collecting data about you, a web browser that isn't sending your userdata to big-tech (Chrome and edge is the evil ones)
And about here will some MS fanboy/girl will say something about edge and win dont collecting data... I just say dont,... start a separate thread if you want to have that discussion.
Stage2. you are a whistleblower or a journalist working around the world so you need to be able to have isolated communication that dont leave any traces.
Stage3. you are a real target with top secret work that governments around the world or criminal hackers want to target you as an individual, so you have to be able to be totally invisible and cant be traced by anyone, not even the NSA or other powerful entities or the worlds best hackers.
This last one is less then 0.5% of the worlds population and this stage for a normal person is just tinfoil hat warning.

With running Linux on an external drive with a VPN and two or three web browsers will leave you at stage 1.5.
Tails is more stage2 and is probibly overkill for you and will only create uncomfortable-ness for you.

As you have Nvidia i would recommend Pop_OS with Nvidia support Download Pop!_OS by System76
Look for the ISO ( Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS with NVIDIA )
Most all Linux versions can be run from an USB-stick without installing it... So make an USB stick with this one and try if that one will play a bit nicer with your computer

As for the step to actually install Pop_OS on an external harddrive to really use for years to come.. We can take that step then when you see it works.

I might have missed something.. I haven't woken up yet as I'm still drinking my morning coffee. *LOL*

QuicktellPro said:

Hi,
I'm trying to boot my PC into a Linux OS on a USB drive.
From within Windows, I pressed the Windows key and then, while holding the shift key down, I selected restart. This presented me with the option to select a device to boot from. I selected IPv4 and then let it restart. A message came up saying it was checking for available hardware and then it booted into Windows. So, I restarted again, pressed F12 to enter the BIOS, and then set IPv4 to the #1 position, but still it loaded Windows. It used to be possible to select Removable Devices in the BIOS but that is no longer available. I only get the options of Windows Boot Manager, IPv4, or IPv6.

Should I have selected IPv6? If not, what am I doing wrong, please?

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Your system will not boot to any OS except the one already installed unless you change secure boot mode from Deployed to Audit.

Marie SWE said:

Its easier to make a disk image on one then on a Raid array. Raid 0 is sensitive as if one disk fails all data is lost if you dont have a external backup.

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This machine runs twice daily backups using Macrium Reflect. Additionally, I copy all critical data to 2 external drives as soon as it is created. This, to most, may sound like paranoia, but I have already experienced data loss on an external drive. My worst ever experience was with an American host who I had a dedicated server with. This ran on RAID 5 and they guaranteed data loss was impossible because as soon as a disk fails, the others take over and the whole system returns to normal the instant a new disk is inserted into the array. 3 years later, the unthinkable happened, or so they claimed: 2 disks failed at the same time resulting in total data loss for all my clients. I won't go into what happened next because it ain't a pretty story. In short, yes, I am paranoid.

Marie SWE said:

As for the step to actually install Pop_OS on an external harddrive to really use for years to come.. We can take that step then when you see it works.

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Doing it now. TBH, I'm not a journalist or anything that requires hiding information. I'm just fed-up with anti free speech laws in the UK and Europe, so I'm looking for a way to call a spade a spade without receiving a knock on my door a few hours later.

DJNelson said:

Your system will not boot to any OS except the one already installed unless you change secure boot mode from Deployed to Audit.

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There is no such option as Audit in my BIOS. Secure Boot is disabled. Pressing F12 at start-up allows me to select the USB drive and boot into it.

Marie SWE said:

Look for the ISO ( Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS with NVIDIA )

Click to expand...

Before testing it, can you advise me on this little predicament, please.



I already have the latest nvidia driver for Linux on my C: drive. Its filename is NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-570.153.02.run
How do I go about installing this, because I don't think the command line they provided is applicable. I'm guessing it would be something like:
sudo apt install C:\Users\xxxxx\Downloads\Alienware\Area51m R2\Drivers\NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-570.153.02.run

QuicktellPro said:

This machine runs twice daily backups using Macrium Reflect. Additionally, I copy all critical data to 2 external drives as soon as it is created. This, to most, may sound like paranoia, but I have already experienced data loss on an external drive. My worst ever experience was with an American host who I had a dedicated server with. This ran on RAID 5 and they guaranteed data loss was impossible because as soon as a disk fails, the others take over and the whole system returns to normal the instant a new disk is inserted into the array. 3 years later, the unthinkable happened, or so they claimed: 2 disks failed at the same time resulting in total data loss for all my clients. I won't go into what happened next because it ain't a pretty story. In short, yes, I am paranoid.


Doing it now. TBH, I'm not a journalist or anything that requires hiding information. I'm just fed-up with anti free speech laws in the UK and Europe, so I'm looking for a way to call a spade a spade without receiving a knock on my door a few hours later.

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Yeah i have lost data too.. I had a server with 19disks in several Raid pools in the late 90's... and one pool was a backup pool of the others.
A thunderstorm fried the server and all 19 disks.. after that i never had a online-backup of the server.
So nowadays i backup my computers to the server, then i backup the server to external disks. and really-really-really important data, i also have offsite.

oh, you are in UK.. you have my condolences for the new UK laws.
Then the external drive with a linux distro is the way to go.
All linux distributions can be made as safe as Tails.. it all boils down to user behavior and using the right software and think twice of what to save on disk.
Pop_OS and a VPN will hide your IP address... install TOR browser and you will also hide from prying eyes, as long you dont use any identifiers (Logging in in on accounts that is connected to you as a person)
Browser isolation is a good way to keep the Big tech confused.. If you use Google accounts.. Use the Crome browser only for Google sites. Use TOR browser for things that is really sensitive.. Then use Brave or Firefox for other things like forum like this or reading the news etc.
But Linux with a VPN will hide most of what you want, as you can appear to be located in another countries.

QuicktellPro said:

Before testing it, can you advise me on this little predicament, please.

View attachment 141898

I already have the latest nvidia driver for Linux on my C: drive. Its filename is NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-570.153.02.run
How do I go about installing this, because I don't think the command line they provided is applicable. I'm guessing it would be something like:
sudo apt install C:\Users\xxxxx\Downloads\Alienware\Area51m R2\Drivers\NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-570.153.02.run

Click to expand...

I just need to make a call... I will be back in 15minutes

QuicktellPro said:

Before testing it, can you advise me on this little predicament, please.

View attachment 141898

I already have the latest nvidia driver for Linux on my C: drive. Its filename is NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-570.153.02.run
How do I go about installing this, because I don't think the command line they provided is applicable. I'm guessing it would be something like:
sudo apt install C:\Users\xxxxx\Downloads\Alienware\Area51m R2\Drivers\NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-570.153.02.run

Click to expand...

Back again.
It took a bit longer then i calculated..

Always be as lazy as you can if you dont have the goal to learn to dive in deeper into things.

The difference between (Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS) VS. (Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS with NVIDIA) is that the latter has the Nvidia driver already imbedded so you dont have to install it separately... Always be lazy if you can.

But to install a .run file is easiest to have the file in the same directory you have open the terminal in, so you dont have to write the whole path to the file.
When installing a .run file, it is not apt install.. Then you first has to allow the file to be run. That you do with the command: chmod +x filename.run
Then to run the file, you type: ./filename.run
When in an installed system and as the pop os example above, sudo apt install and the package name.. then it will install the software from the linux distribution's own repo.
Also a lot of software dont need to be installed with terminal command.. Linux has like Microsoft Store.. They had it before windows had it.. I think Microsoft took that idea from Linux.

When using Linux i always recommend to stay away from the drives Windows is using.. as windows use fastboot the drives get locked as read only, so you need to disable fast boot to get write access.. and it is also easy to do damage to the windows OS if you isn't 100% sure of what you are doing while taking the first steps in to the linux world. So until you get a feel for it, leave the windows partitions be from inside Linux.
I often use Windows partitions when I'm on linux.. so it is totally safe as long you dont do things windows dont like.

Did i missed something? I still feel i need more coffee to wake up today. *LOL*

Marie SWE said:

I often use Windows partitions when I'm on linux.. so it is totally safe as long you dont do things windows dont like.

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Is copying and pasting from an existing HDD to the USB Pop OS is installed on something Windows doesn't like?

QuicktellPro said:

Is copying and pasting from an existing HDD to the USB Pop OS is installed on something Windows doesn't like?

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It is totally safe to copy from windows partitions to Linux/usb. It is the write to disk part that can complicate things. But if you haven't disabled fastboot on Windows, you will only have read access anyway, so you cant write to disk unless you really use extra ordinary commands to try bypass the read only lock.


I'm soon off to start lunch/dinner, so you know i will disappear for an hour or so at 7pm

As far as I know Linux and Mac OS have read only access to NTFS partitions, unless you enable read/write access. This should be used with caution as they might corrupt data.

spapakons said:

As far as I know Linux and Mac OS have read only access to NTFS partitions, unless you enable read/write access. This should be used with caution as they might corrupt data.

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I keep all my data and photos in my OneDrive folder. In addition to my two Windows 11 computers, I also use an iPad 13 and an iPad Mini. I manage and use my data and photos on all devices with OneDrive installed on all devices. For data accuracy and reliability, am I missing anything?

And to keep this post on track, I have never had a problem booting from a USB drive by tapping F12 while booting and then choosing to boot from a USB drive.

QuicktellPro said:

Because that's how the laptop came when I bought it.

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You should copy/paste this information to the Hard Drives section in your System Specs.
It's an important feature of your laptop.

2TB (2x 1TB PCle M.2 SSD) RAID 0 [Boot] + 2TB (2x 1TB
PCle M.2 SSD) Non-Raid [Storage]

Marie SWE said:

But if you haven't disabled fastboot on Windows, you will only have read access anyway, so you cant write to disk unless you really use extra ordinary commands to try bypass the read only lock.

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The whole thing went very badly. It started showing tons of what looked like MS-DOS code which I assume was normal except that I kept seeing errors being reported in the code. After about 15 minutes, it came to an abrupt halt with just a flashing cursor. I waited for around 10 minutes but there was no change, however the USB was continually flashing which indicates it was busy, so I left it to do its thing. An hour later I returned to a black screen. Nothing would respond. Eventually I had no choice than to hard shutdown.

Would this be because I had failed to disable fast boot?

I have to leave now so will not be able to reply until tomorrow morning.

This is because it tried to use a resolution not supported by the laptop or tried to enable it the wrong way since it doesn't have proper graphics drivers. That's why I said to enable VESA mode which uses standard resolutions that work on all graphics cards. I have seen that when booting Android-x86, if the computer graphics card cannot be detected properly, you are stuck in the text screen with the message about loading Android. In that case the only way to proceed and load the GUI is to use VESA mode, since Android doesn't have user installable drivers.