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I am trying to boot from a USB key a desktop that normally runs (fine) Ubuntu 18.04 off a hard drive. I have modified the BIOS options to allow for USB booting and I indeed get the initial menu from the USB key (something like "boot Ubuntu live", "install Ubuntu", etc.) -- so the system sees the USB key and boots from it. Selecting the option to boot from the USB key, the system then hangs. I see the USB key light flash for a while and then nothing, either on the USB key or on screen. What could possibly go wrong and how could I fix it?

bgauthier
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  • Have you checked the integrity of the USB? – George Udosen Aug 09 '22 at 14:32
  • Did you verify the ISO prior to write to USB media? and then verify the write of the image to USB media? If you can't perform the verification on the existing box; I'd suggest performing the verification on a different box (the write of ISO to media I find most at fault as USB flash media is cheap & made to cost) – guiverc Aug 09 '22 at 14:34
  • Does it hang after choosing "try Ubuntu"? It is not really clear because you write you get those choices, and then begin again about booting the USB ( which is a step before that ). But yes, like George wrote, do a checksum on the iso, and as @guiverc wrote, check the written medium and the integrity of the usb device. – HomerSimpson Aug 09 '22 at 15:50
  • What graphics chip/card is there? Please tell us the brand name and model. If nvidia, you can press 'e' in the grub menu and add the boot option nomodeset to the 'linux line', and then continue booting with F10 or ctrl x. – sudodus Aug 09 '22 at 17:02
  • Thanks for the responses to date. I have checked both the ISO and the USB key version and both passed the test. – bgauthier Aug 09 '22 at 19:53
  • The hang up occurs after I have selected to boot the live copy of Ubuntu from the USB key. Note that the same happened when I tried from a live CD. – bgauthier Aug 09 '22 at 19:54
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    The graphics card is reportedly an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (GM107). Now, how do I get to the grub menu? Ah! I typed e to edit the boot stuff and added nomodeset on the second line... and now I can boot! Thank you! – bgauthier Aug 09 '22 at 19:57
  • There is considerable screen flicker (as there is in the BIOS). Is there a way to fix that? – bgauthier Aug 09 '22 at 20:04
  • After installation you probably need nomodeset in the installed system. But then you should try to install a proprietary nvidia driver. If you use Wayland, you should switch to Xorg for the desktop, Then the Ubuntu system can suggest which version of driver to install (via 'Settings'). And chances are that your system will work well with Xorg and an nvidia driver. – sudodus Aug 09 '22 at 20:09
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    Does this answer your question? Why Doesn't a Bootable USB Boot – karel Aug 10 '22 at 12:00

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