Can't access BIOS for USB install

Question

I am trying to install Ubuntu on my second machine now from a USB startup disk. The disk works fine as I used it yesterday to install on another machine.

The problem is on this second IBM machine: when I go to BOOT menu (by pressing F12) I do not see boot from USB. The only other option that might be similar is REMOVABLE DEVICE. When I select this option and hit Enter nothing happens. The light on the USB stick doesn't even flash, just my old Windows boots up normally.

I have been attempting to access the BIOS, but the only thing I can seem to get access to is the IBM Setup Utility which seems like the BIOS, but isn't that blue screen like on my other machine. Can anyone please help me figure out how to get this going so I can install Ubuntu again?

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Nov 19 '14 at 11:01

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ploplinux is a bootable iso that will allow a machine to boot from USB or CDROM if it is not supported.

edited Nov 19 '14 at 11:01

Sagar Panchal

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answered Mar 16 '14 at 00:00

user258637

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score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 04 '14 at 18:57

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Install PLoP using EasyBCD on Windows

CLICK Here

Download EasyBCD [Just type any name or email-id and click "Download!"]

answered Apr 04 '14 at 18:57

Sagar Panchal

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Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. – fossfreedom Nov 19 '14 at 14:14

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 14 '14 at 05:06

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i don't have much experience with ibm brand machines, are you able to find anything that represents a boot device order? on one of my pc's the usb stick appears in the list of connected hard drives and i have to move it to the top of the list for my computer to attempt to boot from it.

answered Mar 14 '14 at 05:06

random australian

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if i press f12 it asks for boot device, but nothing about the order – Kalamalka Kid Mar 14 '14 at 05:10
have you tried pressing the f2, f10 or delete keys while you pc is going through the post process? – random australian Mar 14 '14 at 05:12
yes I have tried all those keys with no luck – Kalamalka Kid Mar 14 '14 at 05:15
do you know exactly what the model of the system your using is? – random australian Mar 14 '14 at 05:16
on the motherboard it says IBN:REV: 2.7 – Kalamalka Kid Mar 14 '14 at 05:18
thats just the revision of the mother board production – random australian Mar 14 '14 at 05:20
ok... trying to do this from memory... push right across to boot.. and the options you need shouldbe in there – random australian Mar 14 '14 at 05:23
if your bios looks like hte first picture you linked...
use the right arrow on the keyboard to move across to the [boot] tab.

in there should be the option to set your boot device priority.
– random australian Mar 14 '14 at 05:28
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ok so i found the Startup Sequence in teh IBM setup utility, and made the first boot object REMOVABLE MEDIA. there is no USB option. In any casem It wontboot from USB, only HD – Kalamalka Kid Mar 14 '14 at 05:59
you said you have the cd as well.. that should boot with those options – random australian Mar 14 '14 at 10:19
I have tired booting with the CD. It will boot form teh WINDOWS CD, but not the UBUNTU one! – Kalamalka Kid Mar 15 '14 at 05:28
OK well if it boots from your windows CD and not the Ubuntu CD then you have burnt the ubuntu cd as non bootable. Try burning it again – random australian Mar 15 '14 at 09:24

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 14 '14 at 07:42

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I don't know if it's the same for you, but my IBM Thinkpad registers my live USB on the boot menu as a USB hard disk.

answered Mar 14 '14 at 07:42

ki2ne

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I even jsut updated my BIOS hoping there would be some USB support, but the only thing that even looks remotely close is 'removable devices' . Still no luck. I know the USB drive is setup proper as well, because when i put it in on my other machine that allows USB boot it loads fine.. – Kalamalka Kid Mar 14 '14 at 08:03
Based on what I've seen so far, some BIOSes don't boot automatically from USB despite the boot order. – ki2ne Mar 14 '14 at 15:09
my machine will boot from the Windows CD fine, but will not boot from the UBUNTU install disk. The files on the CD are exactly the same ones copied form the USB stick that works as install on my other machine. Both systems are 32 bit – Kalamalka Kid Mar 15 '14 at 07:09

karel · Answer 5 · 2018-04-14T09:48:30.560

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If the BIOS/UEFI setup utility on your computer is not accessible, then it is possible that your computer's firmware is preconfigured to boot from bootable USB drives automatically, and the problem is that the bootable USB drive has not been created correctly, not that the BIOS/UEFI setup utility is not accessible.

Did you create your Ubuntu installation media correctly? There are instructions for creating a bootable Ubuntu live USB at: What is the proper way of creating installation media from an Ubuntu iso?.

edited Apr 14 '18 at 09:48

answered Mar 14 '14 at 07:54

karel

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unfortunately my bios looks like this:
[link]http://ice.he.net/~hedden/images/boot_seq_Phoenix.jpg
– Kalamalka Kid Mar 14 '14 at 08:35

score -1 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 15 '14 at 08:34

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ANSWER: CD was not bootable. WHen burned form windows the disk was not being read as an image. In windows the ISO file is read as a winrar archive which was not readable. I simply burned the CD on my other UBUNTU machine as DISK IMAGE and set the BOOT sequence to boot from CD, and it worked.

answered Mar 15 '14 at 08:34

Kalamalka Kid

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What? Have You any Sense? Are you kidding here? You told that light on USB does not even flash! USB? or DVD? Crap Question and its own crap answer. – Sagar Panchal Apr 05 '15 at 12:21
Can't access BIOS for USB install? – Sagar Panchal Nov 28 '15 at 18:46

Can't access BIOS for USB install

6 Answers6