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I'm trying to boot ubuntu from USB to overwrite an existing Windows 10 install on the device (just a laptop). I downloaded the freshest .iso from here, and created a bootable USB using Rufus. After preparing the bootable USB I plug it into the laptop and boot it from the USB.

Precursor issue: occasionally after booting from a FRESH 18.04.3 desktop .iso I get an issue that I solved using this other askUbuntu forum post (in-case it's related to my real issue)

The install goes ok until it gets to the "Installation Type" window. I get this screen (sorry for the low-quality image). This is different to all normal "Installation Type" windows I've seen of people doing ubuntu boot tutorials and etc.

Clicking any buttons (such as the +, the -, or 'Change...') causes the entire installer to become unresponsive, and I can only power down the laptop after forcibly removing the USB and holding the power button down for a while. There are no other options in the dropdown. Clicking "install now" gives me an error prompt to select a partition.

Any advice on what to do? I feel like I've done everything perfectly apart from the previous issue.

Edit: these are the settings I used for Rufus

Edit 2: I think the issue is actually that the laptop isn't recognising the GRUBx64 file as a valid... disk partition header or something.

I've tried about 3-4 separate bootable USB programs, and 3 different Ubuntu distros, and the results are ALL the same - when I am prompted for an installation type, it has no partitions to select from.

I am sure that my laptop is the cause, since I've changed everything else and it's the same issue. What should I do to allow my laptop to recognise GRUB?

To clarify, I want to replace Windows 10 with a Ubuntu distro as the OS for this laptop. I do NOT want to dual boot Windows10 and the Ubuntu distro. I just want to get this working after many, many hours of suffering.

user74421
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1 Answers1

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Could you boot into a "Live" copy of Ubuntu and click "Try Ubuntu". When it establishes a desktop, open a terminal with:

CTRL+ALT+t

You can destructively remove all other partitions by entering:

sudo gdisk /dev/sda

and use ? for help. Press d to delete partitions. Delete all of them, and press w to write the changes. Reboot into the "Live CD/USB" again and open another Terminal. Again run: sudo gdisk /dev/sda If there are no partitions listed you did well, if so just try again. Now press o and add a GPT by pressing y for yes, and w to write changes. This should leave you with a clean Guid Partition Table and nothing else. Execute: sudo gdisk /dev/sda once more and verify that GPT is now present. If so, you may press q to quit and reboot and attempt to install Ubuntu from your "Live USB". Create from Rufus with the settings below:

Partition Scheme GPT Target System UEFI 0 persistence FAT32 file system quick format create extended label and icons default cluster size

Be sure you safely eject, the new bootable drive as this will ruin your Live USB every time if you don't! Do not change UEFI settings like AHCI after this, someone recommended it but if you do that after a disk has been created or it might stop working. It is better to use the advanced functions of AHCI which is true, but start that way, don't change it while in use or you may loose data.

Proceed to boot into the "Live USB" disk and let Ubuntu guide the installation process. When you are prompted for partitioning choose to "Overwrite data with zeros" from the first drop down dialog box, and "Compatible with Linux systems ext4" in the second drop down dialog box. You may now give your new disk a name in the text entry box if you want. These choices may or may not appear depending on how things go. Choose to "Erase and Install Ubuntu", then accept all other default options.

When this completes, and hopefully it does, continue without checking any of the boxes for updating while installing as this may cause problems. Note if you chose to full format the drive it may be slow on larger disks and this may give the mistaken impression the computer stopped responding! Be patient.

**If you can't boot, try to disable secure boot. This should allow you to boot linux.

Buried Alive
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