Unable to boot from CD or USB on Asus. Boot options in BIOS not working.
 

I have a new Asus S405C (Sonic Master) and I'm trying to dual install a Linux OS.

To get into BIOS, my options are either Esc for "Boot Order" or F2 for Setup.

However, when I do Esc. for Boot options, it just has two options:
Windows Boot Manager (PO: XXXXXXXXXXX XX-XXXXXXXXX)
Enter Setup

When I choose the Windows Boot Manager, it just does a regular boot into Windows. When I click Setup, it just goes to the regular setup as if I did a F2 into BIOS.

So in Seteup, there are these options:
Fast Boot
Launch CSM

#Boot Option Prorities
Boot Option #1 [Windows Boot Manager]

Add new Boot Option
Delete Boot Option
---

Tried Disabling Fast Boot; disabling Windows, which is the only option for Boot Option #1; and under "Add new Boot Option", there is a new screen with the following options:
Add boot option
Select filesystem [PCI(1f|2)\DevicePath(Type 3, SubType 12)HD(Part1,SigXXXXXX-XXXX...)
Path for boot option
Create
----

So for Select filesystem, the option shown is the only option given. So apparently I need to add a boot option or create a path for boot option or both. Not sure.

So maybe if I can be advised on how to create a boot option for the CD or USB? Also the path I suppose will be needed.

There is a Microsoft System Management BIOS and I remember it has a disable option and had no idea what would happen if I disabled it. So is it okay if I disable it or will it have no effect towards the solution of my problem here?

Asus S405C seems to be a battery serial number. 'Sonic Master' is used for several different asus laptop models.

To get better help, try finding the model number (e.g. 'Asus N53SV').

Try to find the right model number and check the manual or post a link to the manual which should be an the ASUS site.

S405C is the model (or series) number.

Sonic Master is separate. I just included it for completeness as it is emboldened at the top right corner on the inside above the keypad.

EDIT:
Okay, so scratch that. I guess this isn't very intuitive laptop. This is the only number on the front of the manual, so maybe someone with a little more insight can tell if this is the Model number:
E7418

The closest one I can find, and which also has the same options in the BIOS is:
http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superi...00CA/#download

Sadly, there isn't much in the manual about boot priority ... in fact it's about the same as you posted.

You may have to just add each device using the "add boot option".

Is there any advice on how to add boot option. I have searched and searched but nothing of intuitive value.

Looks like I have to add boot option, create the path, and then click "Create".

I'm not sure what to add for the "Add boot option". CDROM?

And for the "Path for boot option", I don't know that one either.

The example it shows on the right is:
fs0:\path\filename.efi

Any familiarity with this?

As I see this laptop comes with Windows 8 and has the Secure Boot feature. May it be possible that you have Secure Boot enabled in the UEFI/BIOS (see page 70 in the English version of the manual)?
If so, AFAIK currently no Linux distribution to install on a PC/laptop with Secure Boot enabled. If you want to disable it keep in mind that most probably this will prevent your Windows installation from booting.
Unless Linux versions with signed bootloaders are available running Linux in a VM is the only viable way to go.

Actually there is a way:
http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/20303.html

Thanks for that link. Has any distribution already made the inclusion of that bootloader to their install/Live media?

Hi thanks for the replies!

I tried disabling secure boot. Windows booted and did a secure check and update in the process and nothing else happened.

I'm still wondering if I can provide the correct boot option name and path for boot option under create new boot option that maybe I can make this work.

I'm looking into the shim option provided by TexMex. It's a bit over my head right now but will go through the steps and see what I can do. I still worry that I will need to know boot option names and paths to ultimately make this work.

I also don't want to break any return policy codes (if I haven't already) because if this continues to be a pain, I will just return it. I have read that through the years, Asus has has gone through some hostility phases against Linux with microsoft feeling the threat and coaxing them to their side and against the Linux community. I'm sure this whole process can be cracked, but why does it have to be "cracked" in the first place? Hostility is the answer.

Secure boot means you can't just boot anything you want. The bootloader has to be signed.

I don't think so, it was released a few days ago.

Okay, so I cracked the code. At least for the CD. Still won't work for the USB.

Basically, disabling the Secure Boot of course as well as disabling fast boot, enabling "Launch CSM" under Boot Configuration, and enabling "Launch PXE OpROM". Also make sure "[Realtec PXE B03 ...]" is Boot Option #1 under Boot Option Priorities.

Now I just get to re-partitiion the drive. yay. Encountering some more hostility. The windows 8 is spread across 6 partitions leaving the RECOVERY at the last 20 GIGS. Strategic much? two partitions are roughly 300 gigs a piece at 4 and 5. This is all completely unnecessary but as part of the scheme to deter would-be Open Source enthusiasts, it should be pretty effective.

I am confused as to where the logical partition begins. Partitions 1-3 are all under a few hundred megs and 4 is the OS.

I have been reading a lot about the recent changes related to the BIOS and boot loading in which I may delve more into later however, I am still vague on all the details. I am wondering if it may be all that simple to just install the distro and be done with it like normally. I have been reading about the easyBCD, as well as rEFIl? the shims and other slice and dices. I have the Secure Boot disabled for now so I don't really need to worry about the shims for now. I am installing Mint as it is the one on the CD, and I am too exhausted to re-download something else and burn it to CD. Mint however, is a fine distro so I am going with it for now. So I'm wondering about if I need to install the easyBCD or some other recipe.

As for Secure Boot, I may do that, but after I my Linux Distro installed so it is easier to work with the files and the shim and signing and binaries and all that mess. I found a nice guide, but will need to search for it again and will post it later. The guide H_TexMex_H posted is a start.

I have been screaming out my frustrations for the last 3 days on this issue as it was something new to me that sneaked right under my radar for the last two years during which time this ordeal has been in the making (or cooking as history may properly name it). So I am going to rest my brain for an hour or so.

May someone advise me on whether or not a simple install like (what is now) the old days will be sufficient since I am doing boot with secure boot disabled? If not what may it entail?

I would like to know what I am looking forward to before I start slicing up the windows partitions.

Thanks!

A simple install should be possible with secure boot disabled. Just select the right Window$ partition so you don't overwrite the wrong one.

I would be surprised if they didn't use GPT partitioning instead of the older (and limited) MBR partitions. So there shouldn't be any logical partitions, simply because they aren't needed.

Yeah. Have learned that with the UEFI system, there is no long a limit of 4 primary partitions which ought to make things a little easier.

I also am trying to install on the ssd drive instead of dealing with slicing up the windows stuff. I was able to get the USB to boot by providing a EFI/boot/bootx64.efi copied from a Shell.efi file.

Problem I'm dealing with right now is that the installer is complaining about "No common CD-ROM drive was detected". UGH! One thing after a freakin-other.

Okay. So I got myself a Mint install and boots nicely.

This really isn't as hard as the past 3 and a half days I've spent pulling my hair out about.

First, the manufacturers like ASUS should not be blamed for this as I initially thought. Although I'm not sure they can be completely free from complicity to the complications that I endured. To my pleasure, as for the installation partitioning, the extra SSD drive was completely free for my installation where it may have been better anyways. There is the original DATA partition used by windows which takes up 400 gigs on the HDD, and which I am thinking of adding to my fstab so that I may just use that and not have to worry about any slicing and dicing in that regards. I think that will be fine.

So as implied earlier, the install was no problem once the CD booted. As described earlier, I went ahead and installed to the SSD drive. I tried doing a USB install with another OS, but problems with that OS caused me to go back the the Live CD and stay on that course.

As for the boot loader, I was still hazy about all the details, and because I did not yet want to "botch" anything as this is all new, I decided to have the installer install the boot loader in the same partition as the OS and I would later deal with that manually. I am still not sure whether or not the boot loader will install properly and allow a proper boot into the OS after installation. However, I will discuss what I did to make the OS boot properly.

***
EDIT:
Actually, it doesn't matter where the boot loader is installed if you follow the instructions below because you are going to re-install it anyways.
***

First off, I basically just used this post HERE at http://crunchbang.org, and did slight modifications.

-----
#You need to find out where your UEFI boot installation partition is. It should be /sda/1. If for some reason it is different, replace /sda/1 with your UEFI boot partition.
#Also, this tutorial uses /sda/8 as the OS installed partition. You need to replace /sda/8 and /media/sda8 with your installation partition.

#Boot into the same Live CD that you used for your installation.

sudo su

TARGET=/media/sda8 # replace sda8 with the location of your installation
mkdir -p $TARGET
mount /dev/sda8 $TARGET
for f in proc sys dev ; do mount --bind /$f $TARGET/$f ; done
mount --bind /dev/pts $TARGET/dev/pts # this step for good measure

# You may skip this next step in Mint. Maybe Ubuntu as well.
sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf $TARGET/etc/resolv.conf # needed to have network in chroot


sudo chroot $TARGET /bin/bash

apt-get update
apt-get install grub-efi-amd64
grub-install
update-grub

# now copy the grub.efi file that grub created to your efi partition

mkdir -p /media/efi_part
mount /dev/sda1 /media/efi_part # replace sda1 with your EFI partition name
mkdir /media/efi_part/EFI/mint/ # replace with a distro alias name here
cp /boot/grub/grub.efi /media/efi_part/EFI/mint/

umount /dev/sda1
CTRL+D

umount $TARGET/proc
umount $TARGET/sys
umount $TARGET/dev/pts
umount $TARGET/dev
umount $TARGET

CTRL+D

-------

Okay so really, as mentioned earlier, this is just a re-hash of the link provided above form crunchbang. Please go to that link and go down to 4) to continue as there are some more steps using your USB flash drive. You need to download the UEFI Shell.efi file. I tried earlier to put the file in the EFI partition as described by another tutorial, but unfortunately for some reason or another, that didn't work as I was unable to boot into the UEFI shell without any boot media. Putting the Shell.efi file on the flash drive as explained in the linked tutorial above did work. Just remember to change the file name to bootx64.efi.

cp Shell.exi [USB DRIVE]/EFI/boot/bootx64.efi

As an example, in my USB, the file and path is:
EFI/boot/bootx64.efi

Now reboot your computer, hit F2 (for ASUS) or whatever your manufacturer has it as, usually F10 or F12 or whatever. But if you're this far, I'm sure you've already got that figured out.

Select "Launch EFI Shell form filesystem device" and write the following in the shell:

Now reboot and enjoy.

Note this requires Secure Boot disabled (Not tested with secure boot enabled) and be sure to boot back into BIOS and make sure Mint GRUB2 (or whatever selection you made) is first in boot option order.

I may try doing Secure boot later and may require a shim as explained in previous posts.

Hi,

Sorry for this somewhat off-topic post, but I think you could help me; I'm considering buying a new laptop and I guess all the newer ones have the same problem described here; I'm not interested in keeping Windows (I want to just thwrow it and replace it with Linux); should I have to follow all the procedures detailed above to do that or the installation will be simpler?

Thanks in advance!

I believe you will still need the first partition open for the EFI.

To my understanding, most laptops make it easier to boot into your live cd or usb after disabling the Secure Boot option. But you may want to find the Legacy option and enable that too if you can, than reboot after install to see if that works off the bat.

If not, you may have to re-boot into your Live CD or USB after install and follow the directions above. But it's really not as hard as it appears.

I have replaced my Mint since then with Ubuntu since I am using it for courses and study and it is just easier with Ubuntu since Instructors use that as the Linux alternative and will have less dependency problems and hacking issues that I have no time for. That actually went smoothly. I didn't have to do any extra work, just like the "old days". However it was on the same partition. I haven't tested on a different patition yet.

Also, I have even enabled secure boot and everything works fine as well.


ADDED:
Also, I should add that I noticed that Ubuntu's installer had an EFI option for partitioning under types. So if you wipe out windows, that may be an option for you to pick.

I actually didn't even pick that since it was already there and I was just going to do a wait and see approach. However, I did back up the first partition and had the installer install Grub there. Everything worked out fine for me, but like I said, I already went through the steps above with my earlier installation.

Just to answer on the UEFI boot part. Fedora has decided to be UEFI compatible. This means Fedora distributions will be signed by Microsoft keys starting with Fedora 18 (January 2013).
Fedora 18 beta which is already available for install may already have this.

Please see: http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/16863.html for an interesting post on this (September 2012)

Replace 'UEFI' with 'Secure Boot' and your statement is correct.

Got Linux Mint 17.1 to boot from USB on such an ASUS laptop.
 

1. The BIOS boot loader does not display OSs that it does not find. Such, a bootable OS has to have been inserted (DVD) or plugged in (USB) before entering the BIOS or boot loader. (The BIOS also lists under the boot menu section bootable OSs it found.)
2. CSM has to be enabled (and secure boot disabled as already mentioned in this thread). This is important because for example in my case, the boot loader listed my USB Mint under an UEFI entry when CSM was disabled. Selecting it did not boot it. But when I enabled CSM and under it Launch PXE OpROM, the boot loader listed USB Mint under UEFI and EFI. Selecting EFI finally booted Mint.

I posting this here in a thread that has become inactive because I think these BIOS settings are relevant for many other laptops, also newer ones. (I had similar problems to make my Lenovo G50 boot Mint from USB.)

can't boot from cd rom
 

what i found on the Asus with windows 8 i went into the bios and disabled the Secure boot and was able to boot with other devices installed the HD with One Already had win 7 and it Load Like new