So I got a computer from my mothers office that they where going to throw away...

So I got a computer from my mothers office that they where going to throw away. I decided I wanted to install Linux on it, but the computer don't seem to find the USB stick when I open the boot list at startup.
I have done the usual in the BIOS to get the USB to work. You know, set USB boot do enable, and legacy boot to enable and so on and so on, but no matter what I do It wont boot.

The USB works on my other laptop so I know the USB works.

Could it be that the IT guys at my mothers office blocked the computer to boot from USB? If so how do I remove this block?

I run a HP Elitebook 2540p btw.

Attached: usb-stick-1280px-922px0.jpg (1280x922, 44K)

try a windows install usb setup, if that boots, something is wrong with your linux setup, if not, something is wrong or blocking in your bios.

Tried with many different distros. All with the same results. Even tried with a windows usb. Nothing worked.

Do you have any idea what could be wrong/blocked? And how to fix it?

Did you make UEFI bootable sticks and that machine only supports legacy boot or has secureboot shit enabled?

sometimes mobos just don't like the stick, I'd try burning a DVD if you have a drive

PS: The stick might also be ntfs or something your bios there can't handle.

When I put USB in laptop when running OS the USB contains a folder called EFI so I guess it's UEFI. IN BIOS it has both UEFI and legacy options. No secureboot option. Unless HP has another name for that?

As stated the USB works on another laptop. The other laptop has a better and much more understandable BIOS with secureboot option.

Unfortunately I do not have writable DVD/CD's available. Will look for tomorrow.
What is mobos btw?

Is there any way of finding out what the BIOS can handle?

MOtherBOard

No clue about HP.

I think you want to just try a legacy BIOS stick, with a fat32 filesystem.

Are you plugging it into a USB 3.0 port (blue)? Some old boards use separate controllers for them and can't boot off those ports. Try a USB 2.0 (black) port.

I feel stupid

Think that is what it is

Tried them all

Have you tried pressing F9 at bootup and seeing if the flash drive shows up?

The stick

Attached: Screenshot at 2018-05-29 00:26:34.png (1280x800, 62K)

Yes. Nothing.

Did you use unetbootin or something like that? Because Arch is very picky about those things and will usually boot only if you used dd to copy the image to the disk

I used rufus in windows.

When everything failed I decide to install ubuntu (turned out to be elementary) using wubi.exe.

But I want to install linux on the whole drive.

The USB works on another laptop .

The other laptop might be booting off the EFI partition, something older EFI/BIOS systems can't do.
Try using dd to copy the image.

The stick in parted

Attached: parted.png (858x255, 32K)

Yep. That's your issue. It should show up as an iso9660 filesystem. Again, use dd.

I will try this even though I am pretty sure I have tried that before.

I did use dd now and it still says msdos, only now it says has only esp flag

Did you sync the filesystems after dd finished? Most of the time dd will report a finished copy but the data will still be in the cache instead of in the drive.

# dd bs=4M if=/path/to/archlinux.iso of=/dev/sdx status=progress oflag=sync

Only it's not arch I am trying to do now. I had a void iso on this laptop so I am trying with that one.

Also downloaded a debian iso, but I don't understadn what version I am to download. I have a 32 bit pc.

Try doing
sudo dd if=/archiso.iso of=/dev/sdx status=progress ; sync

just use rufus

Trying this now

I did. Did not work.

>I dug a peice of shit PC out of the trash
>It doesn't work
Color me surprised.

With void-live-i686-20171007-lxqt.iso.

Attached: void.png (749x351, 29K)

Try booting it

Never said I dug it out of the trash, buddy.

Tried booting it. Same as before. Boots perfectly on my Toshiba laptop though.

I tried doing a secure erase on my HP laptop and got a message that DriveLock was temporarily disabled on this drive. What does that mean?

this is where critical thinking skills come into play

Deleted everything on the hard drive. Still doesn't work. Starting to think HP just suck. This pc is going straight in the trash. Thanks for trying to help though.

did u check drivelock in bios?

Yes

try again with a usb 2 stick

could be the USB
I have one USB made by corsair that I've never, ever ever ever ever for the 8 years I've had it been able to make it into a boot device. fuckign NEVER no matter what
literally every other usb I have by samsung, kingston, sandisk, even corsair works fine. just that one specific one will not work, ever. and it transfers data + storage 100% fine, no errors or issues. just can't boot.

Burn a Linux live CD. Mobo probably doesn't support boot from usb.

Is legacy usb support in bios enabled? if not enable it

Did u move the usb in the position to boot first in the bios menu? On some pc's u have to set the order of objects it tries to boot into first.

Dute the Bios on that machine doesn't know how to boot from such large usb stick.
Try with a smaller capacity 16/8/4GB.

I ain't your buddy, pal

Use rufus to make bootable sticks.

Works on my other laptop

Yes

I only have 1 and 2 TB sticks

I ain't your pal, friend.

Did that

It will NEVER boot from such large sticks, no matter what you try.
That pc's bios is unable to see the flash drive's controller.

Your only options are to use a (way) smaller drive or a DVD