Q4OS Forum

DorfinHole

Member

Registered: 2025-06-21

Posts: 2

Launching only from USB after successful install

Good day/evening! So, this is my very first foray into the Linux experience. I chose this distribution for its similarity to Windows systems to help ease myself into things.

I created a Live USB and used it to both format the drive and install Q4OS on an old Dell Inspiron 11 with an Intel CPU that's been collecting dust. The installation worked just fine, and the OS running off the USB can even detect a Debian based system from the HDD if I run the installer again. However, after changing the BIOS boot list to Legacy and setting the HDD to 1st Boot Priority, the laptop says it cannot detect an OS. So unless I leave the USB in I cannot use the laptop. Is there anything I might have missed outside of using the built in installer, or maybe I need to choose specific settings in it?

bin

Member

From: U.K.

Registered: 2016-01-28

Posts: 1,417

Re: Launching only from USB after successful install

From what I can gather the Inspiron 11 is not that old. So, I imagine that what happened was that you installed using uefi and gpt mode on the hard drive. You would have created a separate partition for /boot/efi during the process - does that sound familiar?

Then you have changed the BIOS to Legacy - which means that it ain't going to boot. Why did you do that?

Go back to the BIOS and change it back and all should be well. Secure Boot needs to be OFF BTW.

DorfinHole

Member

Registered: 2025-06-21

Posts: 2

Re: Launching only from USB after successful install

I just started everything from scratch. I reformatted the hard drive through the live USB, then did like you said and swapped back to UEFI. After that it was not starting from the USB unless in failsafe mode. I didn't realize that the "Windows Boot Manager" was an On or Off type deal, and not a single permanent option. After disabling it I could boot normally from the USB and install the OS. I've got it running from the laptop itself doing the Desktop Profiler as I'm typing. Sorry if this seemed stupid. Been messing with and building computers since I was a kid but this is semi-new territory.

Last edited by DorfinHole (2025-06-22 04:19)

crosscourt

Member

From: Wash DC

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 2,440

Re: Launching only from USB after successful install

Windows and Linux follow the same rules in regards to bios modes and hard drives. The hard drive has to match the bios mode or it wont boot.
Im unclear as to why you reformatted the hard drive, when in fact, you ended up running it as UEFI anyway????  Had you changed the bios mode as bin suggested you would have been up and running without having to reformat at all. 
I use the live media to install Q4OS, as it allows me to check that the system will run as expected, without having to install it initially. Then I install it using the Q4OS installer, which erases and formats the drive, based on your bios settings, so UEFI set in bios(no secure boot) will be the way the hard drive will be setup. You can use the desktop profiler at that time and it will be done rather quickly.

Glad you got it working, and welcome to the forums!

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Q4OS KDE 5.8  full desktop - Lenovo M73 Thinkcentre Tiny