Hey everyone! I'm new to the Linux world and decided to give it a shot by creating a bootable USB. I want to try out Linux before committing to a full install, but I'm running into some issues. My plan was to use my only USB stick for this, but when I try to boot from it, I either get a black screen with a non-blinking white dash, an error message saying `error: could not find image. error: you need to load the kernel first`, or it just boots directly into Windows instead of Linux.
Here's what I've tried so far:
- Used Rufus, Etcher, and Ventoy to flash the USB with Linux Mint (22.1 and 21.1) and Ubuntu (25.04 and 22.04.5).
- Booted in normal and compatibility modes, tried using GRUB2.
- Disabled Secure Boot and PXE Boot to LAN, enabled USB Boot, and adjusted the boot order.
- Edited the kernel parameters by replacing `quiet splash` with options like `nomodeset`, and various AMD-related settings, but I keep getting errors like:
`EFI stub: WARNING: Decompression failed: ZSTD-compressed data is corrupt`.
Here are my computer specs:
- **Model:** Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14ADA7
- **OS:** Windows 11
- **CPU:** AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
- **GPU:** AMD Radeon Vega 8
- **RAM:** 8 GB
Thanks for any help!
2 Answers
Have you tried using different USB ports? Sometimes, using a USB 2.0 port helps, as some BIOS don't play nice with USB 3.0 during the boot process. Also, ensure that your USB stick is fully formatted before you flash it. If you're still stuck, maybe try a different USB stick if you can borrow one!
It sounds like you've done quite a bit of troubleshooting already! Make sure Secure Boot is completely disabled. Sometimes, changing the BIOS settings requires saving and exiting properly, so double-check that. Ventoy is solid for bootable ISOs, and it could be worth trying again for your USB if you haven't already. Just ensure the ISO file you downloaded isn't corrupted.
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