I'm attempting to switch my laptop from Windows 10 to Linux and I've successfully done this with an older laptop before. I'm using a ThinkPad T450 with an Intel Core i5-5300U and 8GB of RAM. I tried using Ventoy to load Pop!_OS and Mint, but when I select either option, I just end up with a black screen. I've already disabled secure boot in the BIOS and set it to UEFI only, with CSM off. Can anyone help me figure out what might be going wrong?
5 Answers
Some ISOs just don't work with Ventoy. If the others aren't booting, it might help to try using a dedicated USB stick instead to see if that resolves the issue.
Check your BIOS settings again. There might be options you haven't disabled yet, like Intel Rapid Start Technology or Panel Self-Refresh. If you’re getting to the GRUB menu but then going black, consider adding "nomodeset" to the boot options. This can sometimes resolve display issues when booting Linux.
Yeah, the nomodeset option can be really helpful. I always tweak those settings when I switch distros.
It sounds like your Ventoy setup is working fine on your older laptop, but there might be another BIOS setting that needs tweaking on the ThinkPad. If you can't boot directly from the Ventoy drive, check if it needs a specific partition table like GPT or MBR. Keeping two Ventoy drives with different formats can help; sometimes older machines just don’t play nice with certain formats.
I’ve come across that too. Some laptops just have very specific requirements for booting USB drives. Good call on having both formats!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll look into the partition types and see if I can find a solution.
It might be worth trying a different flash drive or even using an external SSD for your Ventoy setup. I've noticed that many flash drives can be unreliable for booting.
Have you tried switching to legacy BIOS mode? Also, double-check any fast boot options or secure boot settings in your BIOS. Those can sometimes interfere with booting from USB drives.
Good point! I’ve also experienced similar issues. Just ensure you’re customizing those settings to fit your hardware.