I was trying to install Arch Linux, but the installer could not connect to Wi‑Fi. I disabled Secure Boot to see if that would help, and afterward the computer started showing a red "No bootable device" message. Removing the installation USB did not change anything. After dismissing the message, I get a screen saying "Strike the F1 key to retry boot, F2 to run setup," but neither key seems to do anything. This is my first PC, and I'm worried I may have caused expensive damage. I used Ventoy to create the USB.
3 Answers
This probably isn’t a bricked PC. “No bootable device” usually means the firmware can’t find an operating system, not that the hardware is destroyed. Try entering the firmware setup and check whether the internal drive is detected. You can also restore the default firmware settings or re-enable Secure Boot if it was previously enabled. If the function keys do nothing, try holding Fn while pressing F1 or F2, and perform a complete power-off before trying again.
If the drive is detected but has no usable bootloader, recreate the installer USB and boot from it again. Ventoy may be fine, but testing with a freshly made USB on another computer can rule out a bad installer. Since Arch can be unforgiving for a first installation, a distribution such as Mint, Fedora, or Ubuntu may be easier while you troubleshoot.
Don’t immediately erase the disk or delete its partitions. First confirm whether the firmware sees the drive and whether you can access the setup screen. If the keyboard is not responding at that stage, try a different USB port or a basic wired keyboard. If the drive is missing from firmware entirely, then the issue may be a loose connection or drive problem rather than the Secure Boot setting itself.
I’ve used Linux before, so I’m still hoping I can recover this. I must have changed something important when I disabled Secure Boot.