I'm trying to install AlmaLinux on a used Dell Optiplex 3000 thin client, but I'm stuck in a boot loop. The BIOS starts fine and I can select the boot drive. However, when it tries to boot from the installation media, I see a 'headless mode active' message and then it just hangs on the Dell logo for a long time before restarting. I can hear the machine working during this, but it's not completely unresponsive; I can restart it with Ctrl + Alt + Del. I've already tested the media on another machine and encountered a known issue at 4.8% during the media test. I've tried different ISO images, USB drives, and various methods of writing the image, including Rufus and dd from Linux. I'm considering zeroing the USB drive first to rule out any leftover data that could be causing issues. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting past that splash screen or resolving this issue?
4 Answers
First, make sure your USB drive is indeed set as the primary boot option in BIOS. It shouldn't be trying to boot from the wiped hard drive. You mentioned seeing 'Merlin' as an option—make sure that one is disabled. You can also check your one-time boot menu by hitting F12 to confirm the USB drive is selected correctly.
Don’t forget to connect via Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi when installing, and always remove the USB after installation to prevent boot issues. You can find more installation tips in our wiki, which might help resolve your issue.
Regarding that media test fail at 4.8%, I wouldn't ignore it. Even if you're confident the media isn't corrupt, it’s still a possibility. If the installation fails because of faulty media, that could lead to more headaches. Maybe try a different USB stick or a different version of AlmaLinux.
Just to be sure, check that your SSD is properly connected. If everything seems fine there, consider trying a different Linux distro altogether to see if the issue persists. If it does, then you might have to look into USB compatibility or BIOS settings more deeply.
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