I'm having a tough time trying to boot Linux from an external SSD on my laptop. I installed Linux on the SSD successfully and can boot from it on the PC where I set it up, but my laptop completely ignores it and goes straight to Windows 11. Has anyone experienced this issue or know how I can resolve it? Thanks in advance!
4 Answers
If you're using UEFI, you can boot into a UEFI shell through the BIOS or another USB Linux installer and manually run the loader from there. It involves navigating to the path where your UEFI loader is located, but it can be a bit technical.
Have you checked your BIOS settings to ensure the USB boot option is prioritized? You might need to set it as the first boot device to get it to recognize your external SSD.
Yes, I made sure the boot order is set to prioritize the USB. I even tried a direct boot, but it still goes back to Windows.
Make sure the boot loader is installed on your external SSD. Sometimes, it ends up on the internal drive, and that would cause your laptop not to recognize it on boot. If you installed it on the SSD, maybe try reinstalling just to be sure?
I thought I selected the SSD for the boot loader installation. Would it be complicated to try again?
It might be related to Windows' quick boot feature. Try disabling quick boot and secure boot in the BIOS. It's a bit risky to turn off secure boot, but it might be worth a shot just once to see if it helps.
I never used the UEFI shell before. Is there a simpler way to do this?