I recently installed Linux on an external SSD and can boot from it using my desktop. However, when I try to boot from the same SSD on my laptop, it skips the attempt and goes straight to Windows 11. I've checked the boot settings, but nothing seems to work. Any ideas on what might be causing this issue?
5 Answers
Have you made sure to check the BIOS settings? You might need to set the USB drive as the first boot option. Sometimes it's a simple fix!
If your laptop uses UEFI, you might need to manually create a boot entry for the external SSD. The installation on your desktop may not set it up for the hardware in your laptop.
I thought the installation on the external drive would handle that. Is creating a boot entry difficult?
Try disabling secure boot too. It's not usually recommended, but for troubleshooting this issue, it could help. Just remember to turn it back on later if it works!
You might want to disable the quick boot feature in your BIOS settings. This can help the laptop recognize the external SSD properly.
Check if the external drive is MBR or GPT and whether your laptop is set to boot in Legacy or UEFI mode. If the boot mode doesn't match the drive, it won't boot. Also, make sure the USB port is functional! You can hit F12 during boot to manually select your boot drive if your laptop allows it.
Yeah, I did that, but it still goes to Windows.