I recently got a ThinkPad T480s and I'm trying to run Linux alongside Windows, but I'm having trouble booting from a USB. All I get is a black screen when I try. I've tested the USB on my old laptop and it works fine, so I know the USB itself isn't the problem. I've disabled secure boot and the USB is recognized, but it just won't go beyond that point. I'm not sure if it's not booting at all or if it's entering the live environment but failing to display anything.
3 Answers
Let's troubleshoot this! Is your USB a Ventoy Stick? Make sure that Windows is completely shut down and not in sleep mode. Also, turn off the FAST boot in the BIOS. Which Linux distro are you using? Do you see any firmware or POST messages when you try to boot? And don't forget to try all the USB ports!
So, it sounds like things work fine until you start booting into the live environment. Did you check if there's any message like "failed to find .EFI file"? Sometimes letting it run for a few minutes helps. Have you tried accessing a terminal with the keyboard during that time?
Have you considered trying Knoppix Linux? You could burn its disc image to a DVD and boot from that. Just a thought since your laptop doesn't have a CD drive!
I actually don't have a disk reader on the T480s, it's too thin for that.
I've used Etcher to create the USB. Windows is fully shut down, and I'm using Garuda Mokka. I've tried all the ports, but there's no errors—Grub just doesn't show up.