I'm trying to revive my old HP 6560b laptop from 2011 by installing Linux, but I'm having some issues. I've replaced the original hard drive with a 128GB SSD, updated the BIOS, and upgraded the RAM to 8GB. However, every time I install Ubuntu or Linux Mint from a USB, I get a "Boot device not found" error after installation. Interestingly, Windows 10 installs and boots without a hitch. I've also checked that this laptop uses legacy BIOS, and UEFI isn't a good fit for it. I've used Rufus to create the USB with MBR, but that hasn't worked either, and Balena Etcher didn't help. Any advice on how to solve this? Thanks!
4 Answers
It sounds like the problem might be related to how the partition tables are set up. You could try creating an MBR partition table using GParted and setting up a root partition manually before you install. There's an older guide for Linux Mint that might be helpful: foxclone.org/downloads/20230509-LM21_legacy.pdf.
Hey there! When you power up your HP, try hitting Esc to access the boot menu and select the SSD manually. Also, check your BIOS settings: make sure to disable Secure Boot, enable CSM (if it’s available), and verify that your SSD is recognized in BIOS. Lastly, ensure your ISO isn't corrupted by verifying the download.
Secure boot is disabled, and I also tried installing Linux Mint XFCE.
I had similar issues but resolved them by using Ventoy for my USB drive and ensuring the BIOS was configured correctly for legacy installs. If you're aiming for something lightweight, consider trying Antix or the XFCE version of Mint.
Before you embark on any installations, I recommend booting from a live flash drive first. This way, you can check if your hardware works well with the Linux distribution before committing to the installation.
How do I check if it is compatible? Sorry if I sound dumb, I’m still new to Linux.
This actually worked, thanks so much!