I'm having trouble installing Linux on my Dell Latitude E6510. I used Ventoy to create a bootable USB with two distros: Fedora KDE and PikaOS. Initially, I tried Rufus on Windows, but it wouldn't let me select GPT over MBR. I've switched my BIOS to UEFI, and my Windows is now using GPT too. There's no 'safe boot' option in the BIOS, just a TPM setting that I have turned off. I can't find a CSM setting either. When I boot into Ventoy and select PikaOS, I get to the installation screen, but pressing Enter leads to an endless black screen. It's the same for Fedora. If I try to boot with safe graphics, I get a message saying 'no boot file for UEFI! maybe the image does not support x64 UEFI.' Am I missing something? Should I try a different distribution? Windows boots fine, by the way. My laptop has an Intel i5 and 4GB RAM.
2 Answers
It sounds like you might need to tweak a few BIOS settings. Since you mentioned that CSM isn't available, double-check if you can set the BIOS to both Legacy and UEFI. Also, make sure Secure Boot is disabled, as it can cause issues with Linux installations. Lastly, what version of BIOS are you running? It might help to update it if it's not the latest—Dell's support page has info on that!
No problem! Let me know how it goes after you update it.
If you still have issues after checking your BIOS, consider trying a different distro like MX Linux. I have a similar setup and it runs smoothly. Sometimes, certain distros have better compatibility with older hardware. Just make sure to create the bootable USB with the necessary settings, and check if your USB drive is formatted correctly.
Ohh gee, mine is A04. Hopefully when I get it up to date that fixes things. Didn't even cross my mind to check if I had the latest BIOS lol thank you!