I have an older laptop that I used to install Linux Mint for practice, and now that I'm feeling more confident, I've reformatted the USB flash drive and reinstalled Mint on it. However, when I try to boot from the USB on my main laptop to install Mint, it doesn't seem to work. Did I corrupt the original installation somehow, or is the USB flash drive itself causing issues?
Additionally, after re-flashing the drive using Balena Etcher, it no longer shows up in the boot menu. During the flashing process, I encountered a formatting error. I've attempted to remount the ISO again, but I received an error stating "invalid signature" and the drive still won't appear in the boot menu. Should I consider trying a different USB drive?
3 Answers
Did you get any specific error messages when trying to boot? "Did not work" is a bit vague. It's tough to pinpoint the issue without more details, but if your USB drive isn't even showing up, that's a big hint that something went wrong. Like others mentioned, re-checking secure boot and ensuring your USB is correctly formatted could help. If issues persist, switching to a different flash drive might be your best bet.
One troubleshooting step you might try is using a different USB port—sometimes the port can cause issues, especially if it's a USB 3.0 port and the BIOS is set to prioritize USB 2.0. Additionally, remember to safely eject the USB after flashing to ensure everything gets written properly. If Balena's giving you formatting errors, it might really be time to swap out the drive. Good luck!
It sounds like a classic case of USB boot issues! First things first, ensure that secure boot is disabled in your BIOS settings—it can sometimes interfere with booting from USB. If you’ve already done that, make sure your USB is formatted correctly as FAT32, and try flashing it again with Balena Etcher. If the USB drive still doesn't show up in the boot menu, there's a good chance it may be faulty, so trying another drive could be a good idea.
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