I'm trying to install Zorin OS alongside Windows 11 on a ThinkPad X1 Yoga. Windows can see the USB drive, but the BIOS and boot manager do not list it as a bootable installer. The only USB-related option I see is "USB HDD," and selecting that simply starts Windows. I created the installer first with Rufus and later tried Ventoy, but neither one appears to boot. I've also tried changing the boot order and using different USB ports. What should I check to make the laptop recognize and boot from the installer?
3 Answers
Start by recreating the installer and verify that the Zorin ISO finished downloading correctly. With Rufus, use GPT as the partition scheme and UEFI as the target system, then choose the default recommended writing mode. Ventoy should also work, but make sure the ISO was copied completely and that you’re selecting the ISO from Ventoy’s menu rather than booting the Windows drive.
The “USB HDD” entry is normally the generic label for a bootable USB device, not necessarily the Windows installation. If selecting it immediately launches Windows, the stick may not contain a valid UEFI bootloader, or the firmware may be falling back to the internal drive. Test the USB on another computer, and if it is not bootable there either, recreate it with a fresh ISO and a different flash drive if possible.
On ThinkPads, open the one-time boot menu with F12 immediately after powering on and look for an entry such as “EFI USB Device” or the flash drive’s manufacturer name. If it still does not appear, enter BIOS setup with F1, confirm USB boot is enabled, and temporarily disable Fast Boot. Secure Boot can sometimes prevent an incorrectly created installer from starting, so you can temporarily turn it off for testing.
I already tried F12, different USB ports, and changing the boot order, but I’ll check the USB boot and Fast Boot settings directly in BIOS.