Arch Linux

oga

Member

Registered: 2026-07-11

Posts: 3

Arch iso on usb refuses to boot no matter what

I currently have Arch installed without luks disk encryption. I want to back up my system and install a fresh copy of arch with luks.
I have fussed with this and every solution I could find online has been tried twice. When I try to boot the usb, it starts booting, goes through the first "batch" of screen text, blanks out and never comes back to the second batch of screen text. Then its frozen with a black screen.

So I have spent the last 2 months trying to get the usb to boot. Tried everything I could find. My laptop is a legion 5.

Is there anyone that could help me get the usb to boot or can an alternative way to install luks with arch be used? I am not a linux guru. I can usually fumble my way through things but now I am stuck and need help.

cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 2,267

Re: Arch iso on usb refuses to boot no matter what

have you tried to throw it out the window and use a device with an amd gpu instead of nvid?
sorry for being sarcastic but i can't take issues about laptops with nvid gpu seriouly
go windows or go amd

oga

Member

Registered: 2026-07-11

Posts: 3

Re: Arch iso on usb refuses to boot no matter what

have you tried to throw it out the window and use a device with an amd gpu instead of nvid?
sorry for being sarcastic but i can't take issues about laptops with nvid gpu seriouly
go windows or go amd

It booted just fine 2 years ago and has run without error for 2 years. Best version of linux I have ever used. Got no complaints.
Are you saying my fail to boot usb is from nvidia?

Ubuntu and mint usb drives boot without issue too.

AND..... I don't have the coin to buy another laptop right now. Anyone else?

Last edited by oga (2026-07-11 01:52:32)

dimich

Member

From: Kharkiv, Ukraine

Registered: 2009-11-03

Posts: 713

Re: Arch iso on usb refuses to boot no matter what

When I try to boot the usb, it starts booting, goes through the first "batch" of screen text, blanks out and never comes back to the second batch of screen text.

Does it reach Arch ISO boot menu? If yes, try the following: on "Arch Linux install medium (x86_64, UEFI)" press 'e'. Append "nomodeset" to the kernel command line, so it looks like

archisobasedir=arch archisosearchuuid=2026-06-01-15-21-12-00 nomodeset

and press Enter.

oga

Member

Registered: 2026-07-11

Posts: 3

Re: Arch iso on usb refuses to boot no matter what

When I try to boot the usb, it starts booting, goes through the first "batch" of screen text, blanks out and never comes back to the second batch of screen text.

Does it reach Arch ISO boot menu? If yes, try the following: on "Arch Linux install medium (x86_64, UEFI)" press 'e'. Append "nomodeset" to the kernel command line, so it looks like

archisobasedir=arch archisosearchuuid=2026-06-01-15-21-12-00 nomodeset

and press Enter.

OK I got it to work. I am going to put your nomodeset on hold for now, let me explain.

When the person replied above it was my Nvidia card screwing it up It made me think. I went into the bios and disable nvidia and used the native motherboard chip (intel).
Holy smokes it booted right up, so it was the nvidia borking the usb boot of arch.
Once I got booted to arch I realized it wasnt GUI. When I saw the command line installer I remembered I actually went for Endeavor 2.8 years ago during the install because my laptop is a dual boot with windows and I didnt want to try and setup all the partitions in command line. So I went with Endeavor Live ISO and Endeavor has an Nvidia menu line to boot with Nvidia drivers, which worked.
So thats how I did it almost 3 years ago, I just completely forgot. As Homer would say....DOH.

I do have a question about installing with luks and dual booting with winblowz. Is this how I reload Endeavor with luks encryption?

Boot to live usb
Delete all linux partitions
Install endeavor with luks on new partitions?

Is there more to it?

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,236

Re: Arch iso on usb refuses to boot no matter what

You'll have to ask on endeavour OS support channels for that as this forum is for archlinux support only and we have no idea how Endeavour does things.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dual_boot_with_Windows and https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dm-crypt should help to get you on your way.

Moderator Note
I or my colleagues may close this thread, but as the issue was with arch install iso dustbinning it feels wrong.

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky