Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

rubyx · 2026-09-12 13:13:58

Hi im trying to install inux via grub beacause i cant boot in my usb with my bios but everytime i try with

set root=(hd1,msdos1)
chainloader +1
boot.

it dont boot why ?

cryptearth · 2026-09-12 14:12:47

"bios who block" -> https://deepl.com
as for your issue: what system EXACTLY? exact model number
where did you got grub in the first place?
what EXACTLY do you mean by "bios blocks boot from usb"?
where did you got the posted code from?

rubyx · 2026-09-13 10:01:22

im on a thinkpad x220
i got grub by installing mint with windows recovery
i mean my bios (legacy not uefi) have a password that i dont know
and i got this on gemini

cryptearth · 2026-09-13 10:20:28

rubyx wrote:

and i got this on gemini

stop wasting time with A-not-I - both yours and ours
so your bios is locked - that's something different from it blocking usb: you just can't access it
unfortunate to gain access it's required to get pgysical - may search for a nearby computer shop and ask if they can help
why you can't access the usb from within grub: usually grub, as most bootloaders, only has access to the partition it started from, maybe to the entire drive - as you booted grub from the harddrive it likely only loads AHCI but not USB; and the thumbdrive is not presented by the bios boot stack
to me the simplest option seems to place arch kernel, initrd and install squashfs in the place where mint boots from so grub can access it
i wasn't able to verify but if the device has an optical drive you may could have luck with that
pxe is likely disabled, too

mithrial · 2026-09-13 11:34:59

If this is your device, resetting the bios password would be the best option here.

cryptearth · 2026-09-13 12:48:51

mithrial wrote:

If this is your device, resetting the bios password would be the best option here.

yea, ask that google: the thinkpad x200 series seem to have two passwords: a boot password which is to prevent booting the system - and a supervisor password to access the bios settings
in order to clear the supervisor password it's not enough to just disconnect the cmos battery as you do with a regular desktop atx board - but it's stored in a non-volatile memory - and to overwrite it several guides read: open case, find the eeprom, bridge its spi contacts, then you can enter bios without password
even i would be very carefull trying that stund as shorting out a common bus used to communicate with maybe more than just that eeprom can cause all sorts of issues
tl;dr: unless OP already knows the required password, which doesn'T looks like it, "just reset it" is "a bit" more complicated

seth · 2026-09-13 15:43:12

i got grub by installing mint with windows recovery

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Instal … ting_Linux

But why can't you install arch the same way?

likely only loads AHCI but not USB

insmod usb
insmod usbms

?

teckk · Yesterday 23:25:28

https://github.com/bacher09/pwgen-for-bios
https://bios-pw.org/

chrislleyalves · Today 05:12:55

Why do you not remove the HD and put only the USB? Many BIOS when not finding a HD, automatically tries to read another device, like USB, NET...

Last edited by chrislleyalves (Today 05:14:04)

Arch Linux

#1 2026-09-12 13:13:58

Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#2 2026-09-12 14:12:47

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#3 2026-09-13 10:01:22

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#4 2026-09-13 10:20:28

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#5 2026-09-13 11:34:59

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#6 2026-09-13 12:48:51

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#7 2026-09-13 15:43:12

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#8 Yesterday 23:25:28

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

#9 Today 05:12:55

Re: Installing arch with a bios who block the usb boot

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