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I'm trying to install openSUSE Tumbleweed to replace Windows 11 on my machine. I've created a live USB stick containing openSUSE Tumbleweed, and set it as the first and only boot option in the UEFI.

Booting from the USB brings up GRUB command line:

Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible device or file completions.

>grub

Entering ls command outputs:

(proc) (hd0) (hd0,mdos1) (hd1) (hd1,gpt5) (hd1,gpt4) (hd1,gpt3) (hd1,gpt2) (hd1,gpt1)

And entering the ls command to show the root partitions for every device name and index, i.e. ls (hd0,1)/ , outputs:

error: ../ ../grub-core/kern/fs.c:121:unkown filesystem

except for (hd1,gpt1), where entering the command ls (hd1,1)/ outputs:

efi/ System Volume Information/

I'm not sure where to go from here to successfully boot into openSUSE TW, any suggestions?

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  • It works for me with the current version of the liveTumbleweed iso file cloned to a USB drive -- 0. Which iso file (file-name) did you download? 1. Please check with sha256sum that the iso file was downloaded correctly; 2. Which tool/method did you use to create the USB boot drive? 3. Please tell us the brand name and model of the computer and graphics chip.
    – sudodus
    Jun 17, 2022 at 22:41
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    @sudodus 0. The file name is openSUSE-Tumbleweed-DVD-x86_64-Snapshot20220614-Media.iso 1. Following this guide to check the iso on windows: link, generates 07d49af21f91846f7e2d2c0cd45697aff271e8ca4934144ce2faa4bd67000beb 2. I used ISO2USB to create the USB boot drive. 3. The brand is DELL, the model is Latitude 3520 running Intel Xe graphics
    – guest
    Jun 17, 2022 at 23:33
  • Was the Windows system shutdown with "Fast Boot" option enabled? That will leave the Windows partition unreadable by Linux.
    – waltinator
    Jun 17, 2022 at 23:54
  • @waltinator I've just checked and "Fast Boost"/Fast Startup was enabled by default. I've disabled it and rebooted the system to try booting from the USB again and I'm still encountering the same issue.
    – guest
    Jun 18, 2022 at 0:07
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    @sudodus 1. I've downloaded a current one + its corresponding sha256sum and can confirm that the hashes match: 69835753b082e3248dd56ccaf0ed2bb35dd3be525386225c6822db9b78fc1246. 2. I am on Windows 11 created the boot drive, this time using Windows Rufus (version 3.18.1877). "Partition scheme" was set to GPT, "File system" was set to NTFS, and "dd-mode" was selected. 3. I have turned off "Secure Boot" via the UEFI. 4. I skipped this step. The result; REJOICE! I was able to successfully boot into openSUSE TW installation screen. Thank you so much for your help :)
    – guest
    Jun 18, 2022 at 21:06

2 Answers 2

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@sudodus comment solved my problem.

@guest, There are a couple of things that I would suggest doing now: 1. Since we find no checksum for your current iso file, please download a current one + plus its corresponding sha256sum. It might be 'good enough' with a 'live' drive, which is smaller (~1GB, while the 'media' file is >4GB), but both should work for you; 2. Several 'ISO2USB' tools are described at the internet, and I don't know if the tool you used is good. I suggest that you use a tool that is cloning from the iso file to the USB drive. – sudodus

In Windows Rufus clones if and only if you select 'dd-mode'. I am sure Win32DiskImager is a cloning tool, and I think Balena Etcher is a cloning tool. Please tell me if you are working in some Linux system, and which system, and I can suggest which tool to use; 3. Next step would be to completely turn off 'Secure Boot' via the boot menus; 4. Next step is to try to boot in 'recovery mode' (maybe similar wording) and/or use the boot option nomodeset. – sudodus

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This is an issue that has to do with the fact that, in their great wisdom, openSUSE decided that they "knew better" and chose to use /boot/grub2/ as their GRUB prefix instead of the de-facto /boot/grub/ (and for the record, they didn't do that because there was a conflicting /boot/grub/ directory on their image or anything, but apparently "just because"...)

This creates an issue when booting in BIOS mode with the current version of Rufus, when the USB drive is written in ISO mode, because, since we need to install a GRUB 2.0 bootloader (unlike UEFI, we can't just pick one present on the ISO), and the GRUB prefix is hardcoded in that bootloader, distros that use a nonstandard prefix create breakage.

We'll add a workaround for that in Rufus 3.19, but in the meantime, and as @sudodus suggested, you should use DD mode when writing your openSUSE media in Rufus, if you are planning to use that media in BIOS/Legacy mode.

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