Trying to install Fedora 42, failing to boot into usb

[drivermanboything]

I'll just recite what happened because its easier
 

1. Used Fedora Media Writer to write to a 128gb usb 3.2 usb drive
2. Set "USB Hard Disk" (or something like that) to first boot order
3. PC restarts and shows a black screen except for a single backwards L with a blue background
4. PC boots back into windows
5. Try writing again, same result
6. Try using rufus instead, same result
7. Switched to an older 16gb drive, used rufus,
8. Set "USB Key" to 1st boot order
9. Same result

I haven't been able to find anything about this, and its not even saying anything about the boot failing. I don't know if it will help but my motherboard is a msi b550m pro vdh-wifi with bios version from this march and default settings except for oc genie and fan curves.

[C2dan88]

2 hours ago, drivermanboything said:

default settings

Ensure secure boot is disabled? Not all linux distros will boot with it enabled.

 

[NoLeafClover]

Is the drive GPT formatted and does it have an ESP (EFI System Partition)?

 

Does the USB drive appear in the boot device selection screen at all? I don't mean as a generic "USB Disk Drive", rather something like "<OEM>[ <Model>]: Fedora", e.g. "SanDisk: Fedora"? SanDisk used purely as an example, replace with drive manufacturer.

 

If it's not GPT+ESP formatted, then it may be that your BIOS does not find the installation on it because it's set to EFI Only boot, often the default setting on modern boards. I'm not sure what the default partitioning behaviour of the installer is when presented with a blank drive as I always tend to pre-partition my drive before installation. If there's no partition scheme at all, I would expect the installer to partition as GPT. But if you had a MBR partitioned drive, even if all the partitions are removed, unless the MBR record is also removed, it may have used MBR to create the partitions.

 

5 hours ago, C2dan88 said:

Ensure secure boot is disabled? Not all linux distros will boot with it enabled.

 

In general, that's a sound advice. But Fedora will boot with Secure Boot out of the box, there's no need to disable SB.

[drivermanboything]

1 hour ago, NoLeafClover said:

Does the USB drive appear in the boot device selection screen at all? I don't mean as a generic "USB Disk Drive", rather something like "<OEM>[ <Model>]: Fedora", e.g. "SanDisk: Fedora"? SanDisk used purely as an example, replace with drive manufacturer.

It usually says something like "USB Drive: Partition 1/2". Doesn't specify fedora or anything.

1 hour ago, NoLeafClover said:

If it's not GPT+ESP formatted, then it may be that your BIOS does not find the installation on it because it's set to EFI Only boot, often the default setting on modern boards. I'm not sure what the default partitioning behaviour of the installer is when presented with a blank drive as I always tend to pre-partition my drive before installation. If there's no partition scheme at all, I would expect the installer to partition as GPT. But if you had a MBR partitioned drive, even if all the partitions are removed, unless the MBR record is also removed, it may have used MBR to create the partitions.

I have it set to GPT Partition but I don't see an option in rufus to set it to ESP.

[Mo5]

7 hours ago, drivermanboything said:

It usually says something like "USB Drive: Partition 1/2". Doesn't specify fedora or anything.

I have it set to GPT Partition but I don't see an option in rufus to set it to ESP.

Have you tried booting the other partition? Or just all the ones on the USB. Also on rufus sometimes doing it in dd mode works but the other one doesn't.

[m9x3mos]

On 5/18/2025 at 8:16 AM, drivermanboything said:

It usually says something like "USB Drive: Partition 1/2". Doesn't specify fedora or anything.

I have it set to GPT Partition but I don't see an option in rufus to set it to ESP.

If you don't mind formatting the usb. Try setting up ventoy in it and just copy over the iso. I have been using that for years to install oses and I won't go back.