[Non-Bazzite Issue] Broken Computer
Hey there, I've been experiencing issues with the installer for over 24 hours now and I am unsure what to do
The issue initially was, after getting past grub, the installer would crash (freeze, or force-reboot) randomly during the process (mostly before clicking start while putting in information)
Now I updated the bios and I can't get past Grub
Hardware:
- Motherboard: MSI B550-A Pro (latest non-beta BIOS)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
- GPU: AMD RX 6700xt
Things I have already tried and have the same issue:
- Installing the ISO on 3 different USB sticks
- Redownloading the ISO
- Using Etcher and Fedora Media creator on all 3 USBs
- Using these tools on Windows and Bazzite (Steam Deck)
- Using a vanilla Fedora USB
- Put USB in a different slot on the motherboard
- Removed all other USB devices besides Keyboard/Mouse and Install media
- Used both normal and basic graphics modes (both Bazzite and Fedora)
- Plugged in monitor to Motherboard and External GPU
- Disabled/Enabled internal GPU in both cases
- Used DIsplayport and HDMI
- Used a 4k and 1080p monitor with both connectors
- used a DIsplayport to HDMI adapter
- Physically disconnected the External GPU
- Disabled/Enabled Secureboot
- Disable/Enable TPM and other security settings
- Tweaked basically every other BIOS setting I have at my disposal
- Attempted a few GRUB commands I found via Google, with no luck
there's a few things I'm probably missing (I had to type this twice since Discord ate my last attempt)
any help would be appreciated!
15 Replies
Do you have another computer handy? Your could grab an enclosure and install on an external SSD/nvme and then try boot it once it's installed
Another idea would be to try install Bazzite onto a physical drive or external SSD drive using a virtual machine like the OP did on this reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Bazzite/comments/1jjg4di/finally_got_bazzite_running/ Someone in the comments managed it with VMware workstation and I've done this before with virtualbox
Unfortunately I don't have another PC that supports the nvme I would prefer installing on, but I do have a SSD if there appears to be no other option
I would prefer an option that didn't require ordering an enclosure (I can, but I'm currently without an operating system on my desktop and it would take a while to get here)
Maybe there's an option to install on an external drive, and clone the drive to the nvme?
I know cloning drives exists, but haven't heard if Linux/grub would play nice with that
yeah you can install on another drive and then just copy the partitions over to the nvme drive (in gparted). I think you can also connect to a drive in raw format in a VM if an enclosure doesn't work.
Installed it on an external drive and got to grub
Same issue, black screen and/or force restarts
Have you managed to run anything else like Nobara, Chimera, or Ubuntu? Might be worth trying something else and seeing if the issue is Bazzite/Fedora specific
In the past I've been able to run Manjaro on old BIOS
Even got Fedora/Bazzite to the point of clicking start install before randomly crashing again
I have the feeling it's Fedora related since the same issue happened with a Fedora USB
So I'll give an arch base a try here in a bit
Cool 🙂 good luck hope it works 🙂
Make sure legacy bios/CSM is off
We don't support it under any circumstance
So I think it's a bios issue somehow
I have disabled everything related to "Legacy" and it won't detect the USB for either OS (Manjaro or Bazzite)
If I re-enable "legacy USB support" it sees it again, but has the same issue
It still boots the USB in UEFI mode, but won't detect it if I turn legacy off
(either crashes after grub selection, or hangs on a black screen)
The beta bios that i didn't update to says
"AGESA ComboAm4v2PI 1.2.0.Cc Update"
And "Added security issue of SMM Lock Bypass uCode fix (aka Sinkclose)"
But I'm unsure if either of those would be the issue
Seems to be a microcode thing so I may as well try it
Update: nope, that didn't help
I've adjusted every bios setting again and still have the same issue
It may be the end of grub too since it hung on "booting Bazzite" on my external drive that I installed it to
(rather than the start of actually booting)
So some new findings
Searching my motherboard on google, there's supposedly a hidden "Linux Boot" mode, but is only available after you install an OS apparently (which is what I'm unable to do)
Also plugging in a drive with Bazzite already installed does not unlock this option
A note if others help me look up the motherboard: I have a MSI one, but there's a Gigabyte one of the same name (yay confusion)
Also Ventoy does not seem to help either
I reset my bios,
got it to complain "you need to load the kernel first",
disabled secure boot like other bazzite help forums suggested,
same issue,
stuck on "booting bazzite" from the external install
Ventoy is now also just going back to the main menu when selecting bazzite, and freezing on a "_" screen when selecting other OSs
So I decided to try a win11 iso to see if I'm going crazy or what
it also freezes or gets stuck on the spinny circle too
I know this is now beyond the scope of Bazzite, but if anyone can help, I would like to have any OS again at this point 😅
Very helpful lol
I really can't help you, I don't have your hardware in front of me to debug whatever is wrong with it and I'm not a Windows expert
But I can at least make your issue accurate for the next guy
Very fair, just poking fun at how direct you made it saying "broken computer" lol
Quick thing you can do, this is really all I can offer
Reset your bios to factory settings, change absolutely nothing
Plug in a USB 3.0 drive that has been formatted with the Windows media creation tool from another machine running windows
If you can't boot that, it's honestly time to get your motherboard manufacturer or device builder involved, this is way more fucked than some software or some settings
Yeah probably for the best just to involve them anyway since I can't load anything lmao
Well, if anyone has any ideas before 9am PST tomorrow, let me know lol
(their live support for motherboards isn't 24/7 oof)
Solution
Even MSI says I'm fricked lol
Okay yeah I'm basically screwed
even backflashing didn't work so have to RMA the board