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XPS 8950, Ubuntu bootable USB not seen
My XPS 8950 desktop comes with Windows 11 but I want to install Ubuntu 20.04 on it. I followed instructions from the official Ubuntu website and prepared a bootable USB stick with Rufus tool (I also tried other tools such as Dell's OS Recovery and belenaEtcher but of no avail).
I was able to boot Ubuntu from this USB on other Windows machines but it is not even listed as a boot option when I press F12 during the boot of my Dell desktop (Secure boot is disabled, but other options such as Legacy Boot, USB boot priority etc. cannot even be found in my BIOS menus).
I have seen a similar problem being reported recently XPS 8950, will not boot from Windows 11 USB - Dell Community but solutions offered there did not help me as I cannot even see my bootable USB with Ubuntu.
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Posted March 12th, 2022 15:00
@oduda - You said "Secure boot is disabled", but the image you posted says at its very top "Secure boot: ON".
So which is it? Either you didn't actually disable Secure Boot, or you didn't save the change when you exited BIOS setup.
You probably also need to plug that USB stick into the PC with the power completely off. Then power on and use the F12 menu...
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Posted March 13th, 2022 01:00
Sorry, uploaded the wrong image.
I have taken dozens of them for Dell support.
But what they recommend is just trying a different usb or a different port, which do not really help.
So I was thinking maybe it's because the BIOS is set to UEFI. But there seems to be no way to switch it to legacy on Dell XPS 8950.3486
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Posted March 13th, 2022 16:00
Legacy setting options have been phased out on all PCs, not just Dell, because of Microsoft and Intel requirements. XPS 8940 was first Dell XPS model without a Legacy support option.
What size USB stick are you using and how is it formatted?
Is BIOS set to RAID or AHCI? Look, but don't change it!
Is USB Boot Support enabled in BIOS?
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Posted March 13th, 2022 21:00
@oduda wrote:
So I was thinking maybe it's because the BIOS is set to UEFI. But there seems to be no way to switch it to legacy on Dell XPS 8950.
I think @RoHe covered that question.
You can run the Ubuntu Live USB Flash-Drive .
You should also be able to install Ubuntu on system drive (even with UEFI and SecureBoot) because it is (one of the few) Microsoft authorized Boot-Kits. If you can't get it started the normal-way , you can try the F12-on-boot One-Time-Boot-Menu.
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Posted April 20th, 2022 10:00
NB:
BitLocker is there to prevent access.
I turned mine OFF and installed Linux MINT.
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Posted April 29th, 2022 13:00
Having the exact same issue! Literally bought my XPS 8950 for my Linux development and I can't even boot up from USB. Incredible.
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Posted April 29th, 2022 13:00
Can you elaborate on how to turn bitlocker off please?
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Posted April 29th, 2022 17:00
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Posted May 22nd, 2022 16:00
If you select the option to add a boot device, USB will be one of the options. You need to specify the ISO name and the path to the BOOTx64.EFI file in that ISO. However, I've done that, and have had zero success in getting the image to boot on the XPS 8950.
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Posted March 12th, 2022 13:00
Thank you! We have received the required details. We will work towards a resolution. In the meantime, you may also receive assistance or suggestions from the community members.
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