Help needed.

[imbored24]

I can boot from a USB as when i plug in the live boot env to install linux it shows up.

 

[Brickwizard]

Open boot manager by jiggling one of the following [ Acer: ESC, F2, or F12] whist switching on and select the ext drive, does it boot?
If it does, you will need to do a grub update and then make usb first boot in the bios, otherwise it will always boot from the windows drive first

 

[imbored24]

See heres the thing. The extended drive doesn't show in the boot manager. Only the live boot env. Thats my issue. The grub bootloader is installed on the extended hdd. I had installed this on a different computer. I am using it as a to go installation.

 

[Brickwizard]

If you are sure the usb drive already has grub installed, then start by, changing the BIOS boot order to usb first [if it isn't already]

 

[imbored24]

If u didn't read the first post of this thread. The ext drive does not show either in my bios or boot menu. the live env usb does.

 

[Brickwizard]

Then I can only assume there is no grub on it [but then it should still show] or you have a bad connection between the ext drive and the USB port, un plug and plug back in [a couple of times] the SATA to the hard drive connector [this will clear any dry joints you may have and use a different USB port [if you have one] to connect to and try again

 

[imbored24]

Ok

 

[kc1di]

If the different usb port does not work. Did the machine you installed with have UEFI? and does this machine have It?

 

[imbored24]

Yes both machines have UEFI

 

[imbored24]

This issue has been fixed! I found a tool that lets me edit my efi partion and copied over the grub files. Now the ext device shows in my boot menu and boots successfully.

 

[imbored24]

 

[KGIII]

Nice. What was the name of said tool, for future reference?

 

[dancaer69]

2 answer both questions.
Yes windows fast boot has been disabled in the bios.
My machine is a Acer aspire 5 11th gen intel i 5 8gb of ram with a 512gb nvme ssd.
The hard drive is connected through a usb to sata cable.
Yes when i boot into windows the drive is shown in device manager as partitioned.
Model number is: N20C4

I don't have a system with UEFI, but from what I know is that when you install linux on an UEFI machine that has windows already installed, then the already existing EFI partition used(except if you have manually do something else while install linux). So, I think that the bootloader is on EFI partition of the machine you installed linux. When you connect the drive in the other machine, the EFI partition on this machine has the required files for windows only. So, probably you need to install grub on the second machine too(so to add the grub file on that EFI partition), or you need to create an EFI boot partition on the external disk and install grub there.

 

[imbored24]

I don't have a system with UEFI, but from what I know is that when you install linux on an UEFI machine that has windows already installed, then the already existing EFI partition used(except if you have manually do something else while install linux). So, I think that the bootloader is on EFI partition of the machine you installed linux. When you connect the drive in the other machine, the EFI partition on this machine has the required files for windows only. So, probably you need to install grub on the second machine too(so to add the grub file on that EFI partition), or you need to create an EFI boot partition on the external disk and install grub there.

This issue has already been solved. But thanks for trying to help!

 

[kc1di]

Glad you found a solution and it will help others with the same problem in the future. Good going