Installation fails because the system is still in the BIOS reset state of Intel.
Installation fails because the system is still in the BIOS reset state of Intel.
The issue arises because your BIOS is set to SATA mode, but Ubuntu requires AHCI mode for proper installation. I switched it to AHCI, which caused Windows to fail to boot. After reverting to Intel RST mode, Windows started working again. However, dual booting remains challenging. My laptop has an Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. I’m looking for guidance on installing Ubuntu on a 2.5-inch SSD if I add one, especially since I need this for my IT engineering studies and current college systems run on Ubuntu.
You might always benefit from a virtual machine. However, your question suggests you'd likely still need to configure the BIOS in AHCI mode unless the drive has its own settings. A possible solution is to install Ubuntu on an external USB stick and boot from there—it should avoid those problems. If you have any USB drivers available, test them first; otherwise, consider using a faster SSD with a USB adapter. Once that's set up, you could attempt to use it in the internal slot as a backup, and if that fails, rely on the USB connection as originally planned.
I previously attempted the external Samsung T5 SSD, which didn’t work well. The Ubuntu setup was slow even with an external drive. Possibly because the installation media is damaged. Regarding virtual machines, I need to transfer my USB drives to the VM but it doesn’t recognize them. I’d really prefer having Linux installed on my primary drive. I can’t even run Windows installers smoothly—some programs like AutoCAD are being used heavily. Would you consider using a Windows subsystem for Linux? I’ve heard about it but never tried it before.
You’d likely need to configure the BIOS so Ubuntu can detect the storage, then reinstall Windows and later add Ubuntu alongside it. Be mindful that dual booting on the same device isn’t ideal—Windows often resets the bootloader during updates, blocking Linux setup. Also, Optane may cause issues since Intel doesn’t support Linux well there. Your needs will determine whether you get a GUI or have to use a virtual machine. Installing the SSD internally could help, as these are typically SATA drives housed in an adapter case.
Ouch! I thought Microsoft was really embracing Linux once. Actually, no—it’s a USB-C based device using just a USB-A to USB-C cable. Plus, I can’t open the drive. I’m planning to buy an SSD and install it instead to see how it works. That little intel RST feature is really giving me trouble.
I don’t have an optane module either. It’s just a 512GB NVMe SSD from Kingston that came with the device out of the box. When it left the factory, it was set up with that Intel RST premium feature, which is the root of the issue. Instead of letting you use it normally, Intel has introduced confusing names and settings to make your experience difficult. Now, switching it to AHCI works on Ubuntu, but Windows won’t boot because of the Intel Rapid Storage technology installed.
Thanks for your assistance. I purchased a 2TB external hard drive and partitioned it to set up Ubuntu, which worked perfectly. I’m unable to use Wine since I’m also trying to edit music and videos, as those programs aren’t available on Linux and Wine doesn’t perform well with them.