The installation isn't working as expected.
The installation isn't working as expected.
I recently set up a new system with ASUS B850 Max Gaming, WIFI, Radeon 7 - 9800X3D and 23 GB RAM. Mint won’t install properly; it freezes on the loading screen. I managed to run it in compatibility mode after following the steps, but after removing the boot USB and all, nothing happened again—only the Linux Mint logo appeared. I spent about 30 minutes trying, but it didn’t work. My experience with Nobara was worse. There was a verification failure at 0x1A indicating a security violation. So far, I haven’t found any guidance online. I’m unsure how to create a MOK since I don’t know what that means. Asus’s support site didn’t help either. It seems I need to boot into Linux and create a MOK to install the OS. Catch-22 situation. The BIOS appears up to date. I attempted to disable secure boot via online instructions, but it just prevented the installation. I’m new to Linux and my understanding is limited. I made bootable drives for my old PC to test different distros, and even installed Mint on an extra SSD without issues. Assistance needed!
During the boot sequence, use ESC to conceal the display and show the boot logs. If this doesn’t help, navigate to GRUB, select E on the menu labeled Linux Mint, and clear any references to "linux /boot/vmlinuz..." before pressing Ctrl + X to start the system. This will indicate what the boot process is expecting. Secure Boot tricks are in play—don’t stress about them now, just turn it off temporarily. Disabling Secure Boot means your installation failed? What does that imply? Is it possible to boot into a Linux live setup?
Variable outcomes observed. At times ESC remains inactive, other times it switches between the logo and various command prompts. Occasionally it launches GRUB without displaying any content. After reaching the initial Install Mint screen, pressing 'installed' showed the logo and stayed static. Could your motherboard be resistant to Linux?
Are you certain the USB drive is in good condition? I experienced similar issues with cheaper models.
You might attempt to launch those distros in safe graphics mode. Alternatively, append "nomodeset" after the final kernel parameters. When the grub menu appears, press 'e' and modify the last kernel command line. I suspect Mint and Nobara may have outdated AMD firmware or drivers—consider starting with Fedora 43 or Arch-based systems. MOK registration occurs when a functional distro is already running, enabling signing of custom kernel modules such as NVIDIA drivers or third-party dkms drivers.
You're considering MX Linux 25 or Garuda based on ASUS support. It seems your motherboard performs better with the 6.12 kernel or newer. Could that be the problem? It might be tricky for someone new to figure out.
Secure boot is enabled or disabled? You attempted to start from a live Linux installer or an already set-up system. The commands you used define the boot sequence. It would help to observe the steps and identify where it becomes unresponsive. Once installed, apply the alternative method I mentioned to clear the boot animation and display the actual startup flow. Reviewing the boot logs first is advisable before drawing conclusions. Linux Mint runs on kernel version 6.14 at the moment. Also, which GPU are you using? That might be relevant, though it could also point to a problem during the boot phase.