Ubuntu

cannot get into bios at bootup

Asked by Rodney Jackson

I have a single ssd drive with ubuntu 22.04. I did something silly but forget what it was. I reinstalled ubuntu 22.04 in a new partition but it will not let me into bios to change the boot order. I have tried the delete keys (2) I have also tried the F2 key, but it ignores this and boots into the old version of ubuntu 22.04 This old version is terribly slow, when I try to open a firefox browser, it takes about three minutes before it opens. At the boot, I get a choice of booting into the different version but the up and down buttons do not work, so it times out and loads the faulty version by default. How might I get out of this conundrum without going crazy. Thank you all.

Rod

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Ubuntu Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
Manfred Hampl
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#1

1. This question has nothing to do with the "Ubuntu Manpage Repository" project, so I am moving it to "Ubuntu" in general (although it has nothing to do with Ubuntu either).

2. Whether you are able to enter BIOS setup has nothing to do with the installed operating systems.
Entering BIOS is something that comes before any operating system is starting. So it has nothing to do with Ubuntu.

What make and model is your computer?
Do you see a text on the screen after switching on that tells which key to press for entering BIOS setup?
The keys used by different manufacturers are (among others) F2, F10, Esc
Have you tried all of these?

Revision history for this message
Rodney Jackson (jacko777) said : 		#2

Yes, I see the options for entering bios.  I have also checked these
questions online.  Similar answer but no help other than what I have tried.

Since this is not a Linux problem, (and I now see that), then I offer my
apologies for wasting your time.
Being old and also not very computer literate, I didn't realise that
BIOS was a built in thing and not the software.

Thank you for putting me straight on this problem.

Regards,
Rod.

On 23/4/23 21:10, Manfred Hampl wrote:
> Your question #706351 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/706351
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Manfred Hampl proposed the following answer:
> 1. This question has nothing to do with the "Ubuntu Manpage Repository"
> project, so I am moving it to "Ubuntu" in general (although it has
> nothing to do with Ubuntu either).
>
> 2. Whether you are able to enter BIOS setup has nothing to do with the installed operating systems.
> Entering BIOS is something that comes before any operating system is starting. So it has nothing to do with Ubuntu.
>
> What make and model is your computer?
> Do you see a text on the screen after switching on that tells which key to press for entering BIOS setup?
> The keys used by different manufacturers are (among others) F2, F10, Esc
> Have you tried all of these?
>

Revision history for this message
Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said (last edit ): 		#3

What does the system tell about entering the BIOS?
have you tried hitting the mentioned key several times, not just once?

There should also be another option for coping with your problem:
Add the option GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false to your /etc/default/grub configuration file, see
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/12/grub-doesnt-detect-windows-linux-distros-fix

Revision history for this message
Rodney Jackson (jacko777) said : 		#4

Sorry about the delay Manfred, I was tossing up whether or not to take
this box of misery for a swim at the deep end of the local reservoir.  I
bit the bullet and have reformatted the drive and am in the process of
reinstalling everything 'again'.

A sincere thank you for your efforts, I tried everything but it seemed a
hopeless task.  I couldn't install new software to help sort out the
problem, due to "Held broken packages", "You do not have permission to
...etc".  I did as always repeatedly press the delete key during boot-up
but it just kept going to the full boot.  So I gave up.

Hopefully this new installation, 20.04.3 will work OK, I have found
already that I can get into bios now during boot, so that looks promising.

Again Manfred, I thank you for your assistance.

Kind regards,

Rodney Jackson.

On 23/4/23 21:05, Manfred Hampl wrote:
> Your question #706351 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/706351
>
> Project: Ubuntu Manpage Repository => Ubuntu
>

Revision history for this message
Best Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#5

"cannot get into bios" , "you do not have permission to ..." and "held broken packages" are three completely different issues.

"Cannot get into bios" is something related to the computer's BIOS and probably has to be dealt with by pressing the key that is mentioned on the screen when switching on the computer.

"You do not have permission to ..." usually indicates that you try running an administrative command with simple user rights, and that is refused by the system. You have to execute administrative commands with admin rights, and that usually is done by putting "sudo" in front of the command. I.e. "sudo apt ..." instead of "apt ...".

"Held broken packages" is a problem inside Ubuntu, related to the package management system. This usually can be solved by providing certain "apt" or "dpkg" commands. If you provide the full output, then we nay be able ti indicate the correct commands for solving.

Revision history for this message
Rodney Jackson (jacko777) said : 		#6

Thanks Manfred Hampl, that solved my question.