Cannot boot Ubuntu from USB drive

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Cannot boot Ubuntu from USB drive

I have a 2019 16" MacBook Pro with Intel CPU, running Big Sur 11.2.2. The USB drive is USB-A type, I am plugging it in through a small USB-C to USB-A adapter. I prepared the USB drive following the instructions here:

https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-macos

I also have both security features disabled in the Startup Security Utility as described here:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208198

However, I cannot boot it. I see two "EFI disks" in the boot manager, but neither works. One reports it not be bootable, the other says there is some software to update. The update fails. And the USB drive still cannot be booted.

The same USB drive works with non Apple computers.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Feb 28, 2021 9:29 AM

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Answer 1

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HWTech

Community+ 2026

Level 9

70,238 points

Mar 1, 2021 4:17 PM in response to mikigal

Linux doesn't work very well on the USB-C Macs. Support is very varied and limited and you must be using at least the latest v20.10 version of Ubuntu. I have booted Kubuntu 20.10 on a 2016-2017 MBPro, but I don't think I have ever tried to boot a T2 2018+ Mac. Even though Kubuntu 20.10 worked on a 2016-2017 MBPro I still had to use a wired USB keyboard in order to select "Install Kubuntu" from the Linux menu.

In theory Ubuntu v20.10 should be able to boot from the USB installer on a 2019 MBPro T2 laptop. Macs can be very picky about the USB sticks used for booting so try using another USB stick especially a different brand of USB stick. The quality of USB sticks is also extremely poor.

Here is the only website that I'm aware of that lists what works and doesn't work on the USB-C Macs regarding Linux:

https://github.com/Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux#keyboard--touchpad

If you want to use Linux on this laptop I think you will need to install Linux using a Virtual Machine.

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Answer 2

mikigal Author

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9 points

Mar 2, 2021 5:24 PM in response to mikigal

Some update. I purchased a 32G Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive (https://shop.westerndigital.com/en-sg/products/usb-flash-drives/sandisk-ultra-dual-drive-m30-usb-3-1-type-c#SDDDC2-032G-G46), prepared Ubuntu 20.10 with the procedure mentioned in the original post, and successfully booted Ubuntu up.

Sadly, I changed two variables (USB stick, and Ubuntu version), so I can't tell which one helped.

But this combination works! :-)

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Answer 3

mikigal Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 1, 2021 6:35 PM in response to HWTech

Thank you for the prompt response! :-) It's not like I want to run linux on my MBP as a substitute to macOS, although it would be fun to see it once.

The reason I tried was because I am having a nasty issue with my MBP. The Magic Mouse 2 I am trying to use with it constantly disconnects. There's a long discussion on MacRumors at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-keeps-connecting-to-mysterious-nameless-not-paired-bluetooth-device.2270428, and I pretty much documented all the troubleshooting I have done trying to get to the bottom of it. There was a suggestion to install (or just boot) linux, to see if the mouse is still disconnecting, trying to prove if it's a hardware or a macOS problem. Eventually I installed Windows 10 with bootcamp, and the mouse is not dicsonnecting under Windows.

At the moment it looks like the problem is indeed related to the Find My network, where random Apple devices can connect to my MacBook through BlueTooth, to try to report their location. At least that seems to be the consensus on in the discussion. My last finding also supports it. I re-installed a fresh Big Sur 11.2.2, but did not log in to iCloud. I was using the MBP for a day, without one single mouse disconnect. I then logged in to iCloud, and in an hour my mouse disconnected.

Apple support was pretty much useless, they are trying to send me to service the MBP and have the BT module replaced. And my support case has been going on for about a month now. Still no solution. I posted an other "question" here not long ago, criticizing Apple support, but it was removed. I wonder if this one survives big brother's watching eyes... :-/

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Answer 4

Mar 2, 2021 5:41 PM in response to mikigal

Thanks for the follow-up. I think the SanDisk USB sticks are generally the most reliable out there at this time.

Unfortunately testing Apple hardware using Linux or Windows doesn't really tell you if the hardware is good since both Linux & Windows use/access the hardware a bit differently and perhaps incompletely compared to macOS. I've had situations where Linux will work perfectly fine with an Apple laptop, but macOS will have issues and perhaps even refuse to boot. Recent versions of macOS won't ignore some hardware issues and may refuse to boot or have odd behaviors. It is really frustrating & difficult to identify whether Apple hardware is working correctly these days.

For example I installed an Apple PCIe SSD originally from a MBAir (2013-2015) into a MBPro (2015) laptop and macOS refused to boot and install macOS, but Linux worked perfectly fine with the SSD allowing me to install & boot Linux from the SSD. I was trying to confirm whether I had a bad SSD or a bad Logic Board. While I did confirm my problem here it showed me that macOS behaves oddly when it encounters an unexpected hardware configuration (macOS knew this particular Apple SSD did not belong to this laptop and refuse to work at all). I've seen other things as well so using Linux to troubleshoot Apple hardware issues is not as useful as it used to be (or like it is to troubleshoot traditional Windows PC issues).

Confirming the issue is related to being logged into your AppleID is a great find and you need to confirm it again to be sure it wasn't a fluke. If you reconfirm the AppleID login causing the problem try to get a higher level Apple agent to assist you.

Good luck, I think you will need it.

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Cannot boot Ubuntu from USB drive

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