MX Linux Forum

Relevance:
Support for Windows 8.1 has ended on January 10, 2023

Situation:
The other day I wanted to install MX 21.3 on a ten year old Acer Aspire 17" "notebook". It did not want to enter BIOS and kept booting into Windows.
Note: As this was donated following its owners demise, the password to the user account was unavailable.

Tipp - procedure to follow:
1. Look up e.g. on the internet, the keyboard key required for your computer to enter the BIOS immediately after pressing the power-on button.
2. Start the computer and let it bring up the Windows login screen.
3. Press and hold down the "Shift" key, now using the Windows login options shutdown the computer - keeping the "Shift" key held down until the computer has completely shut down.
4. Press the power button to re-start the computer and immediately start pressing the key required to enter the BIOS. The computer should now boot into the BIOS settings screen.

Not covered:
This post does not cover alterations to the BIOS required to allow the installation of MX 21.3, as they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

@count-72-on-fingers wrote:

Situation:
The other day I wanted to install MX 21.3 on a ten year old Acer Aspire 17" "notebook". It did not want to enter BIOS and kept booting into Windows.

Tipp - procedure to follow:
1. Look up e.g. on the internet, the keyboard key required for your computer to enter the BIOS immediately after pressing the power-on button.
2. Start the computer and let it bring up the Windows login screen.
3. Press and hold down the "Shift" key, now using the Windows login options shutdown the computer - keeping the "Shift" key held down until the computer has completely shut down.
4. Press the power button to re-start the computer and immediately start pressing the key required to enter the BIOS. The computer should now boot into the BIOS settings screen.

I have some corrections:

1. Launch Win 8.1, disable Fast Start Up, then shut down the laptop.
2. Insert your USB MX install drive into the laptop.
3. Boot the laptop. Immediately and repeatedly press F2 to launch into the bios. If you wait until the Windows splash screen appears, you will have
missed the bios launch point by several seconds.
4. In the bios, locate and disable Secure Boot (you may need to create an Administrator's password in order to gain access to this control switch),
Quick Boot, and adjust the boot order so that your USB install drive is given 1st priority.
5. Save and Exit the bios
6. The laptop will boot into a live session of MX where the Install routine can be launched by the user.

Note: I too have an Acer Aspire of the same vintage and these are the steps I used on my machine. You also don't have to search the web for the bios launch key because immediately after POST instructions are written at the bottom left of your screen