Live Linux USB and UEFI Secure Boot: A Quick Guide to Make Them Compatible

Today, I tried to set up a live Linux USB with UEFI secure boot, and it took me a whole afternoon. Let me tell you about the whole process.

First, I found a spare USB drive and wanted to use it to create a bootable Linux USB. I remembered that a while ago, I had used a tool called Rufus to make bootable USBs, so I went ahead and found it. It turned out to be super easy to use. I just downloaded the Linux ISO file, opened Rufus, selected the ISO, and clicked “Start.” It was pretty straightforward.

However, when I plugged the USB into my computer and tried to boot from it, I ran into a problem. My computer has this thing called UEFI Secure Boot enabled, which is like a security feature. It wouldn’t let me boot from the USB drive because of it. I was stuck for a bit and didn’t know what to do.

I spent some time searching online. I learned that the usual way to create bootable USBs for UEFI Secure Boot is to simply copy the files from the ISO to a FAT32-formatted USB drive. So, I formatted my USB drive to FAT32 and copied the files over. I thought that was it, but it still didn’t work! My computer just refused to boot from the USB.

I stumbled upon another tool called “LinuxLive USB Creator”, also known as Lili. So I downloaded it and made a bootable USB for Lubuntu 13.04, 64bit. But again, it didn’t work. The computer just wouldn’t recognize it as a bootable device with UEFI Secure Boot enabled.

Then I started to think, maybe it’s because of the specific Linux distribution I was using. I decided to try another one – Kali Linux. This time, I followed a guide specifically for creating a Kali Linux Live USB with a persistent partition, which means I can save my files and settings on the USB drive. The guide was a bit long, but I followed it step-by-step. I formatted the USB drive, partitioned it, and copied the Kali Linux files over.

Finally, after all that effort, I managed to create a live Linux USB drive that could boot with UEFI Secure Boot enabled! When I plugged it in and restarted my computer, it worked. I saw the Kali Linux boot menu, and I could choose to boot into the live environment or install it. It was such a relief to see it working after all the trouble I went through.

It seems that some Linux distributions can work with UEFI Secure Boot if you just copy their files to a FAT32 USB drive, while others, like Kali, might require a more specific process. The thing is, there are so many tools and ways to create bootable USB drives, and it was hard to find the right one. After trying a few different methods, I realized that the distribution itself also plays a big role in whether it works with UEFI Secure Boot or not.

So, if you ever find yourself in the same situation, remember to check if the Linux distribution you’re using supports UEFI Secure Boot out of the box. If it doesn’t, you might need to try a different tool or follow a specific guide for that distribution. It can be a bit of a hassle, but trust me, it’s definitely possible to get it working!

• What I have done:
• Used Rufus to create a bootable USB.
• Tried copying files to a FAT32-formatted USB.
• Used LinuxLive USB Creator (Lili).
• Followed a guide to create a Kali Linux Live USB with a persistent partition.
• What I have learned:
• Some Linux distributions support UEFI Secure Boot out of the box.
• Others may require a specific process or tool.
• The choice of distribution and the method used to create the bootable USB can affect compatibility with UEFI Secure Boot.

It was a long and frustrating process, but I learned a lot about UEFI Secure Boot and creating bootable USB drives. Hopefully, my experience can help someone else out there who’s struggling with the same issue.