Openai/690f8ac2-4e38-8012-b650-1cba68fd0972

Zorin OS boot issue

Generated: 2025-11-08 22:18:39

Prompt: I have installed Zorin OS 18 on an HP Elitebook 8460p, but am having a boot error. After going through BIOS, the computer does a system restart and begins a cycle. I have changed the boot options to UEFI from Legacy. Troubleshoot.

ChatGPT: Let’s go step-by-step — this is a fairly common issue when installing Zorin OS (or Ubuntu-based distros) on older HP EliteBooks like the 8460p, especially when switching between Legacy (BIOS) and UEFI boot modes.

Your HP EliteBook 8460p is cycling through BIOS → reboot → BIOS again because:

• The bootloader (GRUB) was installed for Legacy/MBR, but BIOS is now set to UEFI, or
• The EFI boot entry for Zorin is missing or misconfigured.

Boot from your Zorin USB installer again.

• When the live USB loads, open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).
• Run:

   [ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"
  

If it says “Legacy mode”, Zorin was installed for MBR (not UEFI).

Enter BIOS (F10 on boot):

• Reset BIOS to defaults (there’s usually an option for this).
• Then set: * Boot Mode → Legacy (if Zorin was installed in Legacy mode) * OR keep UEFI if Zorin was installed in UEFI mode * Disable Secure Boot (the 8460p doesn’t support it well anyway) * Check Boot Order → ensure “Zorin” or “Ubuntu” appears first (if UEFI) * Save changes and reboot

If you switch between Legacy/UEFI without reinstalling GRUB, it won’t boot.

Boot again into the Zorin Live USB → Choose “Try Zorin”.

Open a terminal and run these commands to reinstall GRUB correctly for your chosen mode:

sudo fdisk -l
# Find your Linux root partition, e.g. /dev/sda2
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda
sudo update-grub

sudo fdisk -l
# Find EFI partition, usually /dev/sda1 (type EFI System)
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt          # root
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi # EFI
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin
sudo update-grub

Then reboot:

sudo reboot

It’s likely BIOS can’t find a valid EFI entry.

From live USB:

sudo efibootmgr

If no “Zorin” or “Ubuntu” entry appears, manually add one:

sudo efibootmgr --create --disk /dev/sda --part 1 --label "Zorin" --loader "\EFI\Zorin\grubx64.efi"

Then reboot again.

If the above doesn’t work and you don’t have important files yet:

• In BIOS, pick either UEFI or Legacy and stick with it.
• Reinstall Zorin OS from scratch using that same mode.

When booting the installer USB:

• If the boot menu says “UEFI: USB”, that means the installer is using UEFI mode.
• If it says just “USB”, that’s Legacy mode.

Install in whichever matches your BIOS setting.

Would you like to tell me whether you installed Zorin with “Erase disk” or “Something else” (manual partitioning)? That’ll help me give exact mount points for your GRUB reinstall commands.

Prompt: Step 1 revealed Legacy mode. I have disabled UEFI in the BIOS setup, am am now getting "BootDevice Not Found" and "Hard Disk - (3F0)" errors.

ChatGPT: Perfect — that tells us a lot. 👍 You’ve now confirmed that Zorin OS was installed in Legacy (MBR) mode, but the BIOS can’t find the bootloader on the hard drive — hence the “BootDevice Not Found (3F0)” message.

Let’s fix that systematically.

When you disabled UEFI, the BIOS is now trying to find a Legacy/MBR boot record on your disk. However:

• GRUB (the bootloader) might not have installed properly, or
• The BIOS boot order isn’t pointing to the right drive, or
• The MBR boot code was overwritten or never written at all.

Press F10 on startup → open BIOS Setup.

• Under System Configuration → Boot Options: * Set Legacy Support → Enabled * Set UEFI Boot → Disabled * Under Legacy Boot Order, move your Notebook Hard Drive to the top
• Press F10 to save and exit.

Now reboot once. If it still says “BootDevice Not Found,” continue to the next step.

Insert your installation USB and choose “Try Zorin” again.

Open the Terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).

Run:

sudo fdisk -l

Look for a partition with Linux filesystem type — typically /dev/sda2. Note your disk name (e.g., /dev/sda) and that partition name (e.g., /dev/sda2).

Replace sda2 with your partition name:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt

If you have a separate boot partition, also mount it:

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot

(If unsure, skip that second line — it won’t hurt.)

Now reinstall GRUB to the disk, not a partition:

sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda
sudo update-grub

You should see messages like:

Installing for i386-pc platform.
Installation finished. No error reported.

That’s what we want.

sudo reboot

Remove the USB when prompted (or as soon as the HP logo appears). If successful, GRUB should load and let you boot into Zorin.

Let’s test whether the BIOS is detecting your drive correctly:

1. Boot into BIOS again → under Diagnostics → Run HDD self-test. * If it fails, your hard drive might be loose or failing.
2. If it passes, go back into the Boot Order and recheck: * Notebook Hard Drive must be enabled and at the top. * Some HPs also have “UEFI Hybrid (with CSM)” — try that if plain Legacy fails.

If GRUB still won’t show, boot from Live USB again and use:

sudo grub-install /dev/sda
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

This forces a fresh bootloader rebuild.

Would you like to paste the output of sudo fdisk -l here (just the disk/partition table)? That will let me confirm exactly where GRUB should install — sometimes HP partitions make /dev/sda1 a small FAT32 diagnostic area.

Prompt: I see a Legacy Boot Order, but there is no "Legacy Support Enabled" options.

ChatGPT: Good catch — and that’s totally normal for your specific laptop model.

The HP EliteBook 8460p (circa 2011) uses an old-style BIOS with optional UEFI support, not the newer hybrid firmware that shows “Legacy Support” as a toggle. In this machine, the presence of a “Legacy Boot Order” list already means Legacy mode is active — there’s no separate “Legacy Support” setting.

Let’s work with what the 8460p actually offers.

In BIOS (press F10 → System Configuration → Boot Options):

• UEFI Boot Mode → Disabled
• Legacy Boot Order → should list: * Notebook Hard Drive * USB Diskette on Key/USB Hard Disk * USB CD/DVD ROM * Network Adapter
• Move Notebook Hard Drive to the top of that list.
• Save changes (F10 to save, then Enter).

If that’s all correct, the 8460p is now in pure Legacy mode.

From the same BIOS menu:

• Go to Storage → Device Configuration
• Check that the hard drive (HDD/SSD) is detected (e.g., “ST500LM000...” or similar). * ❌ If it says “No drive detected”, then the drive cable may be loose — common in this model. 👉 Power off, remove the back cover, reseat the drive firmly, and try again.

If the drive is detected, proceed.

Boot into “Try Zorin OS” again.

Then in the terminal:

sudo fdisk -l

Identify your Zorin partition (e.g. /dev/sda2), and the main disk (e.g. /dev/sda).

Now mount and reinstall GRUB in Legacy mode:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda
sudo update-grub

Look for:

Installing for i386-pc platform.
Installation finished. No error reported.

If you see that, you’re good.

Then:

sudo reboot

Remove the USB right when the HP logo appears.

Try these BIOS settings:

• Under Boot Options, enable “UEFI Hybrid (with CSM)” if it’s available — this sometimes works as a fallback on HP systems.
• Then reorder again so the Notebook Hard Drive is first.

If that fails, you can also explicitly rewrite the Master Boot Record:

sudo grub-install --recheck --target=i386-pc /dev/sda

Once you’re booted into Zorin, confirm the BIOS sees GRUB properly:

sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/boot /dev/sda
sudo update-grub

That ensures your MBR stays synced with your system.

Would you like to paste the output of:

sudo fdisk -l

here so I can confirm exactly which partition should have GRUB installed? That’ll let me tailor the exact commands for your drive setup — sometimes HP recovery or diagnostic partitions sit in front of Zorin and can confuse GRUB’s install target.

Prompt: In step 2, I don't see "Storage"

ChatGPT: Perfect — thanks for checking carefully. The HP EliteBook 8460p BIOS has a few different layouts depending on version (F.60 through F.67, etc.), and in some, the “Storage” menu is hidden under another heading. Let’s navigate the BIOS precisely for your model.

Restart the laptop and press F10 repeatedly to enter BIOS Setup. Once inside, follow this layout (it’s a bit older than modern ones):

1. File
2. Security
3. Diagnostics
4. System Configuration

There is no “Storage” tab in this generation — HP moved those controls into other menus.

In BIOS, use the arrow keys to select:

→ File → System Information

Look for:

Primary Hard Drive: [drive name]

You should see something like:

Primary Hard Drive: ST500LM000-1EJ162 (500 GB)

If it says:

Primary Hard Drive: Not Installed

then the BIOS is not detecting the disk at all.

➡️ If it’s NOT detected, power off, remove the back cover (two latches), and reseat the HDD/SSD:

• Slide it out gently.
• Check for dust or a loose SATA connector.
• Reseat it firmly and screw/clip it back in.

Then boot back into BIOS and check again.

Now go to:

→ System Configuration → Boot Options

• UEFI Boot Mode → Disabled
• Scroll down to Legacy Boot Order * Make sure Notebook Hard Drive is enabled and at the top
• Press F10 to save and Enter to confirm.

Then the issue is 100% a missing or broken bootloader.

You can fix that from your Zorin Live USB:

sudo fdisk -l

Look for your main Linux partition — likely /dev/sda2.

Then run:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

From the BIOS main screen: → Diagnostics → Hard Disk Self Test

Run the “Quick Test.” If it fails, the drive may be damaged (common on older EliteBooks).

If you’d like, you can paste the output of:

sudo fdisk -l

and I’ll confirm exactly which partitions are which — sometimes HP recovery partitions can interfere with GRUB placement. That’ll let me tell you exactly what to type to reinstall the bootloader correctly for your specific layout.

Prompt: Drive is not detected. It was detected when it booted Windows 10.

ChatGPT: Excellent troubleshooting — that detail is crucial. If your HP EliteBook 8460p detected the drive under Windows 10 but now doesn’t see it at all in BIOS after switching from UEFI to Legacy, then the issue isn’t (yet) hardware — it’s a firmware/partition table mismatch.

Let’s unpack this carefully so you can get the drive showing again.

When you installed Windows 10 originally, it was almost certainly installed in UEFI mode with a GPT partition table. Zorin OS was installed in Legacy mode, which uses MBR.

When you switched BIOS from UEFI → Legacy, the BIOS now only looks for MBR-style drives. If your disk uses GPT (from the Windows 10 setup), the older BIOS firmware won’t even list it as a valid boot or storage device — it appears as “Not Installed.”

✅ So: the disk itself is fine — BIOS just doesn’t recognize GPT under Legacy mode.

Since the drive was visible before under Windows 10 and UEFI, this is the least invasive fix.

1. Boot into BIOS (F10)
2. Go to System Configuration → Boot Options
3. Set: * UEFI Boot Mode → Enabled * Legacy Boot Order → Disabled or leave secondary * Secure Boot → Disabled (if visible)
4. Save and reboot

Then check BIOS → File → System Information again — your Primary Hard Drive should now reappear. Once it’s detected, you can reinstall Zorin OS in UEFI mode to match the drive’s GPT layout.

👉 In the Zorin installer, make sure you boot the USB as:

That ensures the installer uses EFI partitions correctly.

Only do this if you prefer Legacy mode and don’t care about erasing the drive.

From the Zorin Live USB:

sudo gdisk /dev/sda

If it warns you that the disk uses GPT, you can convert it:

1. Press r (recovery & transformation)
2. Press g (convert GPT → MBR)
3. Press w (write changes)
4. Type Y to confirm

Then reinstall Zorin OS with BIOS set to Legacy. After this, the disk will appear again even with UEFI disabled.

The 8460p actually handles UEFI mode fairly well (even though it’s an older hybrid BIOS). So the recommended path is:

→ Re-enable UEFI → Reinstall Zorin OS in UEFI mode → Use GPT partitions (automatically handled by the installer)

That’ll give you the most reliable boot and future compatibility.

If you want to check the disk’s partition style before reinstalling, boot Zorin Live USB and run:

sudo parted -l

Look for:

Partition Table: gpt

If it says gpt, that confirms you need UEFI enabled.

Would you like me to give you the exact partition setup and bootloader steps for reinstalling Zorin in UEFI mode (keeping GPT and your current BIOS settings)? That will ensure it boots cleanly and avoids the loop you had before.

Prompt:

have re-enabled UEFI mode and the System Information page in BIOS still is not showing any storage devices.

ChatGPT: Good — that narrows things down sharply.

If your HP EliteBook 8460p’s BIOS still doesn’t list the drive under File → System Information even after re-enabling UEFI, then one of the following is happening:

• The 8460p uses a SATA connection on a small adapter board that can come loose.
• Vibration or pulling the bottom cover off can partially unseat it.

→ Quick test:

1. Power off, remove the battery and AC adapter.
2. Open the bottom panel (two latches).
3. Slide the HDD/SSD out, check the SATA contacts, reseat firmly.
4. Boot into BIOS and check File → System Information again.

If it now appears, the issue was purely mechanical. (Common after OS reinstall attempts.)

Sometimes BIOS flips from AHCI to RAID or vice-versa after reset. When that happens, older SSDs/HDDs can “disappear” until the correct mode is restored.

→ Check this:

1. In BIOS, open System Configuration → Device Configurations (sometimes “Built-in Device Options”).
2. Look for SATA Device Mode or SATA Native Mode. * Set it to AHCI (not RAID or IDE).
3. Save and reboot to BIOS.
4. See if the drive now shows under File → System Information.

If neither reseating nor AHCI helps and the drive was visible under Windows recently, then BIOS may be unable to read the drive’s GPT because of a damaged partition table or boot sector.

You can test this with the Zorin Live USB:

1. Boot the Live USB.
2. At the “Try or Install Zorin” screen, choose Try Zorin.
3. Open Terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and run:

    sudo lsblk
   

   or

    sudo fdisk -l
   

   * If the drive appears here, the BIOS just isn’t recognizing it, but Linux still can. You can back up data and reinstall normally. * If the drive does not appear, it’s not responding on the SATA bus → either connector or hardware failure.

Would you mind running this from the Zorin Live USB and pasting the result?

sudo fdisk -l

That will confirm whether Linux sees the disk even though BIOS doesn’t — a very helpful clue before assuming a hardware fault.

Prompt: Linux sees the disk.

ChatGPT: Perfect — that’s a very important finding. 👍

It tells us:

So the BIOS isn’t “seeing” the drive because it’s formatted as GPT (for UEFI) but either:

• Missing a proper EFI System Partition (ESP), or
• Has a broken EFI boot entry that HP’s firmware won’t recognize.

Let’s fix this the safe way so your system boots normally again.

We’ll make your BIOS detect and boot from the disk in UEFI mode by:

1. Ensuring UEFI is enabled and correct.
2. Making sure an EFI partition exists and GRUB is installed to it.

Press F10 at startup → BIOS setup.

Under System Configuration → Boot Options:

• ✅ UEFI Boot Mode: Enabled
• 🚫 Legacy Boot: Disabled (or secondary)
• ✅ Secure Boot: Disabled (the 8460p doesn’t support it anyway)
• Boot order: make sure OS Boot Manager or Zorin/Ubuntu is first

Save changes (F10, then Enter).

Open the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).

Run:

sudo fdisk -l

Find:

• The Linux root partition (usually something like /dev/sda2)
• The EFI System Partition (ESP) — small, ~100–500 MB, FAT32, marked as “EFI System”

Let’s assume:

• EFI partition = /dev/sda1
• Root partition = /dev/sda2

If you don’t see any “EFI System” partition at all — we’ll create one in Step 4.

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

Remove the USB when prompted.

If all goes well, you’ll see GRUB appear and Zorin boot normally. 🎉

If fdisk -l didn’t show one (no FAT32 “EFI System” partition), we’ll make one manually:

⚠️ Only do this if you don’t need to preserve data.

From the live USB terminal:

sudo gdisk /dev/sda

Then:

1. Press n → new partition
2. Choose the first free sector (usually default)
3. Size: +512M
4. Type: ef00 (this marks it as an EFI System Partition)
5. Press w to write changes and confirm.

Then format it:

sudo mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sda1

Then repeat Step 3 to install GRUB to it.

Sometimes the HP EFI boot entry isn’t created properly. Boot back into the Live USB and run:

sudo efibootmgr

If you don’t see a “Zorin” or “Ubuntu” entry, add one manually:

sudo efibootmgr --create --disk /dev/sda --part 1 --label "Zorin" --loader "\EFI\Zorin\grubx64.efi"

Then reboot.

After you successfully boot into Zorin, confirm EFI mode:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It should print UEFI mode.

Would you like to paste the output of your sudo fdisk -l here (just the part showing /dev/sda)? That’ll let me verify your partition table and tell you exactly what commands (with your real partition numbers) to run.

Prompt: SSD is "/dev/sda" and the EFI is "/dev/sdb2" After running "sudo fdisk -l" Device lists: "/dev/sdb1" and a "*" under boot, as well as "/dev/sdb2" and "/dev/sdb3" Do I still proceed with mounting and reinstalling GRUB?

ChatGPT: Excellent — that’s a key detail, and it changes what we do next.

Let’s unpack what this means carefully before we touch GRUB:

• /dev/sda → your internal SSD (where Zorin is installed)
• /dev/sdb → your USB installer (Zorin Live USB)

That’s why you’re seeing:

/dev/sdb1   *    ← Bootable (the live system boot partition)
 /dev/sdb2        ← EFI partition (for the live USB)
 /dev/sdb3        ← Data or persistence

👉 In short: the EFI partition you’re seeing right now belongs to the USB stick — not your SSD.

If you reinstall GRUB to /dev/sdb2, you’ll just overwrite the USB’s EFI, not fix your system. We need to mount the SSD’s partitions and make sure there’s an EFI partition on /dev/sda, not /dev/sdb.

Run:

sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda

You should see something like:

Device     Start      End  Sectors  Size Type
/dev/sda1  ...        ...  ...      ...  EFI System
/dev/sda2  ...        ...  ...      ...  Linux filesystem

or maybe just /dev/sda1 (Linux filesystem) if the installer never created an EFI partition.

If you see a small (~100–500 MB) partition marked as:

Type: EFI System

Then that’s your real EFI partition.

You can safely reinstall GRUB like this:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt               # or your root partition
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi      # if /dev/sda1 is the EFI System Partition
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

Remove the USB when the HP logo appears.

If you don’t see any “EFI System” type partition on /dev/sda, then:

1. You’ll need to create one (about 512 MB, FAT32, type ef00),
2. Format it, and
3. Mount it before reinstalling GRUB.

That would look like:

sudo gdisk /dev/sda
# (create a new 512M partition, type ef00, write changes)
sudo mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sda1
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

If you paste the output of sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda, I can confirm:

• which partition is root (/)
• which one should be EFI
• and exactly what commands you should run (no guessing).

Would you like to paste that now?

Prompt: Give me the terminal commands for Case A, given that "sda2" is the EFI and "sda3" is the linkux filesystem. "sda1" is listed as "BIOS boot"

ChatGPT: Perfect — thank you for the clear layout.

Your partition table looks like this (simplified):

That means your Zorin install was done in UEFI mode but the bootloader didn’t register properly — totally fixable.

Run these in the Zorin Live USB, after choosing “Try Zorin”.

# 1. Mount your Zorin root partition
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt

# 2. Mount your EFI System Partition
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot/efi

# 3. Reinstall GRUB for UEFI mode
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin

# 4. Regenerate GRUB config
sudo update-grub

# 5. Optional sanity check (should show no errors)
sudo efibootmgr -v

# 6. Reboot
sudo reboot

When rebooting, remove the USB as soon as the HP logo appears.

• Mounts your installed Zorin system (/dev/sda3)
• Mounts the EFI partition so GRUB knows where to install
• Writes a proper UEFI boot entry (Zorin) into NVRAM
• Updates the boot menu so the HP BIOS can see it

When you’re back in Zorin, confirm it’s running in UEFI mode:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It should return:

UEFI mode

If you reboot and the BIOS still says “Boot Device Not Found,” then the EFI entry didn’t register — but that’s easy to fix by manually adding it:

sudo efibootmgr --create --disk /dev/sda --part 2 --label "Zorin" --loader "\EFI\Zorin\grubx64.efi"

Then reboot again.

This should get your HP EliteBook 8460p booting normally from the SSD. Would you like me to include a quick check command to verify your EFI partition is actually FAT32 before rebooting?

Prompt: When I try to reinstall GRUB for UEFI mode, I get: "gurb-install: error: failed to get canonical path of '/cow'."

ChatGPT: Excellent — that message is actually very common when running grub-install from a Live USB. It simply means you’re running in the live session’s temporary filesystem (/cow = “copy-on-write”), and you haven’t yet chrooted (entered your real installed system’s environment).

Let’s fix it cleanly — it’s just one extra step.

When you boot a live USB, / (root) is not your SSD — it’s a temporary overlay called /cow. So when you tell grub-install to look for /boot/efi, it can’t find the “real” Zorin root system — hence:

We need to mount your installed system and “chroot” (change root) into it first.

(You can copy-paste this whole block.)

# 1. Mount your installed system
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt

# 2. Mount the EFI partition
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot/efi

# 3. Bind vital directories so chroot works
for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys /run; do
  sudo mount --bind $i /mnt$i
done

# 4. Enter your installed system
sudo chroot /mnt

# 5. Reinstall GRUB in UEFI mode
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin

# 6. Regenerate GRUB config
update-grub

# 7. Exit chroot
exit

# 8. Unmount everything cleanly
for i in /run /sys /proc /dev/pts /dev; do
  sudo umount /mnt$i
done
sudo umount /mnt/boot/efi
sudo umount /mnt

# 9. Reboot
sudo reboot

👉 Remove the USB when the HP logo appears.

• Properly mounts your installed Zorin environment (/mnt)
• Temporarily “chroots” into it so GRUB sees your real /
• Reinstalls GRUB and rebuilds its boot configuration correctly

Once back in Zorin, confirm you’re in UEFI mode:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

If it prints UEFI mode, you’re done. 🎉

If you still get a boot error after doing this, run:

sudo efibootmgr -v

from within Zorin and I can help you add or reorder the EFI boot entry manually — sometimes HP firmware forgets to list the new one.

Prompt: at the first command, I am told "can't find in /etc/fstab/"

ChatGPT: Ah — that message is a red herring. 😅

When you run:

sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt

and it says something like:

can't find in /etc/fstab

…it’s not an error, it’s just the system warning you that there’s no entry for /dev/sda3 in the Live USB’s /etc/fstab. The mount still happens — you can check it with:

ls /mnt

You should see your Zorin root filesystem (bin, etc, home, usr, etc.) listed. ✅

If you see that, you’re good to proceed with the chroot commands.

ls /mnt    # should show Linux root directories
ls /mnt/boot/efi   # should show EFI contents (if partition mounted correctly)

If both look correct, continue with the bind mounts and chroot:

for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys /run; do
  sudo mount --bind $i /mnt$i
done

sudo chroot /mnt

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin
update-grub
exit

for i in /run /sys /proc /dev/pts /dev; do
  sudo umount /mnt$i
done
sudo umount /mnt/boot/efi
sudo umount /mnt

sudo reboot

💡 Key point: The /etc/fstab warning is normal in a Live USB environment — it will not prevent GRUB from being installed.

Do you want me to walk through exactly what to check in /mnt/boot/efi before running grub-install so we’re 100% sure the EFI partition is correct?

Prompt: After doing this, the computer still does not boot. After the HP logo, there is a message that says "Reset System" and the computer restarts the boot sequence. This ends up being a loop.

ChatGPT: Ah — now we have a very clear picture. This is a classic HP EliteBook UEFI boot problem that happens even when GRUB is installed correctly. Let’s analyze carefully.

1. You installed Zorin OS in UEFI mode on a GPT SSD (/dev/sda), EFI partition on /dev/sda2.
2. You reinstalled GRUB via chroot — Linux sees it fine.
3. BIOS still refuses to boot, showing “Reset System” and looping.

This is not a Linux problem, it’s the way HP firmware handles EFI boot entries.

• HP firmware is notoriously picky: it only boots EFI files from certain paths.
• Often it ignores the “Bootloader ID” in NVRAM created by grub-install.
• The EFI must usually be located at:

/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI

This is the fallback path HP will always scan.

From your Live USB (chrooted into /mnt):

# 1. Mount root and EFI (assuming /dev/sda3=root, /dev/sda2=EFI)
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot/efi

# 2. Create the fallback EFI directory
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi/EFI/BOOT

# 3. Install GRUB to the HP fallback path
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin --removable

# 4. Regenerate GRUB config
sudo chroot /mnt
update-grub
exit

# 5. Unmount and reboot
sudo umount /mnt/boot/efi
sudo umount /mnt
sudo reboot

• --removable installs the EFI bootloader at the fallback path /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI, which HP firmware will always scan.
• HP will boot from this even if NVRAM entries fail.

ls /mnt/boot/efi/EFI/BOOT

You should see BOOTX64.EFI there.

• HP 8460p firmware ignores standard NVRAM boot entries sometimes.
• Installing GRUB with --removable ensures the firmware finds it.
• After this, the “Reset System → loop” should be gone, and Zorin should boot.

If you want, I can give you a complete copy-paste script for your case (/dev/sda2 EFI, /dev/sda3 root) that will mount everything, chroot, install GRUB to the fallback path, regenerate configs, and reboot — all in one go.

Do you want me to do that?

Prompt: When installing GRUB to the HP fallback path, Terminal responds with: "grub-install: error: /usr/lib/grub/x84_64-efi/modinfo.sh doesn't exist. Please specify --target or --directory"

ChatGPT: Ah — that error tells us that the Live USB environment you’re using is missing the proper GRUB EFI modules.

Specifically:

grub-install: error: /usr/lib/grub/x86_64-efi/modinfo.sh doesn't exist

• The Live USB’s GRUB installation tools are not configured for UEFI boot (sometimes happens on some Zorin/Ubuntu flavors if you booted the USB in Legacy mode).
• GRUB can only install UEFI mode if the Live USB itself is booted in UEFI mode.

So even though your SSD is fine, your live session is currently in Legacy mode, which is why GRUB cannot install UEFI files.

• When you boot the Zorin installer, your HP boot menu (usually F9) should show two options for the USB:

UEFI: <USB name>
USB: <USB name>

• Select the one starting with UEFI.
• Boot into “Try Zorin” from the UEFI entry.

You can confirm UEFI mode in the live session:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It must print:

UEFI mode

Once you are in a UEFI Live session:

# Mount root and EFI
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot/efi

# Bind mounts for chroot
for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys /run; do
  sudo mount --bind $i /mnt$i
done

# Enter chroot
sudo chroot /mnt

# Create fallback directory
mkdir -p /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT

# Install GRUB to HP fallback path
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin --removable

# Update GRUB
update-grub

# Exit chroot
exit

# Unmount everything
for i in /run /sys /proc /dev/pts /dev; do
  sudo umount /mnt$i
done
sudo umount /mnt/boot/efi
sudo umount /mnt

# Reboot
sudo reboot

1. UEFI Live USB is required — Legacy Live sessions cannot install UEFI GRUB.
2. --removable installs to /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI, which HP firmware will recognize.
3. After this, your EliteBook should boot Zorin without looping.

If you want, I can write a full copy-paste script optimized for your SSD layout that you can run directly from a UEFI Live session — it will do all mounts, chroot, GRUB fallback install, update GRUB, and unmount.

Do you want me to do that?

Prompt: At step 1, my options are: Notbook Upgrade BAy (UEFI), OS Boot Manager, Notebook Ethernet (UEFI) Boot From EFI Ile, Notebook Upgrade Bay, Notebook Hard drive, USB Hard Drive 1 - USB DISK 2.0

ChatGPT: Perfect — that actually clarifies everything. On your HP EliteBook 8460p, the boot menu shows the real UEFI options you need. Here’s what they mean:

1. Boot the Live USB in UEFI mode:

• Press F9 at boot → look for a UEFI option for your USB stick.
• It might appear as:

UEFI: USB DISK 2.0

• Select that.
• Once booted, confirm you are in UEFI mode:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It must print: UEFI mode.

1. Once in a UEFI session, you can then do the fallback GRUB install:

• Mount /dev/sda3 (root)
• Mount /dev/sda2 (EFI)
• Chroot
• Install GRUB with --removable to /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI

This will make the HP firmware detect Zorin via OS Boot Manager.

1. Important:

• When done, reboot and press F9.
• Choose OS Boot Manager → Zorin.
• If it boots successfully, go into BIOS → Boot Options and make OS Boot Manager first in the list.

💡 Key point: You cannot use the Legacy USB option for a UEFI install — that’s why grub-install failed before. The UEFI USB boot is essential for installing GRUB in UEFI mode.

I can now give you a ready-to-run script for your setup, including mounts, chroot, fallback GRUB install, and update — optimized for the UEFI Live session.

Do you want me to provide that script?

Prompt: I do not see a UEFI option for my USB stick, only the USB Hard Drive I mentioned above.

ChatGPT: Ah — that explains why the UEFI GRUB install keeps failing. On the HP EliteBook 8460p, if your USB stick does not appear as a UEFI boot option, it means the Live USB was created in a Legacy/MBR-only format.

HP firmware can only boot UEFI from a properly prepared GPT/UEFI USB stick. Legacy-only sticks will never appear as a UEFI option.

You need to make a USB that supports UEFI boot. There are a few ways:

1. Insert the USB.
2. Open Rufus.
3. Select your Zorin ISO.
4. Set: * Partition scheme: GPT * Target system: UEFI (non-CSM) * File system: FAT32
5. Start the write process.

sudo dd if=zorin.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

• Make sure /dev/sdX is your USB (not /dev/sda!).
• FAT32 format is important; some older HPs won’t boot NTFS for UEFI.

• Balena Etcher works on Linux, Windows, or Mac.
• It automatically makes the USB bootable in UEFI mode.

After creating the new USB, boot the laptop and press F9. You should see an entry like:

UEFI: USB Disk 2.0

instead of just USB Hard Drive 1.

Once booted in UEFI mode, confirm:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It must print UEFI mode. Only then can you reinstall GRUB in UEFI mode.

After booting UEFI Live session, follow these steps:

sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot/efi
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi/EFI/BOOT
for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys /run; do sudo mount --bind $i /mnt$i; done
sudo chroot /mnt
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=Zorin --removable
update-grub
exit
for i in /run /sys /proc /dev/pts /dev; do sudo umount /mnt$i; done
sudo umount /mnt/boot/efi
sudo umount /mnt
sudo reboot

💡 Key Insight: Your EliteBook cannot UEFI-boot a Legacy-only USB stick, so all previous UEFI GRUB install attempts failed. Once you boot from a proper UEFI USB, the GRUB installation will succeed and HP firmware will detect it.

If you want, I can give step-by-step instructions for making a Zorin USB that will be UEFI-bootable on your HP 8460p, specifically optimized for this laptop.

Do you want me to do that?

Prompt: I re-created the USB drive from Etcher, but I still do not see a UEFI:USB Disk 2.0, I only see USB Hard Drive 1 - USB DISK 2.0

ChatGPT: Ah — now we’re zeroing in. This is not a GRUB or Zorin problem, it’s an HP 8460p firmware quirk.

Even if the USB is created as UEFI-bootable, older HP EliteBooks often do not show a UEFI USB entry if the USB is:

1. Too large (>32 GB) — HP BIOS often only lists UEFI USB drives up to 32 GB.
2. Formatted NTFS — HP UEFI only boots FAT32 USB sticks.
3. Missing a proper EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI path — the UEFI firmware looks specifically for this path.

Etcher sometimes writes the ISO in a “hybrid” mode that doesn’t create a proper EFI boot path visible to HP BIOS. This explains why you only see USB Hard Drive 1 — the Legacy boot option.

• USB stick ≤32 GB
• Formatted FAT32
• Must have /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI in the EFI partition

1. Open Rufus.
2. Select your Zorin ISO.
3. Set Partition scheme: GPT
4. Set Target system: UEFI (non-CSM)
5. File system: FAT32 (critical — NTFS will not appear in HP UEFI menu)
6. Check Create a bootable disk using ISO image.
7. Start — this produces a stick HP firmware can see as UEFI: USB….

1. Format the USB stick as FAT32.

sudo mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sdX

1. Mount the ISO and copy all files to the USB:

sudo mount -o loop zorin.iso /mnt/iso
sudo cp -r /mnt/iso/* /mnt/usb/

1. Make sure the EFI folder exists:

ls /mnt/usb/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI

1. Safely unmount and insert into HP.

• Boot the HP and press F9.
• You should now see:

UEFI: USB DISK 2.0

If it still doesn’t show, the firmware cannot boot that USB in UEFI mode, and we have to do the workaround:

If you cannot get a UEFI USB:

1. Boot the USB in Legacy mode (USB Hard Drive 1)
2. Reinstall Zorin OS in Legacy/MBR mode on /dev/sda
3. Then your system will boot reliably via Legacy Boot Order → Notebook Hard Drive

At this point, the critical decision is:

• Option A: Keep trying to create a USB that HP 8460p recognizes in UEFI (can be tricky with Etcher on this model)
• Option B: Switch Zorin installation to Legacy mode / MBR — simpler and will work on this laptop

I can give you exact steps to reinstall Zorin in Legacy mode so it will boot without any EFI issues.

Do you want to do that?

Prompt: Yes

ChatGPT: Perfect — we’ll go the Legacy mode / MBR route, which is the most reliable way to get Zorin OS booting on your HP EliteBook 8460p.

Here’s a step-by-step plan:

1. Power on → press F10 to enter BIOS.
2. Go to System Configuration → Boot Options: * UEFI Boot Mode: Disabled * Legacy Boot Order: Enabled (Notebook Hard Drive first) * Secure Boot: Disabled
3. Save and exit (F10).

• Any Zorin OS USB is fine in Legacy mode — no special UEFI prep needed.
• Plug it in.
• Press F9 at boot → select USB Hard Drive 1 - USB DISK 2.0 (this is Legacy boot).

1. Boot into the Zorin Live USB in Legacy mode.
2. Choose Install Zorin OS.
3. When partitioning: * Select Manual / Something Else. * Reformat the SSD (/dev/sda) as MBR: * Delete existing partitions * Create a new root / partition (~30–50 GB, ext4) * Optional swap partition (~2–4 GB) * No EFI partition needed.
4. Install the bootloader to /dev/sda (the SSD itself).

1. Remove the USB.
2. Reboot.
3. BIOS should automatically detect the SSD as Notebook Hard Drive in Legacy mode.
4. Zorin OS should boot normally.

Once booted:

sudo fdisk -l

• You should see /dev/sda with a single Linux partition and a bootable flag on MBR.

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

• It should print Legacy mode, confirming everything is aligned with BIOS.

✅ Advantages of this method:

• Works reliably on HP 8460p — avoids all UEFI/EFI quirks.
• Simple, fewer steps than trying to force a UEFI install.
• GRUB installs directly to MBR, so no firmware boot entries are needed.

If you want, I can write a visual “partition map” and exact commands for the Legacy install, so you can recreate /dev/sda partitions quickly and safely without guessing.

Do you want me to do that?

Prompt: Reinstalling in Legacy Mode, I do not see "Reformat the SDD" after Something Else

ChatGPT: Perfect question — that’s exactly the right place to pause. The Zorin (and Ubuntu-based) installer doesn’t have a button literally labeled “Reformat SSD” — instead, you “reformat” by deleting all existing partitions in the manual partitioner under “Something Else.”

Here’s the precise step-by-step for your HP EliteBook 8460p Legacy install 👇

1. Boot from your USB (press F9, select USB Hard Drive 1 – USB DISK 2.0). → You’re now in Legacy mode (not UEFI).
2. Click Install Zorin OS → continue until you see: → “Installation type” screen.
3. Choose Something else (manual partitioning). You’ll see a list of devices: /dev/sda, /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, etc.

Select each partition on /dev/sda and click the minus (-) button to delete it. Repeat until you only see:

Free space

This effectively reformats the SSD — no partitions remain.

Now create these:

• Select the free space and click “+” * Size: all remaining space (unless you want swap) * Type: Primary * Location: Beginning of this space * Use as: Ext4 journaling filesystem * Mount point: /

If you want a swap:

• Size: 2–4 GB
• Type: Logical
• Use as: swap area

At the bottom of the window: Install the boot loader on:

/dev/sda

—not /dev/sda1 or /dev/sda2 — just the disk itself.

Click Install Now → confirm the partition changes. Zorin will now:

• Format the new partitions
• Install GRUB to the MBR (Master Boot Record)
• Configure it for Legacy boot

After installation completes:

1. Remove the USB.
2. Reboot.
3. If prompted, press F9 and select Notebook Hard Drive.

Zorin should now boot directly without looping or EFI errors.

Once you’re in Zorin:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It should print:

Legacy mode

Would you like me to write out a simple partition table diagram (with sizes and mount points) that you can refer to during the “Something Else” step so you know exactly what to create?

Prompt: At step 3, a message appears saying: "No EFI System Partition was found. This sytem will likely not be able to boot successfully, and the installation process may fail. Please go back and add an EFI system partition, or continue at your own risk."

ChatGPT: Excellent — you’re right to stop there and check before continuing.

That message sounds alarming, but it actually tells us something very specific and very fixable:

When you see:

it means the installer expects an EFI partition — which only happens if the USB was booted in UEFI mode.

But your goal is a Legacy/MBR install — so we want Zorin to stop expecting an EFI System Partition entirely.

1. Reboot the HP.
2. Press F9 repeatedly to open the Boot Menu.
3. Look carefully at the USB options.

You will likely see something like:

Notebook Hard Drive
USB Hard Drive 1 - USB DISK 2.0

Do not select anything labeled “UEFI” or “OS Boot Manager.” Instead, choose exactly:

USB Hard Drive 1 - USB DISK 2.0

That’s the Legacy boot path.

After it loads the Zorin desktop, open a terminal and run:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

It should output:

Legacy mode

If it says UEFI mode, you booted the wrong entry — go back and retry.

Once you confirm you are definitely in Legacy mode, repeat the installation:

• Choose Something Else.
• Delete all partitions (clean disk).
• Create one Primary ext4 partition mounted as /.
• Optional: 2–4 GB swap.
• Install the bootloader to /dev/sda (the disk, not a partition).

This time, you will not see the “No EFI System Partition” warning.

💡 Summary

• That warning = installer booted in UEFI mode.
• For Legacy install → boot the USB as “USB Hard Drive”, not “UEFI: USB…” or “OS Boot Manager.”
• Once booted Legacy, installer won’t ask for an EFI partition.

Would you like me to give you the exact text that appears for the correct BIOS settings (in F10) to make sure Legacy mode is enabled and UEFI is fully off? That can guarantee the installer never goes into UEFI again.

Prompt: I did boot from "USB Hard Drive 1 - USB DISK 2.0" and I am seeing the error message described above.

ChatGPT: Got it — that’s a key detail. If you booted from “USB Hard Drive 1 – USB DISK 2.0” (Legacy path) but the Zorin installer still says:

then one of two things is happening:

1. The BIOS is still running in hybrid UEFI mode (common on HPs from this era), or
2. The installer image itself defaults to UEFI boot, even when the system’s BIOS hands it off in Legacy mode.

Let’s fix it methodically.

In the Zorin Live session, open Terminal and run:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI mode" || echo "Legacy mode"

Please tell me exactly what it prints.

On the HP EliteBook 8460p, you can’t “disable” UEFI, but you can force Legacy first.

1. Reboot → press F10 to enter BIOS.
2. Go to: System Configuration → Boot Options.
3. Ensure the following: * ✅ Legacy Boot Order lists Notebook Hard Drive, USB Hard Drive, etc. * ⚙️ UEFI Boot Order can remain listed but disable “UEFI Boot Order” (uncheck it or move it below Legacy). * ✅ Legacy Support should be Enabled if visible. * ❌ Secure Boot: Disabled.
4. Press F10 to save and exit.

Now retry the boot from USB (again, the plain “USB Hard Drive” option).

If the terminal in Step 1 shows “UEFI mode”, it means the image itself defaults to UEFI. To force BIOS boot:

1. Recreate your USB stick using Rufus (on Windows) or Ventoy / dd (on Linux). * Format the USB as MBR (not GPT). * Set Partition scheme: MBR and Target system: BIOS (or UEFI-CSM).

Example using Linux dd:

sudo dd if=zorin-os-18.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sudo sync

(Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device, not a partition.)

This ensures the stick boots as BIOS-only.

When the installer is really in Legacy mode:

• You’ll not be asked about EFI.
• The only bootloader device option will be /dev/sda, not /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, etc.
• The “No EFI partition found” message will not appear.

Partition scheme example:

Bootloader: /dev/sda

Can you please run that short terminal check and tell me whether it says UEFI mode or Legacy mode right now? That will determine which exact fix you need next.

Prompt: It comes back with "Legacy Mode"

ChatGPT: Perfect — that confirms you really are booted in Legacy mode, so this is a very specific corner case we can fix directly. 👍

If the installer is running in Legacy mode but still gives you the EFI partition warning, it means:

• The installer sees leftover GPT partitioning from when the drive was used with Windows or a previous UEFI install.
• Legacy BIOS (and GRUB in BIOS mode) expects an MBR (msdos) partition table, not GPT.

That mismatch is what’s triggering the “No EFI System Partition was found…” message.

Here’s how to safely do that from the Zorin live USB:

Run:

sudo fdisk -l

Look for your main SSD (probably /dev/sda).

sudo fdisk /dev/sda

You’ll enter an interactive prompt. Now do the following:

Command (m for help): g

(if it says “g” creates a GPT, that means we want m then o instead)

So use:

Command (m for help): o

→ this creates a new MBR (DOS) partition table.

Then confirm:

Command (m for help): w

→ writes the changes to disk.

Run again:

sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda

At the top, it should say:

Disklabel type: dos

✅ not “gpt.”

Now when you open the Something Else partitioning screen:

• You’ll have a clean MBR disk.
• The EFI warning will disappear.
• You can create: * One primary ext4 partition mounted at / (use most of the disk). * Optionally, a small swap area (2–4 GB).
• Set Bootloader install location: /dev/sda.

Then proceed with the installation.

• You’ll be running pure Legacy BIOS mode.
• GRUB will install correctly into the MBR.
• No EFI partition or UEFI boot entries will be needed.

Would you like me to give you the exact fdisk sequence to create both the root and swap partitions right after converting to MBR (so you can skip the graphical installer’s partition tool)?

Prompt: The EFI warning still appears.

ChatGPT: Good — that’s actually very informative. If you wiped the disk to MBR and confirmed Disklabel type: dos, yet the Zorin installer still gives an EFI warning, then one of three things must be true:

1. The installer session itself is still detecting UEFI firmware (some HPs expose both Legacy & UEFI interfaces to the OS simultaneously).
2. The Zorin 18 installer ISO may not fully respect BIOS-only mode (this sometimes happens with Ubuntu-based builds).
3. There’s still a hidden GPT backup header at the end of the disk confusing the installer.

Let’s fix it completely by zeroing out the partition tables and confirming the disk is 100% MBR clean.

In the Zorin Live terminal, run:

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M count=10
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M count=10 seek=$(( $(sudo blockdev --getsz /dev/sda) / 2048 - 10 ))

Explanation:

• The first command wipes the beginning of the disk (MBR and GPT header).
• The second wipes the backup GPT header at the end of the disk that sometimes survives formatting.

Now run:

sudo fdisk /dev/sda

At the Command (m for help): prompt:

o      ← (create new DOS partition table)
n      ← (new partition)
p      ← (primary)
1      ← (partition 1)
<enter> ← (accept default start)
+4G    ← (make it 4GB for swap)
t      ← (change partition type)
82     ← (Linux swap)
n      ← (new partition)
p      ← (primary)
2      ← (partition 2)
<enter> ← (accept default start)
<enter> ← (accept default end - rest of disk)
a      ← (toggle bootable flag)
2      ← (make partition 2 bootable)
w      ← (write changes and exit)

Now you’ll have:

• /dev/sda1 = swap
• /dev/sda2 = Linux root (bootable)

sudo mkswap /dev/sda1
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2

• Choose “Something Else”.
• Mount /dev/sda2 at / (don’t format it again).
• Ignore /dev/sda1 (installer will see it as swap).
• Set Bootloader installation location to /dev/sda.

✅ The EFI warning will not appear this time, because both GPT headers are gone.

If it still appears after this, we’ll know Zorin’s installer is forcing a UEFI check — and I’ll walk you through manually installing GRUB for BIOS from the live environment (which works perfectly on the 8460p).

Would you like me to give that “manual GRUB install for BIOS” method now as a backup option?

Prompt: How do I mount /dev/sda2 at /?

ChatGPT: Perfect question — you’re at exactly the right step. 👇

To mount /dev/sda2 at /, you’re just telling the installer, “Use this partition as my main system (root) directory.” Here are two ways — one in the graphical Zorin installer, and one using the terminal, depending on where you are in the process.

When you reach the “Something Else” partition screen:

1. Click once on the line for /dev/sda2.
2. Click the “Change…” button below.
3. In the dialog that opens: * Use as: → Ext4 journaling file system * Mount point: → / * ✅ (Check) “Format the partition” if it isn’t already formatted.
4. Press OK.

Then at the bottom of the window:

• Set Device for bootloader installation → /dev/sda.

That’s it — /dev/sda2 is now mounted as / (the root filesystem).

If you’re working in the Live USB terminal, you can mount it manually like this:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys

If you also have a swap partition (/dev/sda1), enable it:

sudo swapon /dev/sda1

Then you can chroot into your installed system if needed:

sudo chroot /mnt

Once inside, you can reinstall GRUB or run updates.

✅ Summary:

• In the installer → choose / as mount point for /dev/sda2.
• In terminal → sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt. Both tell the system that /dev/sda2 is your root filesystem.

Would you like to continue with the manual GRUB BIOS install path next (just in case the installer keeps showing the EFI error)?

Prompt: It still appears

ChatGPT: Thanks — that confirms it: your system is definitely booted in Legacy mode, the disk is MBR, but Zorin’s installer is still detecting an EFI environment (this happens on certain HP BIOSes and Ubuntu-based installers).

No worries — you can finish the installation anyway, then manually install GRUB for BIOS from the Live USB. Let’s go step by step.

🧩 Step 1. Continue the installer anyway

When the installer warns:

“No EFI System Partition was found…”

just click Continue and complete the installation normally:

• /dev/sda2 mounted at /
• /dev/sda chosen for bootloader location

The install will finish but won’t boot yet — that’s fine.

🧩 Step 2. Boot back into the Live USB

After installation completes and the system reboots, choose Try Zorin again.

Open a terminal and mount your new system:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys; do
  sudo mount --bind $i /mnt$i
done

🧩 Step 3. Chroot into your installed system

sudo chroot /mnt

Now your prompt will change to root@zorin:~#.

🧩 Step 4. Install GRUB for Legacy BIOS

Run these commands inside the chroot:

grub-install --target=i386-pc --recheck /dev/sda
update-grub

✅ --target=i386-pc is the correct legacy-mode GRUB.

If you get no errors, GRUB has been written into the MBR.

🧩 Step 5. Exit and unmount

exit
for i in /sys /proc /dev/pts /dev; do
  sudo umount /mnt$i
done
sudo umount /mnt
sudo reboot

🧩 Step 6. Verify BIOS boot order

Press F10 → System Configuration → Boot Options, and make sure:

• Legacy Boot Order: “Notebook Hard Drive” is first.
• UEFI Boot Order: moved below or disabled.

Save & exit.

After this, your HP EliteBook 8460p should boot straight into Zorin, no EFI partition required.

Would you like me to include a quick check command to confirm GRUB actually installed correctly before rebooting (so you don’t have to re-do steps if it failed silently)?

Prompt: It booted properly after Step 1.

ChatGPT: That’s excellent news — 🎉

That means Zorin actually installed GRUB correctly despite the EFI warning — the installer’s message was just a false alarm (it detects the HP’s hybrid firmware and assumes EFI is required even in Legacy mode).

So to confirm everything’s solid:

✅ Quick Health Check

Open a terminal in your newly booted Zorin system and run:

sudo grub-install --target=i386-pc --recheck /dev/sda
sudo update-grub

These will quietly verify that GRUB is installed to the MBR and rebuild your boot menu.

Then you can confirm boot mode:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI" || echo "Legacy BIOS"

It should return:

Legacy BIOS

If so — your setup is clean and future kernel updates will continue to boot normally.

💡 Optional tune-ups for HP EliteBook 8460p + Zorin:

1. BIOS Settings: * Keep UEFI Boot Order disabled or last. * Keep Legacy Support enabled. * Disable Secure Boot (if visible).
2. Power management tweak (optional): If you notice fan noise or heat:

    sudo apt install tlp sudo systemctl enable tlp --now
   

   That optimizes power profiles automatically.

Would you like me to give you a short “restore boot” procedure to keep on hand, in case a future update ever breaks GRUB again?