Problem running batocera from USB on Mini PC

fefo81

Hello!

I am struggling to run Batocera from USB.

My pc is Minisforum UM690 with Windows 11 and my USB is SanDisk 512GB Ultra Fit.

After a few issues I managed to boot Batocera. I set in BIOS the USB as reading priority.

However, when I restart the pc with USB plugged, the pc crushed. Get stuck in the initial screen.

When I restart the pc without usb, I get to Bios and save again my reading priority choices, the pc run Batocera.

I would like the pc run Batocera when USB is plugged in the pc without all these issue.

Any help, please?

joinski

fefo81
see:
https://forum.batocera.org/d/9028-batocera-not-respecting-uefi-settings-after-shut-down

i already contacted Minisforum Support and here are their answers:

Thanks for contacting Minisforum Support .
Sorry, the bios of UM690 does not have a fast boot option. Regarding Legacy mode, UM690 does not support this boot mode.
I suggest you use the latest version of Batocera Linux system to test, or use Ubuntu or windows to check if there is the same phenomenon, and let me know, thank you

My answer to this:

I am already using the latest version of Batocera Linux (by the way: i highly recommend testing Batocera Linux yourself. It is a great OS for Retro-Gaming).
The problem only persist, when (re)booting and when using a USB flash/thumb drive as boot-medium for the OS. I did not try Ubuntu yet and regarding Windows, i don’t know if it is possible (and useful) to boot it from a USB flash drive rather an internal (SSD) drive).
Would it be possible to add the fastboot option in the BIOS? And why does the UM690 not support Legacy boot? Are there technical reasons?

And their response to that:

In fact, most users still use it based on windows.
Regarding fast startup, the bios does not have this option. If you need this option, you can enable it from the power management of windows.
Regarding the Legacy mode, Microsoft has abandoned it at present, and it has been no longer used since a long time ago. Please understand that
Regarding your feedback, I suggest you install a USB flash/thumb drive from another system to test. If you still have the same phenomenon, please let me know.
thanks

I did not had time yet, to test other OS booted via USB on my UM690.
Could you try to boot/reboot with other OS via USB? Like LibreELEC for example or any other Linux based OS, which can be booted via USB thumb drive. If other OS boot fine, then there must be something on Batocera-side, which has to be changed/fixed.

fefo81

Thank you for you answear. Let’s keep in touch on this issue. I’ll write here in case of update.

fefo81

The guy of the youtube channel Retro Game Corps reviewed UM690 with Batocera and gave me this answer about our issue.

My question: I am struggling to make Batocera run on USB. Have you changed some Bios setting?

Answer: Hi, I didn’t alter the BIOS at all, but I am running the latest beta/development version of Batocera which works well with some recent Beelink and MinisForum PCs. So if you have access to a different PC I would start up your Batocera USB drive with that PC, update to the development channel in the update settings, then try it in the UM690.

joinski

fefo81
Last time i tried was with beta 36 from 05.01.23 i believe. Will give the current beta 36 (from 16.01.23) a try and report.
You can also try and give feedback here ;)

fefo81

Thanks. I will do

joinski

fefo81

Hmm, even with the latest 36 beta i still have the issue, that i’m stuck on the black screen with Minisforum logo in the middle and the text “Booting Batocera.Linux…” in the upper left corner, when rebooting :(

We should ask Retro Game Corps, if he experiences the same issue, and if not, what is he doing differently, than us.

fefo81

joinski

I asked Retro Game Corps and I’m waiting for reply

fefo81

First time I had the issue (it was not booting at all), I changed the port of the usb and it worked. It booted. This kind of trick does not work when rebooting

fefo81

I tried updating to Batocera beta and it doesn’t work.

RaiderBlack

Did you solve your issue? I had similar problems with my Elitedesk 705 and for me it was a bios secure boot setting that was the culprit.

If you have secure boot settings on your Minis forum bios, make sure it’s completely disabled.

joinski

RaiderBlack

Secure boot is already disabled, but still i can not reliably (re-)boot Batocera from USB pen/flashdrive. I always have to go into the BIOS and select the usb drive via Boot Override. I really don’t know if this issue has to be fixed by Minisforum (with a bios update) or if this could somehow be fixed by batocera devs. I guess it has to be fixed by Minisforum, but they don’t see the fault on their side, because other OS boot fine from USB (i tested with LibreELEC for example, and there i do not have such issues with booting it from USB flashdrive).
It’s a pitty, that Retro Game Corps still not answered my question in the comments of his youtube video about the Minisforum UM690 :(

monty0000

I am having the same / similar problem with a UM690 that I see the initial boot-up Batocera image and then it immediately goes to a black screen. It never goes anywhere after that. An educated guess is that it is a display conflict of some kind with the Radeon 680M iGPU.

joinski

monty0000
What kind of drive do you use for booting Batocera? If usb flash drive, then try to select it in the Boot Override list of the bios. It should boot fine then (at least for me on my UM690 this is working).

monty0000

joinski It is a SATA 3TB 3.5″ HDD that I connect with a USB3 cable. It recognises and starts booting from the drive just fine - showing the Batocera startup image, but then after a second the screen goes black and all stops.

joinski

monty0000
Which version of batocera? Is it a fresh new install? Official batocera image downloaded from the homepage or from somewhere else?

monty0000

joinski ES V35 2022/09/17 13:13

joinski

monty0000
can you test this HDD on another machine? and another hdd on your UM690 as well?
just to rule out the cause of the issue

monty0000

joinski Yes, I have tested it on an old Acer desktop I have and it works fine. And I use the USB3 SATA connection on my system every day with other hard drives for transferring data from the UM690. There is no doubt the HDD is working and even starts working / booting on the UM690 and then just stops after the initial splash screen.

joinski

monty0000
Well then it seems, that the UM690 just does not boot every OS from every drive reliably.
Don’t know if Minisforum can do something about it (e.g. with a BIOS update) or if this can/must be fixed from Batocera side.

fefo81

joinski

Apparently Minisforum released a new Bios but it doesn’t seem really successful from the comments.

A have you had a look?

https://bbs.minisforum.com/threads/um690-bios-download.2649/