Unable to Find Installed Linux Boot Menu on ThinkCentre M92p
Have you tried installing a Linux server on your ThinkCentre M92p, only to find that the boot menu is nowhere to be found? You're not alone. Many users have experienced this issue when trying to install Ubuntu server or other Linux distributions on this particular model.
Installing Ubuntu Server
The first step in this process is to install Ubuntu server on your ThinkCentre M92p. This can be done by downloading the Ubuntu server ISO file from the official Ubuntu website and creating a bootable USB drive using a tool such as Rufus or Etcher.
Once you have created the bootable USB drive, insert it into your ThinkCentre M92p and restart the computer. You should see the option to boot from the USB drive. Select this option and follow the prompts to install Ubuntu server.
Finding the Boot Menu
After the installation is complete, you may expect to see a boot menu that allows you to choose between the newly installed Linux system and any other operating systems that may be installed on the computer. However, on the ThinkCentre M92p, this boot menu is often missing.
The reason for this is that the ThinkCentre M92p uses the American Megatrends (AMI) BIOS, which does not include a built-in boot menu. Instead, the computer boots directly into the default operating system.
Workarounds for the Missing Boot Menu
There are a few workarounds for this issue. One is to use the efibootmgr command in Linux to manage the EFI/UEFI boot entries.
To install efibootmgr, open a terminal window in Linux and enter the following command:
sudo apt-get install efibootmgr
Once efibootmgr is installed, you can use it to view the current boot entries by entering the following command:
sudo efibootmgr
You can also use efibootmgr to add a new boot entry for Linux. For example, to add a new boot entry for Ubuntu server, enter the following command:
sudo efibootmgr -c -l \\EFI\\ubuntu\\grubx64.efi -L Ubuntu
This will create a new boot entry for Ubuntu server and name it "Ubuntu". You can then use the BIOS settings to change the boot order and set Ubuntu as the default boot option.
While the missing boot menu on the ThinkCentre M92p can be frustrating, there are workarounds available. By using the efibootmgr command in Linux, you can manage the EFI/UEFI boot entries and add a new boot entry for your Linux system. With a little bit of effort, you can get your ThinkCentre M92p up and running with Linux, despite the missing boot menu.
References
- Ubuntu Server Download: https://ubuntu.com/server/download
- Rufus: https://rufus.ie/
- Etcher: https://www.balena.io/etcher/
- efibootmgr: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/efibootmgr.8.html