1 Rookie
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13 Posts
1
2046
August 10th, 2022 23:00
m17 R5, how to enable Legacy Boot mode?
I carried over an SSD with a non-UEFI Linux installed on it from another laptop. Many years ago when I switched from ASUS Rog Strix GL702ZC (all AMD, Ryzen 1700) to an Acer Predator Helios 500 Ryzen I just simply took out the SSD, plopped it into the other laptop and went on my way like nothing happened. I thought I'd pull the same trick moving to the m17 R5, but I cannot boot onto the SSD. The BIOS boot mode only shows UEFI and no other choice. On the boot page of the BIOS only the two network boot options are visible and that's only what the laptop is trying. That's where the BIOS should list the available bootable OSs / partitions. I tried both secure boot on and off. The main tab if the BIOS properly identifies the SSD so it seems it.
The TPM is enabled in the Helios. The Linux is a Devuan. I'm using for 5 years now.
ejn63
10 Elder
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28.7K Posts
2
August 11th, 2022 03:00
The system, like most in the last few years, is UEFI-only -- it does not have a CSM/Legacy mode. You are limited to operating systems that are UEFI-compliant.
If you need a system that still has legacy support, you need to go back to a system a few years older than this one.
A51-06
5 Practitioner
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3.1K Posts
0
August 11th, 2022 11:00
Hi @tocsa ,
I'm sorry you weren't able to use Legacy Boot mode on your M17 R5 but have you tried pressing F2 when booting and see what that gives you?
davidnorton187
1 Rookie
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1 Message
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March 7th, 2025 18:39
FYI, I've dealt with the M17R5 recently and ran into the dreaded "hung Alienware logo" issue, with a message about F2 and F12 in the bottom-right. The backlit keyboard was doing its lightshow, but the system was totally frozen; no key-combination made any difference for me. The only solution was to use a new SSD (which works fine now, booting up, allowing CMOS settings, etc.)
Background: I had downloaded the latest RCV file from Dell and burned a bootable USB with Rufus (placing the RCV file at the root), which allowed me to at least get past the Alienware logo. (I had to press F12 on startup; shift-ESC might work as well). BUT, it still prompted for the system password, which was unknown. UEFI/CMOS settings are [apparently] tied to the SDD (news to me!), including the system/boot password. So, I installed a different SDD, and the system is now booting well into CMOS, etc.