Skip to content

Install from hhd

🚀 Booting Pop!_OS from an ISO File on a Hard Drive (HP Laptop)

📚 Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Requirements
  3. Step-by-Step Guide
  4. 1. Boot to GRUB
  5. 2. Use GRUB to Boot the ISO
  6. Summary Script

1. Introduction

If your computer has no operating system installed, but you already have a Pop!_OS .iso file stored on a partition (e.g., /dev/sda3), this tutorial will help you boot directly from the ISO using the GRUB bootloader. This is especially useful when you don't want to create a bootable USB.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to boot into Pop!_OS and install it to your system without any external media. 🎉

2. Requirements

🔧 To complete this process, you need:

  • A Pop!_OS ISO file already stored on your hard drive in a partition (e.g., /dev/sda3/ISO/pop.iso).
  • Access to GRUB either through your system or by booting from a live USB.
  • Basic familiarity with the BIOS and boot menus.

3. Step-by-Step Guide

3.1 Boot to GRUB

If your system has no OS installed and does not have GRUB configured, you’ll need to boot using a live USB that contains GRUB (any Linux distro like Ubuntu or Pop!_OS). Follow these steps:

  1. Create a Live USB on another machine.
  2. Insert the USB Stick into your HP laptop.
  3. Enter BIOS by pressing Esc, F2, F10, or Del during startup (the exact key depends on your model).
  4. Change Boot Order: Prioritize booting from the USB stick and reboot.

Once booted from the USB, you should see the GRUB menu.

3.2 Use GRUB to Boot the ISO

Once you're inside the GRUB menu:

  1. Enter GRUB Command Line: Press c to open the command line interface.

  2. Locate the Partition:

  3. To find your ISO file on the correct partition, run: 

    ls
    This lists the available partitions. In this example, the partition is /dev/sda3, so you may see something like (hd0,gpt3).

  4. Set the Partition:

  5. Set the partition where your ISO is stored (e.g., /dev/sda3): 

    set root=(hd0,gpt3)

  6. Create a Loopback Device:

  7. Load the ISO file into GRUB using loopback: 

    loopback loop (hd0,gpt3)/ISO/pop.iso

  8. Load the Kernel:

  9. Load the Linux kernel from the ISO: 

    linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/ISO/pop.iso quiet splash

  10. Load the Initial RAM Disk (initrd):

  11. Load the initrd from the ISO: 

    initrd (loop)/casper/initrd

  12. Boot the System:

  13. Finally, boot into Pop!_OS: 
    boot

Pop!_OS should now boot from the ISO on your hard drive! 🎉

4. Summary Script

To help you quickly perform the steps above, here’s a summary of the GRUB commands you need to run in order:

# Step 1: Set the partition where the ISO is stored
set root=(hd0,gpt3)

# Step 2: Create a loopback device for the ISO
loopback loop (hd0,gpt3)/ISO/pop.iso

# Step 3: Load the kernel from the ISO
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/ISO/pop.iso quiet splash

# Step 4: Load the initial RAM disk from the ISO
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd

# Step 5: Boot the system
boot

📝 Key Points to Remember

  • Ensure the path to the ISO is correct. In this example, it is /ISO/pop.iso on /dev/sda3.
  • The set root command must point to the correct partition where the ISO is stored (e.g., (hd0,gpt3)).
  • If anything goes wrong, you can always retry or use a Live USB to access more tools for troubleshooting.

Good luck booting Pop!_OS! 🎉