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I am trying to boot a 32 bit linux usb through the bios. It just kicks me out and puts me back to the bios screen

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    Does the flash drive boot okay in another computer? Nov 9, 2019 at 7:41
  • Is secure boot enabled in the BIOS settings? Nov 9, 2019 at 7:53
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    BIOS or UEFI firmware? Have you tried switching to "legacy boot" or enabling CSM?
    – Mokubai
    Nov 9, 2019 at 8:11
  • Try using Ventoy. Also, there's a difference between the 32bit Operating System and a 32bit UEFI/BIOS. The BIOS must be in the 32/64bit version of the bootloader things. While the Operating system can be either one if it's a x64 machine. May 22, 2022 at 17:47

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Depending on how old the media in question is it might not support booting on a UEFI system.

As a result you will need to enable "Legacy Boot" in your firmware interface, otherwise known as Compatibility Support Module or CSM.

The UEFI bootloader must also match the "bitness" of your UEFI system and may fail to boot if they don't match. There have been many problems where people with a 64-bit processor but 32-bit UEFI and cannot install a 64bit operating system. This could be the same problem in reverse, that you need a 64bit bootloader that is not present on your 32-bit media.

The solution, if you do not care about GPT/MBR and the MBR limitation of disks being less than 2TB, is to enable BIOS emulation or "Legacy Mode" so that the media works in "old school" mode to boot the system.

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