Clonezilla UEFI Boot Failure on Lenovo B51-30
Complete Fix Guide

Problem Statement

Booting Clonezilla from USB on the Lenovo B51-30 fails completely. The USB is not recognized as bootable and the system falls back to the internal disk GRUB menu (Windows/Ubuntu dual-boot). Five distinct failure modes occur simultaneously, each pointing to a locked BIOS security state and an incorrect USB image format.

Environment

Primary Issues

Methods Tried That Failed

• Rufus with ISO image in ISO mode
• Rufus with ISO image in DD mode
• Changing BIOS boot mode to Legacy/CSM
• Multiple USB ports (USB 2.0 and 3.0)
• BIOS update via Windows utility (failed at 50%)
• Removing CMOS battery (no effect on passwords)

Symptoms & Diagnostic Signs

Symptom 1: USB Invisible in Boot Menu

Boot Option Menu
├── Ubuntu (ST500LT012-1DG142)
├── Windows Boot Manager (ST500LT012-1DG142)
└── ubuntu (ST500LT012-1DG142)

[USB drive is NOT listed]

Meaning: Firmware does not recognize the USB as a valid bootable device. Not a hardware failure — the USB LED lights, the drive works in Windows.

Diagnostic check: Was the USB created with Rufus ISO mode? → Yes = wrong format for UEFI.

Symptom 2: BIOS Settings Revert Loop

Enter BIOS → change setting → F10 Save & Exit → system reboots → immediately returns to BIOS setup → changed setting is back to original.

Symptom 3: GRUB OsIndications Error

error: could not set EFI variable 'OsIndications'.
Press any key to continue...

Meaning: GRUB failed to write the EFI variable that requests BIOS setup on next boot. NVRAM is locked by active security settings.

Symptom 4: BIOS Flash — Invalid Firmware Image

Insyde H2OFFT (Flash Firmware Tool)
Current BIOS Version: C5CN32WW(v2.03)
New BIOS Version:     C5CN35WW(v2.06)

[Progress bar reaches 50%]

Error: Invalid firmware image!!!
Please press any key to reset system...

Meaning: The BIOS file is correct. The 50% failure marks the EC (Embedded Controller) firmware update — which the locked state blocks. No damage occurs; the system just reboots.

Symptom 5: Kernel Load Failure

error: invalid magic number
error: you have to load the kernel first

grub> _

Meaning: GRUB found the menu config but cannot read vmlinuz from the USB. The ISO format writes files in a structure UEFI cannot navigate — the kernel path resolves to nothing.

Symptom 6: Windows/Ubuntu GRUB Instead of Clonezilla

Booting with USB plugged in shows the internal disk GRUB (Ubuntu / Windows Boot Manager) instead of the Clonezilla menu. The laptop is ignoring the USB entirely due to wrong format, Fast Boot priority, or Secure Boot blocking the unsigned bootloader.

Step-by-Step: Creating a UEFI-Compatible Clonezilla USB

sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 /dev/sdX
# Replace sdX with your actual USB device (check with lsblk)

E:├── 📁 EFI
│   └── 📁 BOOT
│       └── BOOTX64.EFI      ← UEFI bootloader
├── 📁 live
│   ├── vmlinuz              ← Linux kernel
│   └── initrd.img
├── 📁 syslinux
└── 📄 Clonezilla-Live-Version

E:└── 📁 clonezilla-live-3.3.2-31-amd64   ← Extra folder. Open, select all, cut, paste to E:\

Clonezilla live (VGA 800x600)
Clonezilla live (VGA 800x600 & To RAM)
Clonezilla live (VGA with large font & To RAM)
Clonezilla live (Verify integrity of the boot medium)
Other modes of Clonezilla live
Local operating system (if available)
UEFI firmware setup

Solutions & Fixes — Complete Resolution Path

Solution 1: Remove BIOS Password Locks (Do This First)

Multiple BIOS security layers (Admin, User, Master, HDD passwords) prevent all firmware modification. This is the root cause of the settings revert loop, flash failure, and EFI variable errors.

Enter BIOS (F2) → Security Tab

Administrator Password  →  [current]  →  [leave blank]  →  Enter
User Password           →  [current]  →  [leave blank]  →  Enter
Master Password         →  [current]  →  [leave blank]  →  Enter
HDD Password            →  [current]  →  [leave blank]  →  Enter

→ Exit Tab → Save Changes and Exit (F10)

Solution 2: ZIP Image + FAT32 for UEFI

ISO images target Legacy/BIOS boot. UEFI firmware cannot locate the bootloader (BOOTX64.EFI) in an ISO-created directory structure.

1. Download Clonezilla ZIP image (not ISO)
2. Format USB as FAT32 (not NTFS, not exFAT)
3. Extract ZIP to root of USB — no parent folder

After extraction, verify EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI exists at root level.

Solution 3: Manual Kernel Load via GRUB Command Line (Emergency)

If you see invalid magic number or you have to load the kernel first, press C at the Clonezilla GRUB menu for a command prompt:

grub> ls
grub> ls (hd0,msdos1)/
grub> set root=(hd0,msdos1)
grub> linux /live/vmlinuz boot=live union=overlay username=user config components quiet
grub> initrd /live/initrd.img
grub> boot

Alternative: Highlight first menu entry → press E → locate the linux line → fix or remove wrong device prefix before /live/vmlinuz → press Ctrl+X to boot.

Solution 4: BIOS Flash via Windows (After Unlocking)

Only attempt after removing all BIOS passwords. The flash will succeed because the security subsystem no longer blocks NVRAM writes.

1. Boot into Windows
2. Download correct BIOS .exe from Lenovo Support (model AIWB0, target v2.06)
3. Run as Administrator → Install → Flash BIOS → Enter to start
4. Do NOT power off during flash — system reboots automatically

Solution 5: Ubuntu Backup with fsarchiver

dd creates a raw 289GB image that will not fit in 267GB and cannot restore to a smaller disk. Use fsarchiver for file-based compressed backup that restores to any disk size.

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/target
sudo mount /dev/sdc6 /mnt/target
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/target/backup

# Save partition table for reference
sudo sfdisk -d /dev/sda > /mnt/target/backup/partition-table.txt

# Backup small EFI partitions with dd (fast, fixed-size)
sudo dd if=/dev/sda1 of=/mnt/target/backup/sda1-efi.img bs=4M status=progress
sudo dd if=/dev/sda4 of=/mnt/target/backup/sda4-efi.img bs=4M status=progress

# Backup Ubuntu — only used data, zstd compressed
sudo fsarchiver savefs /mnt/target/backup/ubuntu.fsa /dev/sda5

sudo umount /mnt/target

Solution 6: Restore to New Disk

# Restore Ubuntu to new partition (any disk size)
sudo fsarchiver restfs /path/to/ubuntu.fsa id=0,dest=/dev/sdX5

# Restore EFI boot partitions
sudo dd if=/mnt/target/backup/sda1-efi.img of=/dev/sdX1 bs=4M status=progress
sudo dd if=/mnt/target/backup/sda4-efi.img of=/dev/sdX4 bs=4M status=progress

Only requirement for the target disk: must accommodate ~150GB of actual data.

Results & Outcomes

BIOS Fully Unlocked

All 4 passwords removed. Settings save permanently on every reboot. USB boot option is visible and enabled. Secure Boot stays disabled when set. GRUB writes EFI variables without error.

Clonezilla USB Boots Successfully

USB UEFI option now appears in the F12 boot menu. Full Clonezilla GRUB menu loads:

Clonezilla GNU GRUB

Clonezilla live (VGA 800x600)
Clonezilla live (VGA 800x600 & To RAM)
Clonezilla live (VGA with large font & To RAM)
Clonezilla live (Verify integrity of the boot medium)
Clonezilla live (Speech synthesis)
Other modes of Clonezilla live
Local operating system (if available)
Memtester (VGA 800x600 & To RAM)
UEFI firmware setup
Clonezilla live 20260525-resolute-amd64 info

Ubuntu Backup Completed

BIOS Firmware Updated

Issue Resolution Summary

Key Takeaways

1. BIOS passwords are the silent killer — they cause symptoms that look like hardware failure, NVRAM corruption, or firmware bugs. Check security locks first.
2. UEFI needs ZIP, not ISO — ISO format is legacy-only. UEFI requires the ZIP structure on FAT32 with EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI at root level.
3. Path depth matters — extra folder layers break UEFI boot. Files must be at the root of the FAT32 filesystem.
4. fsarchiver > dd for flexible backups — file-based compressed backup restores to any disk size; raw sector images do not.
5. Always verify settings save after BIOS change — if they revert, check security locks before assuming corruption or hardware failure.