How to make StartOS run on Minisforum UN1290

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While StartOS worked well on an earlier similar Minisforum model (the UN1265), I discovered that the Minisforum UN1290 doesn’t go as expected. This model is running a newer/nicer BIOS (listed on the Main tab as “BIOS Version 1.06”, and in the footer as “Version 02.22.0058 Copyright American Megatrends International LLC”). The installation goes fine, but upon reboot, the miniPC behaves as if there is no bootable device.

After some tinkering, I’ve gotten it to work with a minor hack, so thought I would share here for anyone facing the same issue.

You will need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor temporarily (after applying the fix, they are no longer required), and a bootable Linux USB thumb drive (I used Linux Mint 22.1).

Step 1

Complete the initial StartOS installation process. When the miniPC reboots, it will not launch StartOS. This is what we will be fixing in the following steps.

Step 2

Attach the keyboard, mouse, and monitor, insert the Linux USB drive, and power up the miniPC.

Step 3

Open terminal, and enter the following commands one by one (adjust the device path if you are using a SATA drive instead of NVMe):

#Mount the EFI partition so we can do some editing:

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt

#Make a folder under EFI called “BOOT”, which the miniPC expects:

sudo mkdir /mnt/EFI/BOOT

#Copy shimx64.efi (for Secure Boot) as BOOTX64.EFI which the miniPC expects:

sudo cp /mnt/EFI/startos/shimx64.efi /mnt/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI

#Copy mmx64.efi (goes with the shim)

sudo cp /mnt/EFI/startos/mmx64.efi /mnt/EFI/BOOT/

#Copy grubx64.efi, which the shim expects to be in the same folder

sudo cp /mnt/EFI/startos/grubx64.efi /mnt/EFI/BOOT/

#Create grub.cfg, which grub expects in the same folder, pointing to the real one

sudo nano /mnt/EFI/BOOT/grub.cfg

-----Enter just the following two lines:

search --no-floppy --file /EFI/startos/grub.cfg --set=esp
configfile ($esp)/EFI/startos/grub.cfg

-----Then save the file (Ctrl+X → Y → Enter)

#Make sure writes are finished

sync

Step 4

Reboot. StartOS should now launch.

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Hello Paul, thank you very much for the instructions. Would you be available for video call help? I’m not very computer saavy and don’t know how to code.

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Sure, let’s coordinate via DM

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I replaced the hard drive on my minipc and just installed S9 direct to the hard drive and it has worked ok without any additional changes. I see that the S9 pure comes with ’ With coreboot firmware and Intel® Management Engine (IME) disabled, the Server Pure is the open source server’. Is this advantageous and a reason to buy the official Start9 model?

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Was there a particular reason you chose the UN1290 over the other Minisforum miniPCs?

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For me, I chose it because it had a new BIOS which did not support StartOS, and I wanted to understand why. As far as price for the specs, it is not a bad contender.

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To answer your other question about coreboot firmware and IME disabled, yes that is an advantage that the Server Pure has over other devices. It means every bit of software on that device is open source, so nothing (from a software perspective at least) is a black box. Of course, we tend to accept that security risk in other sensitive aspects of our lives (virtually every computer and smart device we use also has pieces of closed-source software running on it at least to some extent). The extra cost that comes with pure open source is a potential area to make a trade-off to get more bang for your buck.

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