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. The basic idea here is to place the bootloader at /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI – this path is hard‑coded in the UEFI spec as the “removable‑media fallback,” so virtually every firmware will look there automatically when no explicit boot entry is found.

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, for example /dev/sda1 instead of /dev/nvme0n1p1):

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

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt

# Make a folder under EFI called “BOOT”:

sudo mkdir /mnt/EFI/BOOT

# Copy shimx64.efi (for Secure Boot) as BOOTX64.EFI:

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

# Unmount the EFI partition

sudo umount /mnt

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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I have been unable to find new u n 1265 online. I found some refurbish 1265 and 1290 Would they be a problem as far as reliability?, Is there source for new ones that I may have overlooked

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Yes, it’s looking like the new ones are getting hard to find (and lots of “renewed” listings). I did see this listing here for the barebones UN1290 (plus a couple different configuration options for RAM + SSD of the NAB9, which has the same chipset, but slightly different form factor). You’d have to purchase the RAM seprately if you went with a barbones option, though.

I also see some listings for the Kodlix GD90 which has the identical chipset and form factor as the Minisforum UN1290 (just different branding on the outside of the case).

And there are also some listings for the Beelink EQI12 which has the same chipset (but slightly different form factor) as the Minisforum UN1265.

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Will all the PCs with 1290 chipset have the same booting issues for start9os
and the BeelinkEQI12 should not

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The boot issue was related to the bios version, not the CPU. So, for any models that I haven’t tested, I can’t say whether they would have the issue or not. It has to do with the firmware failing to register/discover the EFI files, and StartOS not creating the standard fallback at /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI, so I suspect the issue affects a lot of devices. Thankfully, it is easy enough to fix if you run into it.

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I am prefer to use the Beelink EQI12 which is close to un1265 and hopefully has no issues, I am not comfortable using command line , but I have cut and pasted it before.
Does the Beelink have the intel AMT disable as in the minisform and the same verification process used.

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It should be the same (i.e. no AMT), but if you want to makes sure you can do one of the checks I demonstrated to verify (if the bios is AMI like on the Minisforum, that one would be the simplest method)

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Ok thank, Are there ways to disable AMT and is that process very difficult to do.

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If it is installed, there is usually an option to disable it in the bios.

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great, I do appreciate your help
thanks

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The Beelink on Amazon list the operating system as OS , does that refer to Windows system

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Not sure. Do you have access to another computer with a USB drive that you can use to flash the StartOS ISO file? If so, then you won’t need any operating system to ship with the server.

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My Beelink mini-pc shipped with Win11 on it, though the advert didn’t mention it. I’ve had no issues since installing StartOS via usb key & it’s been running 24/7. Beelink SER5 Pro Mini PC, AMD Ryzen 7 5825U(8C/16T) 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB NVME SSD. I upgraded to a 2TB NVME prior to installing the OS. Hope this helps.