ZimaOS Installation Issues

Help

Hey everyone, I’m hitting a wall trying to get ZimaOS (v1.6.1) running on an HP M01-F1xxx desktop and could really use some expert eyes on this.
The Hardware:
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 4300G (Zen 2)
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 500GB WD Blue HDD (SATA) — Note: Internal NVMe is currently invisible to the installer.
• Motherboard/PC: HP M01 Desktop
The Issue:
I can get the OS to install onto the 500GB drive, but during the initialization phase (the first boot after removing the USB), the system crashes and reboots.
It scrolls through the startup text and I see several red [ FAILED ] messages—specifically related to libvirt-ro.socket and other virtualization services—and then the computer immediately power-cycles.
What I’ve already tried:
• BIOS: Secure Boot is Disabled (confirmed with the 4-digit code). Virtualization Technology is Enabled.
• BIOS Limitation: This is a standard HP consumer BIOS. There is no "Advanced" menu for C-state control, IOMMU fine-tuning, or SATA mode switching.
• Kernel Parameters: I have tried hitting e in the boot menu and adding:
• nomodeset
• idle=nomwait
• processor.max_cstate=1
• rcu_nocbs=0-7
• Flashing: Used BalenaEtcher on a Mac to flash ZimaOS v1.6.1 from the official GitHub URL.
The Symptom:
The system seems to panic the moment it tries to initialize the virtualization stack or change the CPU power state. Because it’s an HP, I can’t force "Typical Current Idle" or disable C-states in the firmware.
Has anyone successfully tamed an AMD-based HP M01 for ZimaOS or any other headless Linux distro? Are there any "nuclear" boot parameters I’m missing to keep this Ryzen chip from stalling during init?
Thanks in advance!

Posted Apr 29, 2026, 6:50 AM UTC

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