I want to set up an OPNsense firewall on my MSI Cubi N microcomputer. In my previous post, I have described to create the bootable USB stick for installation. Now it’s time to boot the MSI Cubi N from this USB stick.

My MSI Cubi N comes with Windows preinstalled on it. And I cannot enter the BIOS by pressing the Delete or F2 button upon startup.

Insert the USB key

It is easiest to insert the USB key with the installation media before starting the Cubi N and changing the BIOS settings. This way, the USB key is detected and shown in the Boot menu.

Enter the BIOS

• Switch off the Cubi N by holding down the power button until it is off.
• Start the Cubi N by pressing the power button and holding it down for about 3 seconds. Don’t let go the power button until you see the BIOS screen.
• The MSI Click BIOS screen opens

Note

It’s sometime a fiddling around with actually starting the Cubi N and switching it off again when trying to get into the BIOS.

BIOS changes

Now it’s time to make some changes in the BIOS. We need to set the Boot order and adjust some Security settings.

Boot

• Navigate to the Boot tab
• Disable the Fast Boot
• Change the Boot Order by editing the first entry #1
  (all entries have an UEFI Prefix in BIOS). Change from:
  • #1: CD-DVD
  • #2: Hard Disk: Windows Boot Manager (Phision 128GB E)
  • #3: USB Floppy
  • #4: USB CD-DVD
  • #5: USB Hard Disk
  • #6: USB Key: UEFI: KingstonDataTraveler 2.0PMAP, Partition 1
  • #7: Network
• to the new Boot Order:
  • #1: USB Key UEFI: KingstonDataTraveler 2.0PMAP, Partition 1
  • #2: Hard Disk: Windows Boot Manager (Phision 128GB E)
  • #3: USB Floppy
  • #4: USB CD-DVD
  • #5: USB Hard Disk
  • #6: CD-DVD
  • #7: Network

Note

The correct boot device depends on the image written to the USB key.

Security

When trying to boot from the USB Key, an error might be shown:

Secure Boot Violation
Invalid signature detected. Check Secure Boot Policy in Setup.

Searching the internet, I found that I need to disable the Secure Boot option.

• Navigate to the Security tab
• Enter the Secure Boot entry
• Disable the Secure Boot option

Save & Exit

To exit from the BIOS with the changed settings:

• Navigate to the with the Save & Exit tab
• Choose the Save Changes and Reboot option
• Confirm
• The Cubi N reboots and starts from the inserted USB Key. 🥳

Reset the BIOS settings

After installation, I probably should reset the changed BIOS settings:

• Enter the Save & Exit tab of the BIOS
• Choose the Restore Defaults option
• Confirm the changes
• Choose the Save Changes and Reboot option.

Note

It turned out that the Cubi N didn’t boot up anymore if I restored to the initial factory settings. Thus, I restored my changed settings again.

Conclusion

To install the OPNsense Firewall on my Cubi N, I need to enter the BIOS with the power button, change the Boot Order and disable Fast Boot as well as Secure Boot.

It is now time to install the OPNsense Firewall 😀

References

MSI Cubi N

• https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000089801/intel-nuc.html
• https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005847/intel-nuc.html
• https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/bios-and-boot-menu-at-start-cubi-5-10m-007beu.371869/
• https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/secure-boot-violation-on-cubi-n-adl.388495/