Looks like perhaps the Devuan installer has inherited this.

# sgdisk --zap-all /dev/sdb

***************************************************************
Found invalid GPT and valid MBR; converting MBR to GPT format
in memory. 
***************************************************************

Warning! Secondary partition table overlaps the last partition by
33 blocks!
You will need to delete this partition or resize it in another utility.
GPT data structures destroyed! You may now partition the disk using fdisk or
other utilities.

Then I've tried install devuan_ascii_2.0.0_i386_minimal-live.iso but it didn't boot again.

I've tried install devuan_ascii_2.0.0_i386_netinst.iso which has installed grub and it's booting

GPT includes MBR boot sector in 1st sector, thats how the iso can boot in both old MBR (supposedly, in regards to OP problems) and new UEFI.

Although a GUID partition table includes a "fake" MBR it is not large enough to hold GRUB's core.img (which is stored in the MBR gap in msdos partition tables) and so a BIOS boot partition is needed.

ISO images use the El-Torrito "hybrid" configuration to accommodate both UEFI and non-UEFI booting:

https://wiki.osdev.org/El-Torito#Hybrid … _USB_stick

This thread is about a full system installation to a USB stick rather than ISO images.

I could boot another ASCII installation from another, older USB stick using "non-booting" computer. I can't boot ASCII installed on newer USB 3.0 stick using "non-booting" computer (ASCII was installed using "non-booting" computer). So it seems problem is in USB 3.0 stick.

In order to confirm the problem i recommend to carry out a couple of experiments:

You will need two USB 3.0 sticks and one USB 2.0 stick.

1. Make bootable ASCII USB sticks and try to boot

2. Write another distro installer into same USB stocks ans try to boot.

If only USB 3.0 sticks doesn't work it's UEFI implementation issue.

Besides, how you made bootable USB sticks? Did you use dd, unetbootin or another tool?

A GPT disk (or stick in this case) would require a BIOS boot partition to start in non-UEFI mode and I don't think the OP added that.

GPT includes MBR boot sector in 1st sector, thats how the iso can boot in both old MBR (supposedly, in regards to OP problems) and new UEFI.

Thanks for this.  I knew of gdisk, but not the sgdisk command.

So it seems problem is in USB 3.0 stick.

Yes, there are a few similar problems on the interweb:

https://superuser.com/questions/1268430 … her-system

https://askubuntu.com/questions/868744/ … om-usb-3-0

The second thread claims that a firmware ("BIOS") update fixed the problem, is that a possibility for your non-working machine?

A GPT disk (or stick in this case) would require a BIOS boot partition to start in non-UEFI mode and I don't think the OP added that.

For reference:

# apt install gdisk
# sgdisk --zap-all /dev/sdX

^ That will remove both the main and backup GUID partition tables from a drive (replace X with the relevant drive letter ofc).

Some thoughts-

I wonder if "non-booting" computer is fussy about MBR, and assuming the USB is using GPT, that the BIOS cant read/find MBR?

I had trouble once with a particular USB because it had been formatted GPT, I reformatted using fdisk, and trouble was old GPT entries were still on the USB.  Long shot I know.

If you want to try something with this particular USB, you could install Devuan minimal-live.iso onto USB and see if that boots.  minimal-live.iso is legacy BIOS MBR.  If "non-booting" computer boots minimal-live, you at least would know the USB itself is OK with "non-booting" computer.

Sorry, out of ideas.  good luck.

As others have suggested, I would start with getting into your BIOS and look at the boot order, as well as what boot devices are enabled for boot.  Sorry cant be more exact, there are many different BIOS designs and options.  I have a netbook that treats the USB drive as another harddrive and I have to select between the 2, for example.  Look for stuff like that.

edit-
What I (and others) am trying to establish here is; is the bios actually booting the DESIRED device.  Once thats established, we can move on with the problem.

There is message that no boot media found

Is there an option to select the boot device?

On my ThinkPad X201 I get a boot menu if I press F12 during startup.

ToxicExMachina wrote:

Try to find "power on USB at startup" or "USB powersaving" option in CMOS setup or something like that.

I'm sorry there are no such options.

Can you boot different distro?

Try to find "power on USB at startup" or "USB powersaving" option in CMOS setup or something like that.

I'm sorry there are no such options.

Did you install in UEFI mode? Check if /sys/firmware/efi exists when you boot the stick on the working computer.

Is the non-working laptop a UEFI machine?

If the USB stick is a non-UEFI system and the non-working machine is UEFI capable then check the firmware ("BIOS") menus in the non-working computer for an option to boot in "CSM" or "Legacy" mode, this will emulate a non-UEFI system.

No. /sys/firmware/efi doesn't exist

non-working laptop has legacy BIOS only.

Is the non-working laptop a UEFI machine?

If the USB stick is a non-UEFI system and the non-working machine is UEFI capable then check the firmware ("BIOS") menus in the non-working computer for an option to boot in "CSM" or "Legacy" mode, this will emulate a non-UEFI system.