Tails not starting: GNU GRUB version 2.12-9, Minimal BASH-like line

I encountered the same issue and managed to resolve it.
I am using a Windows laptop.
At first, I used Rufus on Windows to flash the image, but it always booted into the GRUB command line.
Later, following Lind’s suggestion, I used another USB to install Debian Live GNOME and flash it, and it worked successfully.
From this, it seems that the 7.4.1 image itself is fine, and the problem might be caused by Rufus?
Thanks to Lind!!!


Below is the process I went through when I used Rufus to flash the image and ended up in the GRUB command line, where I tried to get ChatGPT to help me solve the problem (but failed). Hopefully, this can help others.

First, I used the following settings in Rufus:

  • Partition scheme: GPT

  • Target system: UEFI (no CSM)

  • File system: Large FAT32 (default)

  • Cluster size: 32 kilobytes

After entering the GRUB command line:

  1. Running ls showed: proc, memdisk, hd0, hd1, (hd1,gpt1), (hd1,gpt2), (hd1,gpt3), (hd1,gpt4)

  2. Running ls (hd1,gpt1) on the first partition showed filesystem type fat; all other partitions showed either “no known filesystem detected, partition start at xxxx KiB” or “unknown filesystem”

  3. Running ls (hd1,gpt1)/ showed: efi/, System, Volume, Information/

  4. Running ls (hd1,gpt1)/efi/ showed: Microsoft/, Boot/

  5. Running ls (hd1,gpt1)/efi/Boot/ showed: bootx64.efi

  6. Running ls (hd1,gpt1)/efi/Microsoft/ showed: Boot/, Recovery/

  7. Running ls (hd1,gpt1)/efi/Microsoft/Recovery/ showed: bcd, bcd., log, BCD.LOG1, BCD.LOG2

  8. Running ls (hd1,gpt1)/efi/Microsoft/Boot/ showed many files, which looked like language packs and system files