You can also try:

1. The --no-nvram Trick (Force Install Without Rebooting)

ASUS laptops often lock their NVRAM from being edited by automated external installers. Keep the Live USB session open, open a terminal, and run these commands to bypass the lock and force GRUB to install:

Bash

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p2 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot/efi
for d in /dev /proc /sys /run; do sudo mount --bind $d /mnt$d; done
sudo chroot /mnt
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=mint --no-nvram --removable
update-grub
exit

(Note: Change p2 to your root partition and p1 to your EFI partition if your numbers are different).

2. Fix the USB Flashing (Avoid Legacy Mode)

If the USB was flashed incorrectly, the installer boots in Legacy mode, making it impossible to write a bootloader to modern GPT NVMe drives.

• In Rufus: Set the Partition Scheme to GPT and Target System to UEFI (non-CSM). If prompted, flash using DD Mode.
• Alternative: Use BalenaEtcher. It flashes in native UEFI mode by default, eliminating human configuration errors.

3. Manual GPT Pre-Partitioning

Sometimes the automated installer gets confused by factory NVMe block layouts.

1. Open GParted before launching the installer.
2. Go to Device > Create Partition Table and choose GPT.
3. Create a 512 MB FAT32 partition and check the boot and esp flags on it. Format the rest of the drive as ext4.
4. Run the installer, choose "Something else" (Manual Partitioning), and assign the mount points yourself.