I have a Lenovo notebook that is exactly like another one I have which I am setting up for someone else. On mine the only thing I did was change the boot order and it installed kubuntu like a charm. But with this one I even went into the Bios and made sure it was sent to legacy and I installed kubuntu, installed grub but I couldn't boot into it. I gave me the boot option of booting from USB dvd drive, windows mbr and another I don't remember but none of them worked.

I used gparted live and instead of showing /dev/sda it shows /dev/mmcblk0. I have checked everything but I can find no way to find /dev/sda. I've googled but everything I read does not mention this.

Thanks

that bold is your SD CARD
Gparted has that first and a little drop down window to change it to a different drive that it sees too. that one that is shwing you what drive you're looking at which is the /dev/mmcblk0
did you click on that window? it is suppose to drop down and give you options to select the other drives it sees.

lets see, you installed Linux onto this other drive (laptop), Are you sure of where you installed grub?

if you can get supergrub2 burn it to USB stick boot it have it search bootable systems. then boot into that Linux on that LAPTOP then install grub again to the hdd that is being used to boot from. reboot, and see if that works first.

as root. You should already know this part, I am sure, if not,
reboot

That was the first thing I checked. There is no /dev/sda. And when I go to create partitions it shows as the mm one. No /dev/sda1 etc. I'm willing to try anything but I think I need to fix that first. Am I wrong? I'm fairly new but I have installed a number of distros and I've never seen this before. And I'm positive I installed grub during installation but also know how to from cli.

wooohhhh
No windows OS .. blank HDD?
is the HDD even being recolonized in BIOS?

if HDD being recognised by BIOS.

Just use a Linux Bootable USB Stick install of whatever you're wanting to install.

the ones I've use have the option to deal with your hdd first. I go into gfdisk /dev/sda if I can then created the type mbr or gpt if needed, then use that to split up my partitions. gfdisk is really easy to use. just follow the menu on the bottom to show you the options on what you need. when done do a write to disk then exit. then just go into your install process and format the new partitions using the install.

same for that GUI type installs. usually it is under - do something else or something similar to that, usually located somewhere on the bottom, that they make you have to look for or you will miss it, which then takes one to the manual set up of ones hdd . partitions and formatting it or not check box selections. then when done in there then select whatever they have to save and move on to the rest of the install process.

no real need to use the gparted boot option first

if the BIOS is seeing the HDD then the USB Stick install of Linux should better see it too. which it should.

no I was wrong. It doesn't show up one place but it does in another. I'll follow your steps.

you are not going to get anything done that way.

can you open it up and check your connections to the hdd to mother board, unplug it then plug it back in.
turn on hope it spins up.
if not then this is now a hardware problem.

you need not change this original post to reflect the changes that took place, LQ has plenty of E Paper.please refrain as it loses its context in text flow of thought. now it sounds like you following my suggestion is not going to work.

just slap it in the post box below to eliminate confusion.

Sorry about that. I tried installing from usb and followed your instructions and I did manual partitioning as always and T got /sda but when I tried to add partitions they went under mmc instead uf sda. I stopped at that point. I'm not sure if I should continue at this point. I'm not trying to be helpless but I just can't find anything when i search.

[QUOTE=bsth123;5700325]Sorry about that. I tried installing from usb and followed your instructions and I did manual partitioning as always and T <<-- typo?

I'm not sweating it. keep trying if you want to.

By what means where you using to partiton hdd?
gfdisk
or that GUI one in most installs?

---

you could try.

remove any and all objects out of the SD Card slot.

unplug everything external medium USB Ports and whatever other ports it may have.
even your DVD/CD if it has one, make sure it is empty.


then check your BIOS to ensure that it is seeing a hard drive.

Plug in the USB Boot Linux install Stick then try it again.

I don't know what's wrong at this point but I suspect there's something wrong with this notebook. And I can't return it because it has no operating system. I tried to install Pclinux (I think that's what it's called) and it wouldn't even start. When I went to boot from usb it showed sda but whenever I tried to create a partition it went inder the mm whatever.I went back to an earlier version of kubuntu that I installed on my other notebook by cd and it didn't show /dev/sda again. I don't know how to disconnect and reconnect everything. It's a small notebook and I have no technical skills. If I go ahead with the install I go right back where I started. I can't take it to a repair shops because it would cost more than it's worth. Luckily it was inexpensive. And as I mentioned in another post I have 3 laptops, two notebooks and a chromebook. Unless you have another suggestion I'm afraid it's going to be a paperweight. Sorry, I'm just really frustrated. I've been working on this all day long. And to make things worse my FreeBSD had a segmentation fault after an update, Now I have to reinstall that and this time I'm making a backup! Thanks you for all your patience and help. Much appreciated. Somedays I miss the simplicity of my chromebook.

YOUTUBE
search it doe the make model of that laptop to see how to open it up and change out the hard drive. you'd be surprise how not so hard it should be. most new ones now days.

a little experience getting wouldn't hurt. just be careful and don't go harking on anything to get it to open.

I mean it got a have a hard drive in it. if the BIOS is showing one under basic info even it should show what hdd's are connected.

then you just got a get it formatted to get you started.

what It is a chrome book well that explains everything. I just read that last part.

I just don't understand why. I will look at you tube as you suggested but I need a break for a few days. I do need the experience I'm sure. A chromebook is a notebook made by google that runs off an operating system based on linux. I've just used it for surfing, email, docs and printing. I have a wireless printer and I print by using the email address of the printer and attaching what I want to print.It's great for basic tasks and the battery lasts for ever. And one big plus is they have a hotline that's 24/7 and I've had nothing but good experience with them. They walk you through everything and don't quit until the problem is solved. Did I mention it's inexpensive? It's no replacement for linux and I do like the challenge but some days I just go back to it when I need a break. Probably more than you wanted to know.

[QUOTE=bsth123;5700387]I just don't understand why. I will look at you tube as you suggested but I need a break for a few days. I do need the experience I'm sure. [quote]

mmmm but not all cromebook can get the real Linux installed on them .

another idea just popped into my head. if it is one of them "micro" netbook thingys it may just have one of them sdd card hdd thingy - thin card sdd hdds in it and not the traditional hdd for laptop which just may be that is why you're having troubles identifying the hdd as /dev/sda



that is that " went inder the mm whatever" MM thing that I had no idea what that was until now it hit me.

I'll have to check into it. The only thing is I don't want to spend much money

what is the exact make and model of that thing?