[SOLVED] Can I use Unetbootin's HDD mode with my Acer Espire ES1-511 UEFI frimware?

anon261 · 10-01-2015, 05:31 PM

I would like to know this as I plan to do a dual boot with windows 10 and ubuntu mate. Thanks!

Keruskerfuerst · 10-03-2015, 04:31 AM

1. Hardwareinfo?
2. Harddisk size and parttioning?

qlue · 10-03-2015, 01:17 PM

My opinion: Unetbootin is redundant and obsolete.
Ubuntu, Mint, Debian and most likely any other modern distribution comes as a hybrid .iso file. You can dd that file directly to a USB flash drive without using Unetbootin.

In my experience, these hybrid .iso files don't work the same as traditional .iso files with Unetbootin. (aka, they fail to work at all)

Read the Ubuntu documentation about installing via USB for more info.

anon261 · 10-04-2015, 09:17 AM

**Turns out it can boot to usb! I now have dual booted!

**

Sir, you don't know my situation, first of all I'm running windows 10, not Linux (yet), so i cant use dd. Second of all, I cannot boot to USB, neither do I have a CD drive. I was wondering if i could use the HDD mode in Unetbootin so i can install Ubuntu Mate (Mah-Tay).
I'm just scared of messing up my boot loader, as this is my only fast machine that i can use as well as my primary.
Also, I intend of using Linux on a daily basis, so Virtual box would not be very useful.

I'm running Windows 10
Intel Celeron at 2.6 Gigahertz
4 GB of ddr3 RAM
And some sort of onboard Intel graphics thing. I don't know neither do i think anyone cares
My PC model is the Acer Aspire es1-511.
Thank you.

(Also, how are you running Chrunchbang when it is out of date and replaced by BrunsonLabs?)

yancek · 10-04-2015, 11:19 AM

Check the link below under "Hard Disk Install Mode" which gives an overview. At the end of the paragraph is a link "How Unetbootin Works" which explains the boot process with unetbootin in the section "Installing the Bootloader" and how it is supposed to work on windows. This will basically put the Linux Live CD on your hard drive and you would then need to boot it and go through the install process. There is no mention of UEFI on the link so I have no idea what impact that will have.

http://sourceforge.net/p/unetbootin/wiki/installmodes/

qlue · 10-04-2015, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThisGuyHasSomeQuestions

(Also, how are you running Chrunchbang when it is out of date and replaced by BrunsonLabs?)

Well, Crunchbang is really just Debian. :P I've upgraded to Debian 8 (Jessie) but I'm still using openbox and the 'Crunchbang' user interface with it.

Just one question though, if you cannot boot from USB and you have no optical drive, what happens if you need to re-install Windows??
Logically, there has to be a way to boot from an external media source or a crashed hard drive renders the entire laptop into a door stop.

anon261 · 10-04-2015, 01:05 PM

*I found out that this thing can boot to usb. just not using the usb 3 port. i now have proceeded with the dual boot*

**Below was me before I discovered this. :P**

The only way of recovery is a recovery partition.
Dear Acer: WTHeck
"Hey, I messed up the bootloader, hmm, maybe I could use the partition on the SAME HDD THAT'S MESSED UP!"

So yeah, I can only boot to Usb:
Floppy drives.
Cd Drives.

???
it was made in 2014, please Acer, Make up to date laptops!

RockDoctor · 10-05-2015, 11:04 AM

Bootloaders can be fixed. Attempting to set up up dual boot without first making a proper offline backup of the existing Windows installation on a new computer is not always a good idea. Recovery doesn't work well when you've accidentally reformatted the whole drive. These things I know from experience.

rokytnji · 10-05-2015, 11:25 AM

Found some specs

Code:

System: Host: <snip>-Aspire-ES1-511 Kernel: 3.19.0-26-generic x86_64 (64 bit, gcc: 4.8.2)
Desktop: Cinnamon 2.6.13 Distro: Linux Mint 17.2 Rafaela
Machine: Mobo: Acer model: Aspire ES1-511 version: V1.03 Bios: Acer version: V1.03 date: 05/09/2014
CPU: Dual core Intel Celeron CPU N2830 (-MCP-) cache: 1024 KB flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 8652.8
Clock Speeds: 1: 499.741 MHz 2: 499.741 MHz
Graphics: Card: Intel ValleyView Gen7 bus-ID: 00:02.0
X.Org: 1.15.1 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1366x768@60.0hz
GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Bay Trail GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 10.1.3 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio: Card: Intel ValleyView High Definition Audio Controller driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture ver: k3.19.0-26-generic
Network: Card-1: Qualcomm Atheros QCA9565 / AR9565 Wireless Network Adapter driver: ath9k bus-ID: 02:00.0
IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
Card-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
driver: r8169 ver: 2.3LK-NAPI port: 1000 bus-ID: 01:00.0
IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives: HDD Total Size: 500.1GB (1.2 used) 1: id: /dev/sda model: WDC_WD5000LPVX size: 500.1GB
Partition: ID: / size: 46G used: 5.4G (13) fs: ext4 ID: /boot size: 922M used: 86M (10%) fs: ext4
ID: /home size: 403G used: 215M (1%) fs: ext4 ID: swap-1 size: 10.00GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap
RAID: No RAID devices detected - /proc/mdstat and md_mod kernel raid module present
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 35.0C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info: Processes: 158 Uptime: 4 min Memory: 480.3/3839.1MB Runlevel: 2 Gcc sys: 4.8.4
Client: Shell (bash 4.3.11) inxi: 1.9.17

I think your unetbootin approach will only accomplish bricking your Windows 10 install and making your acer laptop a door stop till you reinstall a operating system back on it.

I have a old external ide dvdrw to usb drive besides installing linux via sd card or usb flash drive.
My above post about specs shows that the above user is not a Windows 10 dual booter on that drive and only runs Linux Mint 17
on that 500 gig Western Digital Hard drive.

If I was you. Being new to all of this. I'd invest a nice small 60 SSD drive. Pull out that Windows 10 hard drive.
Install the Linux of your choice on that SSD drive via usb flash drive install or sd flash drive live session.
When you want Windows 10. Put the old drive back in.

After you get some experience. Then try a dual boot scenario after making some recovery media on dvd (using a external dvd drive).

Or not. Up to you. Good luck with poke and hope with your usb linux boot up.

Happy Trailz, Rok

anon261 · 10-19-2015, 08:28 AM

I'm marking this as solved as the fact that apparently my pc was able to boot from usb.
Thanks for the help.