I have a Gateway laptop ms2274 that used had windows 7 professional that will not show log in anymore. Tried everything. Trying to install Linux mint 17 KDE Qiana, worked on old desktop but will not install on laptop. Always stalls at "Prepare" after internet connection. Tried pressing "R" during boot and got GRUB4dos 0.4.4 2009-10-6, "windows with SLIC". How can I install Linux? Can I remove original GRUB, format C drive during boot and install? Help please.

You should be able to wipe the computer and install clean. I've done it on three machines with Mint 17 in the past three weeks.

A couple of thoughts:

Are you booting the optical disk in Live Mode (that is, to a desktop), then clicking the icon to install Mint, or are you trying to install from the boot menu? If the latter, let the disk boot in live mode and let us know what happens.

Are you trying to install with a wired or wireless connection? If wireless, try wired.

The more detail you can provide, the easier it will for us to help you.

And welcome to LQ.

Ok, I downloaded mint KDE Quiana from my main computer. Installing on my old desktop running windows vista it took 4 tries to install live due to freezing with horizontal lines. Finally installed had same freezing problem 3 times before an error menu popped up (I don't recall what it was) I ran it and since then it's been great. Tried now to install on laptop with windows 7 pro, always opens with error menu and I click on repair. Windows loads but no log in. Now been trying to install mint 17 live and have tried both wired and wireless and it will not install past "prepare" after securing an internet connection. Could it be the mirror I got it from? should I try boot loading? The preview works fine, just slow. The whole laptop no matter what I do seems to take forever ever since windows error.

BIOS is set to load from dvd until Linux is installed on laptop. I cannot get to the grub loader unless I boot from hard drive and hit R on boot. I pressed R during Linux boot from dvd and tried compatibility during which I believe I saw noting of many errors. If needed I can run it again and try to note problems. Then tried to install again with same issue.

I am trying to install live from icon on Linux mint desktop each time. Always stalls during "prepare". (endlessly running with no progress). Have tried wireless and wired and both before and after compatibility mode with same result.

Laptop was used with windows 7 professional, a Gateway ms2274 NV52/AMD Turion x2 Dual Core mobile RM-72/IDEO Hitachi hard drive/Bios V1-13/KBC version 03.47/ .....Is the vga bios version needed?? If so please let me know.

Windows 7 professional seems to have crashed. it will load but no log in window, only background. always boots into start up recovery but nothing changes. I choose start up recovery and the same thing happens.

I do not know what else to try. Also while running Linux from the dvd (not installed) when I boot a linux log in window will flash before loading, then when it goes into standby mode and I try to get back in a log in window appears and requires a password and I need to restart.

This is every detail I can think of. If any other info is needed please tell me.

IS there anyone that can help me with this issue??

Could you perhaps post some of the errors you are encountering as close to verbatim as possible? Perhaps taking some digital photos and posting or linking to them would help.

Also, what in addition to the specs you listed above, how much RAM and what type of video card does this machine have?

When you boot to the CD in Live mode, can you see and navigate the machine's hard drive? Given that you are experiencing problems with both Windows and Mint, I'm wondering whether there may be some deeper problem.

Your windows starting to boot and failing to get to a login screen is totally unrelated to Mint or the Grub bootloader, although obviously a problem.

If you have windows 7 on the laptop on which you are trying to install Mint, you should have at least three options under Installation Type; Alongside, Erase Disk and Something Else. Someting Else is the option you want. Is that what you are selecting? If you have an internet connection during install, it will install additional software. You don't need an internet connection.

You have windows 7 currently on the laptop as the only OS, right? Where is Grub coming from? The Mint DVD uses syslinux/isolinux as a bootloader. In your first post you mention grub4dos, what's that about if you only have windows 7?

Again, why do you have Grub? The only operating system you mention as being on the drive is windows 7. You can't format during boot but you certainly can during the installation if you can get to that point. Of course that will entirely overwrite your windows 7 installation!

Follow frankbell first, but it appears to me no Windows boot disk was made or purchased prior to your adventure, and now the dominant OS is not booting.

nVidia driver is needed is most likely why the horizontal lines appear in the gui when linux is booted -- hold down left Shift key while BIOS boots and GRUB menu halts long enough to hit the "e" for edit key while mint is hilighted in the GRUB menu; go to kernel line (stanza that begins with the word "linux"), hit End key to go to end-of-line, add a space and then "nomodeset," and hit F10 to boot -- see if this will get you to login screen for mint.

Easiest thing to do (and since windows users are used to having to buy stuff) to get both OSs booting (after nvidia legacy driver is installed) or at least get windows booting (shame! no boot disk!) is to purchase EasyBCD.

This is what my experience tells me is happening to OP. I may be wrong, but as frankbell said, more specs and info would be helpful.

Best wishes!

From Google, it looks like your computer is a: Gateway laptop ms2274 might be this:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64X2 QL-65 , Display size: 15.6" LCD , HD: 320 GB HDD or lower or higher, RAM: 4 GB Memory or lower or higher
Optical: DVD-Super Multi-DL drive , AMD Athlon X2 64, ATI Radeon video, Front info: gateway NV52, AMD Athlon 64X2 QL -64, 15.6" 16:9HD LED LCD
As above, not sure how you chose your Min17 distro, but might want to use the resource friendly XFCE version first. And, you would want to read the information on the web site as you seem to have an AMD cpu, look up Linux Mint 17 and read from their web site.
Since you're having problems with Windows7, and want to switch to Linux, then you will need to wipe the drive and do a fresh install of the system you choose. Most computers during "boot-up" have a key to hit that takes you into bios, allowing you to change the boot order sequence. You can look in your owner's manual or just do a search and find out which key you need to hit to change boot order in Bios. Make your DVD drive the first choice, and save settings before re-starting system. Hopefully your hard drive is a-okay and will take a re-formatting. A fresh install of Mint 17 will wipe the drive and install (or at least try to) when you boot to the Live disk you created. You don't really need an internet connection at first, during install but it's nice because then updates can be added during the install. Lastly, did you read through the Mint forums already? They can be found on the toolbar at the Linux Mint web page. They are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to trying out something new. Best regards,

Windows 7 already installed when bought used 8 months ago.. since login failed and unable to fix, found grub in the process so figured it may have had Linux on it in the past. No recover or back up disk. set bios to boot from dvd for now to use Linux which I cannot install. I am compiling all the info I can in as much detail as I can and will try suggestions as well. Will post soon any results and further details. Thanks for the help so far....

You should try some alternative distro, mint17 unlike its previous versions has some issues.
try debian live, solydxk, manjaro, crunchbang and robolinux, one of these should work and if not find windows7 somewhere or find another laptop. that would make half a dozen and linux has always had hardware issues, although today it works well for most sometimes you just found that one that will not work no matter what you do. and six distro on a laptop is a reasonable limit. it does not mean the laptop will not run perfectly with windows and it does not mean linux suck, it means the hardware is not linux friendly and you did your best and now know. I prefer toshiba but thats just me and same with the distro...works for me more often than not. as a last resort and a handy recovery tool try puppy..I like the slacko but there are a number of them in the event you keep the unit even after replacement.

Hi:

Just a few ideas:-

Try running Memtest overnight and see if the RAM is bad-
http://www.memtest.org/

Another alternative to installation is try installing via usb memory stick.
-:-You'll have to change your boot order to usb-:-

Shrinking your Windows 7 partition before attempting to install Linux Mint will help.
That is if you want to be in a dual boot and keep Win's 7--

What Radeon card do you have?

Thanx for the info...as I finally got startup repair going, if that does nothing I will try puppy next and go from there. Appreciate the input. will keep posting with new info when able as this process is going very slow. will also try memtest asap.

Good to see you are keeping cool and making some progress.
I highly recommend Puppy. It is good to have on a cd and you can make a usb from the cd if you like.
If you are new to linux or just have not used puppy, you will find it a handy tool and viable os.
it has both pae and no-pae for older computers. I downloaded both burned the pae to cd and then created a usb with the universal installer.
the usb is now a bootable puppy live and the extra space on the usb can be used as normal, I have a folder with the two iso and a media folder for files plus free space that can be used for transfer of files from most computers as it is fat 32. this is 8 gig but a 1 gig usb will do
this can be used as an os with persistance for a computer that has no hard drive or a tool for partitioning computers etc.

Thanx for the suggestion. puppy worked great to access the files although still running slow. taking forever to access it seems. I have tried start up repair for windows and nothing happens. Can puppy repair windows or do I need to find the right file?. It has grubloader and is partitioned it looks like it had puppy 2.1? as this is all new any suggestions? I was even thinking could the mother board be bad?.....I will be trying another Linux soon. still trying to repair windows.

Is it possible to create a windows recovery disk with puppy?