Unbuntu 9.04 Installation - unable to boot due to i686 comp. instead of 86x64?
 

I am a super newbie just trying to load up my first Linux platforms and have only made it to properly burning my iso's for ubuntu 9.04 and linux mint 7, both desktop non-64bit versions.

However, I am unable to get past the live disc main screen upon start up, as I keep receiving a roughly similar error message:
"Unable to boot from Cd due to a required 86x64 PC. This PC is i686 and requires the proper kernel."
At this point, this is Greek to me.

I'm running this system:
3.00 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
1 GB RAM

Going by the message, you downloaded and burned the 64-bit version of the .iso and you should be using the 32-bit version...
I would think that for Mint you would want the Main (or Universal or Light) Edition, and that for Ubuntu you would want the 32bit version.

I'm not sure why I would need the 32 bit version, though. This is a brand new computer with some pretty decent specs on it, so I'm confused as to why it would only be capable of the 32bit over the 64bit optimization.

Even if the computer is new but if the architecture is old you would need 32 bit kernel. I do not know if Pentium 4 processor was 64 bit.
It is better to start off with a 32 bit kernel. 64 bit processor will run this kernel as well.

The Pentium 4 was definitely not 64-bit. I do not believe that any "brand new" computers have included them for at least three years. Intel didn't stop making them altogether until last year, though, so who knows.

But yes, definitely 32-bit.

3GHz, 1GB RAM, GeForce 7600 . . . definitely beefy enough to run any 32-bit distro really, really well.

Plus, 32-bit isn't "bad" in any way. It's just different from 64-bit. There are lots of brand new CPUs which are still 32-bit.

A note: later variants of the Pentium 4, the "Gallatin" and "Prescott 2M" "Extreme Editions" were released with a limited, early x86_64 instruction set. I do not know, but I doubt that x86_64 Linux would support these architectures. x86_64 versions of the seventh generation or "NetBurst" Intel architectures were not 100% compatible with the AMD x86_64 architecture, which actually became the standard. I'm not sure that anything predating a "Conroe" Intel chip would be supported.

But, yeah . . . based on the error message, yours is 32-bit.

OP, this is the confirmation that your system is definitely not a brand new and you need a 32bit kernel.

Okie dokie! Thanks for that! So where can I dig up the definite 32bit download? I used the main Ubuntu site download for 32bit, but it gave this problem. Do I need to do the alternate.iso? And can I run that alternate.iso in Live CD mode? I'd like to get more comfortable with the platform before changing over entirely, ya know?

Alternate CD does not run in live mode. And I guess that you by accident downloaded the incorrect version.

http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download Get the Ubuntu here and select 32bit as download. This option is at round the bottom of the page. Though 32bit is the default cross check it before beginning the download. And also check the mdsum after the download is complete just to verify the integrity of the image.

Solved
 

Hey fellas,
Thanks for the help! I did accidently download the 32bit to a different source folder and reburned the damned 64bit a second time...took a bit of offline double checking to realize my error. Though this Live CD doesn't run it's Live CD Ubuntu, it's alright...the full installation is what I am writing you from now, so fortunately, everything is working great! All the help is greatly appreciated!

Good to hear you have done it. If you think that it has solved your problem, you can mark the thread as solved. This will help other members coming here for the same problem.