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-   -   I lost my os and can't do a fresh install. (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/i-lost-my-os-and-cant-do-a-fresh-install-4175576070/)

Gregg Bell 03-31-2016 01:31 PM
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by rknichols (Post 5523867)
You don't do that from the broken machine. Do it from a working one. On some working Linux machine, run "sudo fdisk /dev/sdX", replacing "X" with the appropriate drive letter. Here:
Code:
$ sudo fdisk /dev/sdd
Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sdd: 3999 MB, 3999268864 bytes
128 heads, 32 sectors/track, 1907 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 4096 * 512 = 2097152 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xf7dbdb39

  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System
/dev/sdd1              1        1907    3905520    b  W95 FAT32

Command (m for help): a
Partition number (1-4): 1

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sdd: 3999 MB, 3999268864 bytes
128 heads, 32 sectors/track, 1907 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 4096 * 512 = 2097152 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xf7dbdb39

  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System
/dev/sdd1  *          1        1907    3905520    b  W95 FAT32

Command (m for help): w
The partition table has been altered!

Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
Syncing disks.
$
Note the asterisk that was originally missing in the "Boot" column.
Thanks a lot, rk. I need just a little more fleshing out. So the problem is the USB drive?

And as to your instructions. So I put the USB flash drive I'm going to use for the install into a working Linux computer, right? Then should that USB drive be empty or have the distro I'm going to install on it? Is FAT32 okay for the formatting? Then (see screenshot) am I running:

Code:
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb1
or

Code:
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
?

Then once I enter the command, I'm adding the red letter or number at the called-for stage, right? And yeah, then the asterisk signifies that the USB drive is bootable.

Sorry for the overkill request for clarification. But I especially wasn't sure about what the appropriate drive letter would be.

And just wondering: was there a reason for needing to do this in terms of something being wrong with the USB drive?

Thanks a lot!

rknichols 03-31-2016 02:19 PM
You are adjusting the partition table. Drives (/dev/sdb) have partition tables. Individual partitions (/dev/sdb1) do not.

Yes, I used red color for the part you need to type, but since you are using gparted you can do the same thing there. Just right-click on the partition, select "Manage Flags" from the menu, and add a check mark for "boot".

There is nothing "wrong" with the drive. The partition was just never flagged as bootable, and that is confirmed by the empty "Flags" column in the screenshot you posted.

Gregg Bell 03-31-2016 02:50 PM
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by rknichols (Post 5524198)
You are adjusting the partition table. Drives (/dev/sdb) have partition tables. Individual partitions (/dev/sdb1) do not.

Yes, I used red color for the part you need to type, but since you are using gparted you can do the same thing there. Just right-click on the partition, select "Manage Flags" from the menu, and add a check mark for "boot".

There is nothing "wrong" with the drive. The partition was just never flagged as bootable, and that is confirmed by the empty "Flags" column in the screenshot you posted.
Thanks rk. Okay, I did what you said. The "boot" showed up in the flag area. I put the USB flash drive into the laptop. (Making sure USB DEVICE was the first entry on page 2 of the BIOS.) And ran it and it gave me the second to last error message again (see screenshot) Then I powered the laptop on and chose F12. The boot menu came up and I chose the USB Device choice and the same error (as in the screenshot) came up again.\

rk, I THINK the error is due to that I had that Puppy Linux on that USB flash drive. I will put something else on the flash drive, try again and report back.

rknichols 03-31-2016 03:34 PM
You are not, by any chance, trying to boot a 64-bit OS on that 32-bit CPU, are you?

Gregg Bell 03-31-2016 05:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rknichols (Post 5524229)
You are not, by any chance, trying to boot a 64-bit OS on that 32-bit CPU, are you?
No. Even so, I can't help but feel like I'm doing something wrong. I've installed four or five Linux OSs on Windows computers and never had any trouble.

Now I just tried to install Xubuntu 14.04 (via Unetbootin, making sure it said "boot") on a Linux computer and I got the same message as in the last screen shot. (So the Puppy install wasn't the problem.)

rknichols 03-31-2016 06:56 PM
I can't imagine what your problem might be. I just used unetbootin (version 613, Linux64) to download Xubuntu 14.04 and put it on a USB flash drive. That drive boots just fine on several different systems.

Gregg Bell 03-31-2016 07:34 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rknichols (Post 5524330)
I can't imagine what your problem might be. I just used unetbootin (version 613, Linux64) to download Xubuntu 14.04 and put it on a USB flash drive. That drive boots just fine on several different systems.
I don't know. I think I'm getting close, though. (Thanks for hanging with me on this. :))

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 03:20 PM
1 Attachment(s)
Progress! It's still a little mysterious but I'm edging closer, even had some success. A part of the problem is my really old hardware. I saw this link https://askubuntu.com/questions/6967...ive-with-15-10 saying you can't make 15.10 stuff with 15.04 or older distros via usb creator (this was the
Quote:
SYSLINUX 6.03 EDD 20150813 Copyright (C) 1994-2012 H. Peter Anvin et al Boot Error
error I assume I was getting because of that.) (But I wasn't using usb creator to make the bootable usb drives and CDs. I used either Unetbootin, Startup Disk Creator or K3b (for the CDs).

And with a couple of the machines I used to be able to install OSs with a USB flash drive I am no longer able to (this is part of the still-existing mystery), however I was able to boot a distro (in this case Bodhi) to one of those machines with a CD. AND I was able to boot Bodhi to the laptop with a CD.

The limitations are that the CD will only hold the smaller distros, so if I wanted to boot say, Lubuntu (at 783MB) it's too big for the 700 MB CD.

There's this workaround using something called PLoP but I don't know about that.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16822...-wont-let-you/

My next big challenge (besides those above) will be a Dell Optiplex GX520 running Windows 7 totally went down at where I work and I inherited it. It'll be faster than the old clunker I normally use and I would love to install Xubuntu 15.10 on it. So we'll see. The GX520 is 64bit (which is one of the reason I would really LOVE to get it to work with Xubuntu (which is my fav distro).) And so (see screenshot) would this be the file I would be choosing to make the bootable usb drive? Thanks.

beachboy2 04-02-2016 03:52 PM
Gregg,

We have all got our fingers and toes crossed for you this time with the GX 520!

rknichols 04-02-2016 03:55 PM
From the specs I see, the Dell Optiplex GX520 has an Intel Celeron D processor, which is a 32-bit CPU. You'll need a 32-bit OS for that, so choose the xubuntu-15.10-desktop-i386.iso file, not the amd64 version.

beachboy2 04-02-2016 04:09 PM
Gregg,

According to this, the GX520 has an Intel Celeron D 326 cpu which is 64 bit:

http://www.cnet.com/products/dell-op...-series/specs/

rknichols 04-02-2016 05:00 PM
Ahh, yes. It's the Celeron D 325 that's 32-bit. Sorry.

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 05:13 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachboy2 (Post 5525216)
Gregg,

We have all got our fingers and toes crossed for you this time with the GX 520!
LOL Are you being sarcastic? LOL

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 05:14 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachboy2 (Post 5525225)
Gregg,

According to this, the GX520 has an Intel Celeron D 326 cpu which is 64 bit:

http://www.cnet.com/products/dell-op...-series/specs/
Thanks. Yeah, I happened to see the BIOS as it was on its last legs and it said 64 bit.

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 05:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rknichols (Post 5525247)
Ahh, yes. It's the Celeron D 325 that's 32-bit. Sorry.
I'm thinking you meant to say 'that's 64 bit.' Right?

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 05:21 PM
Any ideas on why I can't install from a USB flash drive?

colorpurple21859 04-02-2016 06:04 PM
what distro is on the usb and how did you install it to the usb? Is this a newer computer that uses EFI?

beachboy2 04-02-2016 06:12 PM
Gregg,

Check the BIOS settings are correct in order to boot from USB:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO5sL1FeCTU

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 06:14 PM
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by colorpurple21859 (Post 5525270)
what distro is on the usb and how did you install it to the usb? Is this a newer computer that uses EFI?
Thanks colorpurple. I have two USB sticks I'm using. The one I made with Startup Disk Creator. That one gets the SYSLINUX error (see screenshot). The other stick I made with Unetbootin and that gets a blue Default screen, where the only option is to hit Tab and when I do, the screen gets stuck in this ten second loop.

And these computers are both over ten years old so I doubt they would be EFI.

Gregg Bell 04-02-2016 06:58 PM
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachboy2 (Post 5525273)
Gregg,

Check the BIOS settings are correct in order to boot from USB:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO5sL1FeCTU
Thanks beachboy2. I actually think I'm beyond that. The BIOS is set up properly. And it was even tricky doing that in a couple of the computers. (see screenshot)

Now I just "installed" Bodhi to the laptop and when it was all over (it took forever) it asked me to log in with a name and a password. Only thing I never gave a name and a password. Weird. But I'll ask about that in the Bodhi LQ forum.

I'm still wondering about the two errors I'm getting though (that I mention in post #69) if you have any thoughts about those.

Thanks

PS. I watched that video. I have a different kind of BIOS than that guy, but he needs some serious help with the camera work. :)

Gregg Bell 04-15-2016 08:39 PM
For those looking to install an OS on a very old laptop with very small capacity, I just installed Porteus. http://www.porteus.org/ What a dream installation. After hassles with Puppy and Bodhi, Porteus installed so easily. The one quirk was the password I needed to use was
Code:
toor
. But besides that everything was simple and smooth, very few decisions needed to be made, it just practically installed on its own. And get this--you get to build your own download file. http://build.porteus.org/ In my case I really just wanted if for LibreOffice and am not planning to use it online, so I passed on adding a browser. And LibreOffice was offered in the build. In my case the file size was 251.3 MB. Much smaller than even Lubuntu, which at over 700 MB would not fit on a CD. Anyway, I'll see what it's like to use it, but with the little I've tried it it's been fast and functional. After struggling, like I said, to try to install Bodhi and Puppy--and now that I think of it, AntiX, as well, this was really great.


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