First post... and first try with Linux.

I'm trying out Ubuntu 9.10 32 bit/x86 desktop on a HP m7490n desktop (http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport...reg_R1002_USEN)

It is pretty mainstream hardware:
- Pentium D
- Intel 945P chipset
- 2 GB RAM
- Intel FakeRAID (2 x 250 GB HDD)
- GeForce 7300LE

I'm able to boot up using the LiveCD and update it using 'Update Manager'.

From there I've gone through a number of attempts at creating a LiveUSB with the 'USB Startup Disk Creator', all with the same end result.

When booting the LiveUSB drive I pick the first menu item (Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer) and get:

- Ubuntu white logo on black screen
- Ubuntu splash screen with brown background & animated bar/line
- black screen with wait cursor (spinning white circle).

I've tried normal mode and the cursor is smaller and 'safe display mode' where the cursor is bigger. At this point, it hangs.

Set up steps:

I'm using a 8 GB HP USB drive.

In the USB Startup Disk Creator I've always selected the max value of 4 GB for 'When starting up from this disk, documents and settings will be: Stored in reserved extra space'.

The Source disk image is /dev/sr0 | Ubuntu 9.10 i386 | 690.0 MB

The Disk to use choices are
/dev/sdc1 | 8.0 GB Filesystem | 7.4 GB | 2.8 GB free or
/dev/sdc | HP v125w | 7.5 GB - this disk has a yellow warning (!) icon

(These values are after a set up was completed on the USB drive.)

I've tried a few different partitioning schemes using GParted, but Make Startup Disk always seems to reset the USB drive to fat32 (which is a bit confusing to me, because I thought fat32 limit = 4 GB).

Thanks for any ideas or next steps for diagnostics... brad

Did you look at pendrivelinux for some information as to setting up or try the wubi installer?

Fat32 isn't 4 gig. You are talking about fat16.

Might look at liveusbcreator instead. Works good.

Yes... tried that - it built me the unbooting USB's.

Don't want to actually install on the server, just install on the USB drive and access the drives in the PC if possible.

I'll try the UNetbootin and report back...

disappointed that the LiveUSBcreator didn't do better, but obviously possible i made a mistake.

thanks everyone.

Try it from the live cd.

you must have live cd iso image saved in any file

boot live cd

in gparted select your pen drive and format in fat32

then go to system

then administration and click on USB Startup Disk Creator

in the source disk image option click other and select your Iso image

in the disk to use option select your pen drive

click on store in reserved extra space and select extra space size ( I chose the maximum amount since I use a 16g pen but this up to you)

click on Make Startup Disk I think some where along the line you'll be asked to choose where you want to save your change files I chose my pen drive but this is up to you

when done boot up and your all set the only issue Im having is for some reason the live usb doesn't like a certain file after being updated

when I use the update manager I try installing all the recommended software then when I boot up Ubuntu I get the Option to load without any changes to computer afer that nothing happens and it never loads

I made the following image from the ISO:

http://slashusr.net/ubuntu/ubuntu-9....p-i386.iso.img

This image can be dd'd to a flash/hard whole drive (replaces the partition table effectively wiping the whole drive) and it should be bootable if your BIOS knows how to do it. The same image can still be used as an ISO with a program that burns an ISO image to a CD or DVD.

Real geeks can figure out how to get the Kubuntu and amd64 versions.

I am installing ubuntu lucid direct from iso file, mounting it on loop,
copying it into another directory so I can write. I do some things and
then copy it to a usbkey.

It always takes me to the syslinux display of the regular gui menu or
I can escape key to a boot prompt.

It hangs forever in the attempt to find sr0. It also has a lot of
errors on sdb which is an empty cd drive.

I think what it's doing is following bad scripting in a files named
either scripts/pre_init or another one in that dir. Is that in the
filesystem.squashfs? I think it's beyound initrd.lz so it might be
in the squashfs. If I could blow that up, change something about
sr0, re-compress, then it might solve that sr0 bug.

So far I have used makebootfat and then super floppy mode fat32
and soon I'll try ext3 with syslinux. It always gets to the same
problem with sr0. I'll go look for how to expand the squashfs
and come back here if I can fix the init script.