First attempt at installing mint, help!
 

Hi, I just attempted to install linux for the first time. I followed instructions on how to to boot from usb, used rufus and a 500gb usb hdd, when I went to boot it said "ACPI PCC probe failed" then it goes to a black screen with the minto logo and just stays there. What could I do to get it working? Thanks for any tips!

Hi there :)
Welcome to the forum...
Have you tried (if at all possible) to use an ol' fashioned DVD? Depending on the age of the system and provided...it can boot from a DVD, otherwise, go for the CDrom...depending again on the ISO you intend to use...
I see you use an external HARD drive...500 Gb...that's a lot. Try to use a USB stick instead. Power requirements differ. I always get great results that way :)
Melissa

This has nothing to do with using a USB rather than a DVD. The latest Linux kernel is looking for a bit of hardware that your computer doesn't have and the boot-loader should be ignoring this report, not panicking.

Try this:
1. press enter when you see the logo appear on the screen
2. select the menu option called troubleshooting, or something like that
3. choose the option "acpi=off"