Hi,

I have a problem with installing different Linux distros.

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop. I had Windows 10 on it and I decided to get rid of Windows and to install Linux, from a USB stick.

First, I tried with Debian and it worked, at first, but then I encountered a few errors.
I've tried to install also Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Mint, Solus, Lite, Fedora
Nothing...
Ubuntu - error No Caching mode page found Assuming drive cache: write through

Mint Cinnamon - nothing, after selecting Install mint, it appeared a blank terminal and that was it. Something like this
https://i.stack.imgur.com/DxCq9.png

Lite - same as Mint

Solus - it worked, I installed it, but, after introducing the password, the display was going crazy - blurry vertical lines - and then it it asked me for the password again

Lubuntu - parent not active error

Also, I could install Kali Linux, it worked.

I'm using UNiversal USB installer and unetbootin.

Could it be from the nvidia drivers?
I installed them during Kali.


So, it works with Debian and Kali, but not with the others.

Thank you for your time,

What is the hardware on your laptop (proc, video adapter, wireless adapter, drive, etc)?

Also if you're making these USB sticks on Linux, there's no need to use special creation tools. Every distro I'm familiar with will let you just dd dump the iso image directly to the USB drive.

1 members found this post helpful.

that is nothing to worry about. I get that all of the time with many Linux installs of Slackware - Void - most all of them..


I'm using UNiversal USB installer and unetbootin.
yep that one is a bugger from what I've seen others have, just got a get the drivers installed proper like.

Just find a distro you at least want to learn some basics with, get your driver situation leveled then move up ...

1 members found this post helpful.

Wow! Welcome to Linux I think you win the prize for LQ's #1 req. of:
What did you try, and what was the result!
But you might not have done any of my #1:
web-search! Til it hurts grub nomodeset maybe
That img looks like the terminal shell I'd so love to get on my iPad (see my blog), but the prompt seems to be missing
Feel free, even invited, to post more pictures of what you get, so others can advise...
I know near zero about Linux, but have read that inxi or lshw command output posts will tell the Gurus the needed info about your computer: What'S UP (? Note textspeak FORBIDDEN here! The rules and FAQ make this a wonderfully civilized place!)

Anyway, thank you for all you tried! Awaiting further details esp. the laptop model#

I made the USb sticks on another Windows laptop. I'll try with the dd command, who knows, maybe it will work.

Intel® Core™ i5-2430M 2.40GHz, 6GB DDR3
nVidia GeForce GT 525M 2GB
750 GB, 5400 rpm
Atheros AR9002WB

Yes, I've read on several topics that it's not a serious error.

I guess I'll install Debian again, which works, try to install nVidia and document myself.

I know I'm a noob regarding Linux, but I thought that the drivers come with the kernel in Linux.



Thank you all again.

Good point! I see you've been doing your reading. Yes, for most purposes, drivers are in the kernel because only the kernel is supposed to talk directly to hardware. Other programs have to do it via the kernel. But the X-server, which puts up your graphical desktop, is the exception. If it had to go through the kernel to talk to your video card, your graphical experience would be jerky and poor. So this program takes direct control of video card, keyboard and mouse, leaving the kernel to manage everything else. It has driver modules which it can load to handle different kinds of cards. As you might guess, Intel cards pose no difficulties. For other makes (for example nVidia), a proprietary driver is sometimes better.

2 members found this post helpful.

yeah if you get it installed and the screen looks funny, then keep it and post back so others that know about that nVidia GeForce GT 525M 2GB drivers can help you get them straighten up so it works.

1 members found this post helpful.

Update:

I tried to install on the laptop Linux Mint Betsy (based on Debian Jessie).
I partitioned it with GParted, first. After the installation, I rebooted and nothing... black screen with cursor, actually, not the cursor, that blank vertical line of command (I don't know its name, english is not my primary language). I couln't introduce any command.
SO now I am running it from my USB and I am trying to install the nvidia drivers with the command:

"sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx nvidia-settings nvidia-xconfig"

I'm getting some errors... thank you, Murphy laws!

E: Failed to fetch http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool...65-2_amd64.deb 404 Not Found
E: Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with --fix-missing?

and then i tried "sudo -i" and again the first command and it looked like completed but
it told me that it's not installed in xorg so, using my new Linux knowledge learned today (thank you, Codecademy - cd, ls, pwd commands) I think I got it.

using the command "aptitude versions ^nvidia" it looks like all packages are stable at 500.
and "apt-get install nvidia-vdpau-driver vdpau-va-driver"

And now I think I will reboot it... So I can curse later (pessimist all the way)

Update: it does not work. Same thing, black screen with a command line, I cannot introduce any command.

Could it be a kernel thing? Should I try with an older kernel?

while there, try enetring CTRL-ALT-F2 - does that get you to a normal (text interface) login prompt?

either that, or reboot and boot into recovery mode.
(or try to append "nomodeset" to the kernel command)

when you get to that text prompt, enter:
and post the output here.


pointless, because you'd be installing to the live environment only, and not to the installed version.
but since you do get a graphical desktop with the live version, that at least gives us a good hint as to what's going on.

1 members found this post helpful.

I tried CTRL-ALT-F2, nothing happens.

Neither the recovery mode.

I'll try to learn about the nomodoset, thanks.

Well, I kind of thought about it being pointless, but, lacking the alternatives, I said to myself "hey, who knows, maybe it will work, mysterious are linux's ways"




I'll try to install an older kernel, maybe it will work.
I'm thinking Mint Cinnamon 14.

It's weird that it kind of works with Debian versions (Debian, Kali, Mint based on debian - well, the last one at least it can be used from the USB stick)
With Ubuntu based distros (Minti based on Ubuntu, Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu) it does not work at all, neither from the USB stick.

Update:

I installed Linux Mint 14 Nadia (the 64 version) and it works.
Now I need to fix the nvidia drivers and the blinking cursor.

"Nothing happens" is never true, and never a good answer on a linux forum.

PS:
i'm pretty sure mint 14 is dead, dead, dead. EOL.

How dead?



I installed Mint 17 and it works. Rebecca is the winner!