Linux Mint boot on old xp from USB: "Boot Error"

fadaquihi · 05-14-2014, 01:37 PM

Hi there,

I'm completely new to linux I want to install Linux Mint 16 on my old Windows XP Desktop PC.

I have set the boot priority to USB and it actually boots from it, only that it immediately shows "Boot Error" in the first line and a blinking underscore in the second line. When I hit a key it just repeats the message in the second line and the underscore in the third without erasing the first line and so on (like in DOS or the Command Box).

I have tried:

formatting my USB (Quick format and full format on Windows and with Unetbootin)
making my USB bootable with Unetbootin, Lili and Yumi
using three different distros: Linux Mint 16 Petra Cinnamon, Linux Mint 16 Petra MATE and Ubuntu 10.04 Desktop
two USB stick's: a 2GB one and a 4GB one
formatting the USB 5 times Quick-format and 5 times full as I read in a forum-post (I don't remember where)

--> and always the same output: "Boot Error"!!

I suppose the Linux Mint Cinnamon distro is ok, because I could boot it on my win7 laptop. That makes me think that maybe the USB's and the distros are ok, only the desktop doesn't support them.

Perhaps this problem has something to do with the graphics card or the BIOS, so I just give you all the information regarding these parts.

Information about my old desktop:
Motherboard: Asrock P4i65GV (Prescott 800 Dual Channel DDR400)
CPU: Intel Pentium4 2.663GHz (32-bit)
RAM: 2046.8MB
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X (128MB), actually on LG IPS234 1920x1080 32 bit 60Hz; driver: nv4_disp.dll (version 6.14.0010.9371)
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P2.30 17.07.2008

jefro · 05-14-2014, 03:12 PM

A number of issues but lets start with one.

Turn off computer. Remove ac plug and press power button a few times. Insert usb flash drive and return ac plug.

Now boot to bios. In bios you should see a choice of hard drives. Don't go to usb, go to hard drive order. You should see two drives or more. One should be the usb. Move it up in order above internal drive. Go next to boot order and fix it back to something normal like cd/dvd and then hard drive.

fadaquihi · 05-15-2014, 03:52 PM

I followed exactly your instructions and booted to bios. In the hard drive settings I moved the USB flash above the internal drives and set the boot order (boot device priority) to 1. CD/DVD and 2. USB flash (naturally hard drive wasn't an option because I just set the USB as first hard drive). I made pictures of the setup screens in the bios.

Unfortunately it still only says "Boot Error"!

EDDY1 · 05-15-2014, 04:33 PM

Does the system you're trying to install have a pae kernel, because some of the older systems won't boot from a pae os.
You actually need to let us know what the exact error message is.

Quote:

PAE required for 32-bit ISOs

The 32-bit ISOs of Linux Mint 15 use a PAE kernel. If your processor is not compatible with PAE please use Linux Mint 13 Maya LTS instead. Linux Mint 13 is supported until 2017.

rokytnji · 05-15-2014, 05:20 PM

See if this boots off of usb

Quote:

Version: non-PAE (for older systems that don't support PAE)*

http://www.mepiscommunity.org/node/67

jefro · 05-15-2014, 07:53 PM

Something is wrong. It is a hard drive order OK you seem to have that. Then on choice of first boot order is should still be hard drive. It still says usb flash and it shouldn't. It some older computers the usb choice is only something like usb floppy, usb zip and forgot last. To most common linux, a usb flash is just a hard drive.

Some cd's can use their grub to boot to a usb correctly to get past bios issues.

It is possible that you can't boot to a usb flash in this computer without a plop cd/slitaz cd to get past this.

As above, the pae issue may also be present but I don't think you've even reached that far.

JeremyBoden · 05-15-2014, 08:38 PM

Try burning to a DVD (you will need to change the boot device priority in your BIOS).
This has always produced a bootable device for me.

DavidMcCann · 05-16-2014, 10:28 AM

It's nothing to do with PAE, because you have a Pentium 4. I think Jefro is right. The laptop I'm using right now says it can boot from USB, but it doesn't actually do it.

fadaquihi · 05-16-2014, 10:52 AM

@EDDY1: The error message was exactly "Boot Error". Linux Mint 13 Maya won't work, too (almost the same white stripes).

@rokytnji: I tried MX-14-non-pae but it didn't work, too ("Boot Error").

@jefro: I have tried using a plop usb; I formatted the USB, copied plpbt.bin (from plpbt-5.0.14.zip) onto the stick, used plpmkboot to make this file bootable (as explained here), booted from this stick and inserted afterwards my distro-usb, I booted this one from the plop menu but I stuck first with unetbootin because no keyboard action was possible, so he did the default installation, then it froze on a screen with wide vertical black and white stripes (and still no keboard action possible).

I will try with a dvd/cd now!

JeremyBoden · 05-16-2014, 11:51 AM

If I saw that picture of vertical bars, my initial assumption would be that you have a faulty graphics card.

Quote:

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X (128MB), actually on LG IPS234 1920x1080 32 bit 60Hz

If you have a spare graphics card it could be worth a try.

fadaquihi · 05-16-2014, 03:56 PM

Even a bootable dvd of Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon failed and ended with the vertical bars of my last post...
But at least I got into the Linux boot menu!

mostlyharmless · 05-16-2014, 05:53 PM

I'm pretty sure Mint 16 doesn't boot with a AGP graphics card of that vintage. I no longer have my Pentium 4 machine with a card of that age (circa 2002) but it too refused to boot from USB drives (despite a BIOS that supposedly had support) and it too did not boot DVDs past, I think Mint 14 or so without a lot of finagling of the graphics. So: try an older version of Mint.

rokytnji · 05-16-2014, 06:17 PM

Well, since it has been established you can't boot of of usb and plop seems not to work for you either. Which is weird because my plop bootable floppy image boots my usb 1.1 IBM laptop ok with live usb but different hardware I guess.

Lots' of things I suggested in this thread if you are interested.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...2/#post5169969

JeremyBoden · 05-16-2014, 06:53 PM

It seems that an AGP card is OK in a text mode screen, which is why you saw the GRUB menu.
Expect it to fail on any kind of GUI though.

I'd expect that you will need a £30+ graphics card for a HDtv size screen (and PCIE graphics slot)...

rokytnji · 05-16-2014, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Expect it to fail on any kind of GUI though.

Errrr. Okey Dokey then. My

Code:

$ inxi -G
Graphics:  Card: S3 SuperSavage IX/C SDR
           Display Server: X.Org 1.12.4 drivers: savage (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1024x768@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on softpipe GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 8.0.5

running

Code:

$ inxi -S
System:    Host: biker Kernel: 3.14.3-dreamlinux-liquorix i686 (32 bit) 
           Desktop: IceWM 1.3.7 Distro: antiX-13_386-full Luddite 01 June 2013

doing

Code:

$ glxgears
44 frames in 5.1 seconds =  8.656 FPS
47 frames in 5.0 seconds =  9.346 FPS
47 frames in 5.0 seconds =  9.366 FPS

while I am posting is old as the hills and twice as dusty compared to fadaquihi specs but I am posting Ok in Iceweasel with this old graphics chip.

I would not do a full Mint or Ubuntu install on this Laptop, because then you would be right. One does not try to put a locomotive engine into a bicycle or scooter.

Think lean and mean.