[SOLVED] "Live" USBs not working

Thanks Beachboy. If nothing else, I now know what to look out for when I check the specs.

RenH,

Based on my build, try these as a starting point:

Parts list:

1. AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6 Core AM4 CPU/Processor with Radeon VEGA Graphics
2. Gigabyte AMD B550M DS3H Micro-ATX Motherboard
3. Corsair 16GB DDR4 Vengeance LPX 3200MHz Memory Kit (2x8GB) Black


4.Seasonic Core Gold GM 500 500W Semi Modular 80+ Gold PSU (7 year warranty)
Alternatively: Corsair CV550

5. Fractal Meshify C TG Blackout Tempered Glass Mid Tower Gaming High Airflow Quiet Case
Various cheaper alternatives.

6. Not essential, you can use supplied case fans:
be quiet! Shadow Wings 2 140mm Silent PWM Case Fan
be quiet! Shadow Wings 2 120mm Silent PWM Case Fan (however, these are very quiet!)

Thank you beachboy2,
I'll pass on the information to my friend's son, or with this data, I could check out the various commercial builds. Third option is to take the data down to a place that builds custom computers -- I did that with my XP computer years ago, but then I had a very savvy friend who decided what to buy. If I tried alone, they would see a gullible target.

Hi RenH,

I hesitated before posting here, since I saw that the thread had gotten to a whopping 13 pages / 183 posts ! Furthermore, I see also that you have been accompanied by some very competent people here already, so in all fairness, I don't know how much I can add. Finally, if you have already decided to abandon the original objective, please ignore this and move ahead.

Anyway - I was interested in this thread because I make sort of a hobby out of using old computers as long as they can be useful. I have been a mainly Linux user for around 15 years or so, although I still use Windows at work. I have nothing against Windows as such, I just much prefer Linux for its flexibility (you basically get to make it what you want) and the way I can use it to keep old computers performing reasonably well.

As an example, I am writing this to you on a 15 year-old Acer single-core Intel Centrino based laptop. I have 2 Linux distros installed that I switch back and forth between (a dual-boot setup), just for the sake of being able to ;-) ... Antix and Artix. Both are light, non-systemd distros that are appropriate for old systems. At the moment, I am booted into and using Antix - it is probably the better option - I find it slightly faster than Artix.

I suggest maxing out the hardware capabilities of any old system you want to keep using - usually you're limited to installing the maximum RAM (my Acer support 4GB) and swapping out old mechanical hard drives for SSDs. I believe your Asus system already has a solid-state drive, although a rather small one (a 32 GB eMMC card, if I read correctly). You should still be able to use this machine with light linux distros.

I would steer clear of anything Ubuntu-based, even the comparatively "light" Lubuntu ... these distros are simply too bloated, in my opinion. I noticed that you were experimenting with MX .. The same developer is also responsible for Antix, which I highly recommend ( you may already have been trying it ... not sure if I read that or not).

Also, since you seem to be at the beginning of your learning curve, you may want to explore using the older MBR-based drive partitioning instead of GPT. Also see if your Asus supports legacy BIOS-based firmware alongside of UEFI (if these terms don't mean anything to you, best skip this paragraph and leave things as they are). I say this because the advantages of the more modern UEFI firmware and GPT partitioning will be basically non-existant for the type of usage you want to make out of the laptop. Furthermore, the preparation of USB installation and / or live media is slightly simpler (in my experience) for BIOS-based systems than it is for UEFI-based systems.

I'll leave it at that. I encourage you, as have others here, not to give up on your Linux adventure, irrespective of the choice you eventually make concerning the hardware. Contrary to what was stated somewhere in this thread, it is absolutely NOT more expensive to acquire and (especially) use a Linux-based computer - quite the opposite in fact. And, most importantly, if you have an interest in this type of thing, it is simply a lot more fun.

Cheers - let us know how you make out.

I had suggested antix at some point in this thread but the op wasn't interested in trying antix at the time. Artix won't work in uefi mode because the system is 32bit efi.

Thank ye all! As I mentioned my friend's son will try his luck on the ASUS on Saturday, because I have stopped meddling with it. I suspect the real problem lies in my misinterpreting something -- "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." But no, I am sticking to Linux despite what some friends advocate. I like the freedom, no bloat ware, and the collegial help of the forum.

I am waiting for my order of an ADA 250 gig SSD to replace my current hard drive on my Lenovo hardtop. Apparently, though bought as a 32-bit, I was told it can run a 64 bit Linux version.

Thanks for your advice on Lubuntu and the rest [EUFI, MBR, BIOS...] when I have time I will make sure to read up on this subject.

I suspect the real problem lies in my misinterpreting something

I think the problem is with the system, not you. Normally linux distros install easily on most systems. I suspect your friend's son isn't going to have a easy time getting linux installed on the system.

I echo colorpurple's sentiments. You've shown perseverence, no reason to think you're the problem. Keep it up and have fun with the challenges - I find that each one I solve helps me learn.

Cheers and come back anytime.

Thank you all for your help and encouraging words. I thought I would Let you know what has since happened. My friend's son came over yesterday, and after lunch, spent 6 hours -- 2 - 8 pm trying to install Linux on the Notebook. I left him to it while I remained downstairs cleaning up.

He found an error in the USB, re-installed everything, but one of the two USBs with MX -21 was still defective. He explained to me the error message and I thought I would remember it, but alas no. He also found that the Notebook was displaying two versions of the live USB's MX-21: one with just the MX and a second with a "partition 1". I have seen that and had used the one without "partition 1". Well he tried the one with the partition and it allowed him to go further in the installation. He reached the point to add the password for the super-user and then it froze.

He noticed that the temperature of the Vivo rose almost to its limit each time before it froze. Then he checked and discovered that the Notebook does not have a fan. It "cools" by other methods....

Well, I am satisfied that I have a dud computer, but he won't let go. He said he was going to try his own live USBs, and if they work to test them on the Notebook. This way he will know for sure whether it is a defective Notebook or a defective USB.


If it is the fault of the Vivo I will open it up so I can learn about the guts of a computer.

Thanks for the update

Indeed, thanks for the update. If it comes to that for you, opening up laptops is tons of fun :-) ... I have extended the life of a few of my own by repairing them.

Best of luck - let us know how things go.

Before I click on "problem solved" I thought I would let all of you who have tried to help me know how it all ended. A friend volunteered to examine the ASUS notebook and discovered that the flash drive [eMMC?] soldered to the motherboard is DEFECTIVE! To replace it would mean using a type of solder gun that I don't have, and it would not be worth the effort or cost. So as soon as I find time I will give it and my old XP to a repair store that accepts old computers. Meanwhile, I have bought a new laptop.

I had great plans to assemble my own computer, using the components ColourPurple had recommended, but other events intervened,and then my friend found a laptop that answered my needs ["want' really]. It is an HP Victus games laptop with a separate graphic card, 1 TB hard drive and 16 Gig of RAM.

My friend's son has installed Ubuntu, and given the size of the hard drive, they recommended that I leave Windows 11 on a separate partition. At present I am trying to familiarise myself with the machine.

So thank you all, especially Beachboy and ColourPurple for your patience and help.

RenH,

I am pleased that you now have a new laptop with Linux installed and that the Asus netbook saga has finally come to an end.