Old 'Dog' needs assistance

[oshunluvr]

I don't understand why you think your computer won't "support" GPT. Have you actually tested this?

UEFI requires GPT but not the other way around. GPT was invented in the 90's and I've been using it since 2010 IIRC or maybe sooner. GRUB Legacy supported it with readily available patches until GRUB 2 was released.

[oshunluvr]

I believe installing to a blank disk allowed GRUB to make the needed extra partition to install itself. If the disk doesn't have free space, it can't make the extra partition. By using my method, you have the available space pre-configured and GRUB uses it on a part of the disk not normally used. GPT tables take up some space normally (formally might be a better word) reserved for GRUB so it needs the extra dedicated partition.

[Snowhog]

I don't understand why you think your computer won't "support" GPT. Have you actually tested this?

‘Cause I’m not knowledgeable concerning this.

Given that the LiveUSB I created, first with dd, and second with etcher Balena, both resulted in a GPT device that my laptop, while able to boot from it; I got to the GRUB menu; Kubuntu wouldn’t run; blinking cursor in upper left corner.

When I converted the USB stick to MBR, then it worked. Given that, I assume my laptop has issues when presented with a GPT drive. If my assumption is incorrect, I am more than willing to be educated.

[claydoh]

so it's twelve years old and pre-dates UEFI by four years.

UEFI existed before 2015, as seen on my older hardware.

Also note all the updates to the diagnostic utilities available from HP that explicitly mention UEFI, since they run/boot from this:
https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers.../model/5128929

[Snowhog]

Also note all the updates to the diagnostic utilities available from HP that explicitly mention UEFI, since they run/boot from this:
https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers.../model/5128929

From that link, my laptop 'series' isn't listed anymore; not supported I'm sure. Mine is a HP Pavilion g7-1000 Notebook PC series.

Yup. Retired from HP Support:

HP Pavilion g7-1000 Notebook PC series - Retired ProductsThe following products have been retired and are no longer supported by HP. All official HP support content for these products has been removed from this web site.

• HP Pavilion g7-1070us Notebook PC

Looking for a product no longer supported?


Typically, HP stops supporting most products after 10 years.

HP first released the g7 in May 2011

[claydoh]

Ok, I am blind, and should not be using 11" chromebooks for this sort of thing.
That's my excuse, and I am sticking to it.
That laptop I accidentally linked to has files dating from 2011, which didn't help.

But my thinking still stands. That incorrect, but relevant, laptop uses UEFI, as well as supporting legacy booting, just like my equally ancient hardware did/does.
Worth taking a poke into the settings. Random pages here and there mention efi/uefi for this model, but of course is this info reliable? I dunno. Not enough data to take a good stab.
Third party driver download archives (ugh) seem to point to uefi as well, but, who are these all copy/pasting from?


http://ftp.ext.hp.com//pub/softpaq/s...0/sp52509.html ??
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06246658 ---lists the model, buried
https://us.driverscollection.com/_47...2-64-bit)-free

Not definitive for me 100% without having my hands on the laptop, but look at the boot settings in there. maybe. May be a rabbit hole, may be useless.

[Snowhog]

look at the boot settings in there. maybe. May be a rabbit hole, may be useless.

I've examined every page/menu/sub-menu within the BIOS (there aren't that many). There is nothing in the BIOS that allows for, let allow identify, anything related to 'legacy' or EFI/UEFI. Nothing. Nada.

[Snowhog]

Developers (?) (talking the *buntu family specifically) already create .ISOs for separate architectures:

64-bit ARM (ARMv8/AArch64)
PowerPC64
RISC-V
IBM System z
Raspberry Pi Generic (64-bit ARM)
Raspberry Pi Generic (Hard-Float)
RISC-V for Sipeed LicheeRV Dock computers
RISC-V for Allwinner Nezha computers
RISC-V for SiFive HiFive Unmatched computers
RISC-V for StarFive VisionFive computers

Why don't they also create .ISOs for non-EFI/UEFI based PCs: MBR BIOS ("older" 64-bit PCs). Seems to me they should.

[oshunluvr]

I'm wondering if that old laptop just missed getting a BIOS update and now it's too old to get it.

[claydoh]

Developers (?) (talking the *buntu family specifically) already create .ISOs for separate architectures:

Because this isn't a CPU architecture, requiring different build environments, compilers, etc?
Because, more likely, these semi-niche things for very specific pieces of kit have more of a user/fan base than old legacy MBR systems? (Raspberry Pis are often on a wait list, RISC-V is new up-and-coming Shiny New Thing)
Ubuntu have a strong community presence in the dev board sphere, and have for a while.



You also are missing the *huge* number of Arm devices that will never have bootable images available, because there are so many, and each one has its own configuration of any of a number of different boot loaders (they usually lack anything as complex as a bios, let alone UEFI firmware) Each separate platform needs a somewhat custom kernel build, on top of a device-specific boot loader and configuration.



It is easier to provide the core, and let users build their own kernel and boot loaders.
I am somewhat in this sphere, dipping my toes. Well, my feet, up to my ankles.
Here is an example of the list of images needed to cover a decent amount mostly recent, and quite common hardware- mainly Chromebooks from the fast few of years.
https://github.com/hexdump0815/imagebuilder/releases

A ton of work, I'd say, just to cover the Arm devices that are not Raspberry Pis.

I have been using https://github.com/Maccraft123/Cadmium to build images (with Plasma!) for my Lenovo Duet 5 (now sold ) and my Lenovo 10e tablet.
The scripting builds current kernels, and I just add setups for debootstrapping Ubuntu, then Neon. I am too lazy to look a the actual nuts and bolts of the kernel, let alone the boot loader. u-boot made my brane go mushy 20 years ago, I don't think it will fare any better today.




Sorry for the tl;dr, and the fths (forgot to hit send)

[oshunluvr]

I was able to install Ubuntu Server 22.04-1 in a virtual machine to a unformatted virtual disk drive. By default, it did format the drive GPT style but did not use EFI, it created a BIOS boot partition.

I wonder if it would install to your old laptop? Then you can just install Kubuntu Desktop and be good to go...

[Silent Observer]

Sigh. I've been fighting with almost exactly this same issue most of yesterday and today on a Thinkpad T430 (which certainly thinks it supports UEFI -- though the CMOS settings also have stuff for hardware that I know for certain isn't present, like a camera -- but the hard disk is mbr despite having Windows 10 when I bought it six or so years ago). In my case, I'm "reinstalling" -- trying to put 22.04.2 over an old Ubuntu MATE 16.04 install and keep my /home (which I've done several times in the past, usually without trouble). I've had install complete without an error several times, but couldn't get a GRUB menu after removing the Live USB. Every install, I've either had to set up an ESP or ignore a warning that I don't have one and the system probably won't be able to boot successfully. I also got the GRUB install failure a couple times.

I just finished an install without the EFI System Partition, Windows partition flagged as 'boot', and ignoring the EFI warning. No GRUB install failure, and Ubiquity seems to have completed successfully. Let me try a reboot...

...and I'll be damned if it didn't boot right up.

I wonder if anyone at Canonical will ever learn to write instructions that are a) correct, and b) can be followed by a native English speaker with many years of computer experience (including running Linux on the desktop since Mepis 11 was a current system)? While I'm asking, might be be possible that they remember that one of the great strengths of Linux is that it works well on older systems that are a little too tired to handle modern Windows? I just upgraded the RAM in my T430 to 16 GB, I've got over 100 GB free in the /home partition, the Core i7 has 2 cores, 4 threads, and maximum turbo speed of 3.4 GHz (2.9 nominal) -- there's a lot of life in that ten year old box yet (though I need to find someone who can recell my slice battery, I'm down to only three hours or so of battery life when I'm using the machine actively).