Serious Problem

[sclewin]

Hi, I have a laptop with no CD drive, so I tried installing using the USB option and now the computer is not working at all. I first tried using the Unetbootin to make a net install and it seemed to work, but all I get now at boot up is "Grub Loading stage 1.5 Error 15". I tried using the full Kubuntu install and it ask for a CD drive, but I have no CD drive.

I was trying to install Kubuntu 8.10 Beta.

Haves anyone been able to install using a USB stick before? I have no option at the moment as I have no CD drive and if I can't get Kubuntu installed then the laptop becomes a $600 paperweight.

Scott

[dibl]

Re: Serious Problem

Bummer!

I have not tried to make a USB stick installation of Kubuntu, although I have really slick one of sidux on a 4GB stick.

You say "tried installing using the USB option" -- I'm not sure what you mean there. You hooked up a USB optical drive and ran it from there? That should work straight away. If you mean you tried to install onto a USB stick, that can get tricky, and your BIOS has to support booting from a USB device.

Unetbootin -- I don't know anything about it.

"Grub Loading Stage 1.5, Error 15" -- YES, I KNOW THAT ONE REAL WELL!

OK, when the boot menu is on your screen, you have 9 seconds to press "e" for "Edit". Then when it opens the grub editor, you want to take a hard look at the "hd(x,n)" partition where it thinks Kubuntu is. Kubuntu isn't there! (That's why it's Error 15). Where did you intend to put Kubuntu? Try changing that disk or partition by 1. For example, if it says "hd(1,0)" you might want to try changing it to "hd(0,0)". Then hit Enter, and press "b" to boot, and I think you'll boot Kubuntu (you might have to do this experiment 2 or 3 times to hit the correct combination -- depending on how complicated your drives and partitions are). Since you are doing the edits from the boot menu, you aren't permanently changing anything.

Once you hit the correct combination, WRITE IT DOWN QUICK! Then when you are booted and running, you need to open the file /boot/grub/menu.lst and edit the hd number and save it to make it permanent.

Here's more than you ever wanted to know on the topic:

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

Post back if you need further guidance, but I think you probably did actually install Kubuntu.

[sclewin]

Re: Serious Problem

You say "tried installing using the USB option" -- I'm not sure what you mean there.

What I meant is that I went to https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...n/FromUSBStick and followed those instructions.

If you mean you tried to install onto a USB stick, that can get tricky, and your BIOS has to support booting from a USB device.

Yea, I meant USB stick and the BIOS does support booting from USB. Its only a 1 year old laptop.

Unetbootin -- I don't know anything about it.

Its a graphical client to setup a USB stick.

OK, when the boot menu is on your screen, you have 9 seconds to press "e" for "Edit".

It gives me no time to hit "e" at all, it just immediately goes to the error. Maybe the netinstall did not install anythig at all. That would be weird as it took about two hours.

[dibl]

Re: Serious Problem

Ahhhh -- you mean you have no boot menu, because Kubuntu is the only OS on this machine? Well, OK, that makes it a little trickier.

I reviewed the instructions in your link. Yeah, it should work. :P

I have only my experience on my little Asus Eee PC to go by -- it also has no optical drive and only USB ports to work with external media. What I did was more along the lines of the part of the instructions entitled "Manual Approach" where you actually make the USB stick a bootable device, and then you set it up so the Live CD ISO boots and you're running the Live CD, so then if you want to click "Install" it's just the same as if you had the Live CD running in a CD ROM drive.

I think the only thing that is wrong with your installation is that the grub boot menu is pointed to the wrong partition. But you gotta have a way to find the /boot/grub/menu.lst file, and edit it, to ever change that. :P

I would point you to the Grub SuperDisk instructions, but you need a floppy for that ..... :P

I'm scratching my head ....

[sclewin]

Re: Serious Problem

I have only my experience on my little Asus Eee PC to go by -- it also has no optical drive and only USB ports to work with external media. What I did was more along the lines of the part of the instructions entitled "Manual Approach" where you actually make the USB stick a bootable device, and then you set it up so the Live CD ISO boots and you're running the Live CD, so then if you want to click "Install" it's just the same as if you had the Live CD running in a CD ROM drive.

Maybe I will try that approach then.

[sclewin]

Re: Serious Problem

The manual way did not work either. I keep on getting the error, "kernal image not found: Linux" everytime I boot from the USB drive.

[dibl]

Re: Serious Problem

The manual way did not work either. I keep on getting the error, "kernal image not found: Linux" everytime I boot from the USB drive.

Bummer.

That means that grub is still not pointing to the correct partition.

[sclewin]

Re: Serious Problem

Good news! I tried using the Download feature of Unetbootin with Kubuntu 8.04 and this time it worked! The download feature downloads the image instead of using one locally. I now have a working laptop for my wife who is now really hasppy .

Thanks for your help. I have always loved the community support around Kubuntu and Linux n general .