Wanted to try Kubuntu for the first time but USB install will not load

[richie231186]

I manageded to format the empty patition with the live usb the one time i could boot off it and made one new partition for install and one small one for swap space.

[richie231186]

I wouldn't think you'd want to totally get rid of Win X, do you? Two partitions -- are you sure the second "empty" partition is not Windows' System Partition? GParted live CD/USB should show that. Or use Windows Disk Mgt utility from within Windows. The usual thing people do is to use GParted live CD/USB to shrink the Windows partition, then create the partitions you need for Linux, then install your Linux (Kubuntu) in those newly created partitions.

Yeah I think this is a good idea for me to do after 100% wiping the drive I'm just trying to think if there is any reason why I would need the recovery partitions. I have windows 8.1 official iso and windows 10 and I can easily get all the laptop drivers and back them up too. The laptop is a: f553ma-bing-sx985b

[richie231186]

I found a way using Backtracker(Asus app) to backup recovery image on the laptop and the driver application that came with the laptop a nice feature.

So there is at least a good chanceit will solve the problem of having dual boot windows 10 + Kubuntu I think wiping drive is worth trying.

I'm making a Gparted live boot USB to go with the Kubuntu live usb if I need it as well, but I'm not sure the best way to go about this all either.

Should I install windows 10 first or install Kubuntu first?

[richie231186]

Completely wiped everything and have a fresh install Windows 10 on HDD partition one, and another blank empty space.

For some reason now I get the option to boot the live USB in normal mode or UEFI mode that was not there before but I tried both to no avail
at least though non UEFI mode actually throws and error which is understandable.

I'm starting to think either LINUX in general has piss poor support for UEFI or my laptop model is just messed up some how.
Ive honestly never had any problem installing any version of linux on any laptop or PC before, highly disappointing

I mean it's booting into UEFI mode every time, because I see the black option menu instead of the colored one.
Unless there is some windows option causing problems other than fast boot or the recovery partitions are messing
with something some how I'm lost.

I updated the BIOS and checked everything I could find online and can tick all the right boxes.

CMS enabled yes
Secure boot off yes
Fast boot disabled in BIOS yes
Fast boot disabled in windows yes
booting USB in UEFI mode yes
Inter smart tech or whatever it's called, Don't have it.
iso check SH code yes
USB installer check yes

[Qqmike]

I guess I'm confused here, not sure where you are heading. You did determine that it is booting in UEFI mode, that is good.

I'm starting to think either LINUX in general has piss poor support for UEFI or my laptop model is just messed up some how.

Neither. Linux has excellent support for UEFI and even GPT (going back quite a ways). And ASUS boards--IME--do an excellent job with UEFI firmware. As I read the Internet posts, it is clear to me that Windows is usually the problem with both the older BIOS and the newer UEFI firmwares.

Starting from scratch, here's what I did (but I didn't have Windows):
A new PC build ...
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post368216
The general guide on UEFI for Kubuntu,
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post379977
A boot MANAGER you may want to install AFTER you get things straightened out and working,
rEFInd,
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post372221

As I read your posts, reactions are:

Your hard drive: for UEFI, best to keep things simple and easy and make sure your drive is a GPT, not MBR. You can do this in GParted Live CD/USB.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table

-- Install Windows first.
-- You are using UEFI, good.
-- Thus, you need an ESP (see links). Windows (8.1) that came with the laptop should have created one; it is probably wiped out by now? If Windows 10 did not create an ESP, you should do so before installing Windows 10; but if there were no ESP present, how did Windows 10 install itself?!!! Windows likes to control everything and likes to take over the whole show -- It should have created an ESP for you to use (for Kubuntu -- that is where your GRUB files will go, alongside the Windows boot files; again, see links on ESP explanation).
-- In the UEFI firmware setup menus, turn off CSM (since you are using UEFI); turn off fast boot in firmware (also turn it off in Windows, as you have done); turn off secure Boot.
-- Install Kubuntu in UEFI mode: use 64-bit; boot the Kubuntu live USB installer in UEFI mode (as you are doing already).
-- GParted Live Manual -- see Usage Instructions (scroll down):
http://gparted.org/livecd.php


The expert on UEFI is Rod Smith. He tries to keep up with Windows issues, too, as they pertain to booting/UEFI. His web site is big, many topics, you might have to navigate around to hit what you need.
http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/

[Qqmike]

Note:

To see your disk, to see if it is a GPT and what shape it is in:

From a live Kubuntu DVD/USB, open Konsole (K > Apps > System > Terminal (Konsole)) and issue this command:

sudo gdisk -l /dev/sda

Also, from your live Kubuntu DVD/USB, you can use
sudo blkid
to see your drives and partitions.

The gdisk should show your ESP: a small partition, FAT32, Type EF00, it is usually sda1 or sda2.

[richie231186]

I see so windows first is better. This way i keep my recovery partitions as well even though full laptop factory recovery is backed up on a bootable HDD. Cool asus feature i found with backtracker.

The thing that gets me though .is why after trying to run the live usb install it works every 10 goes.

I'm installing kubuntu again now with what i think is the correct 3 partitions and ill see how that goes.

I followed a uefi guide for dual boot and it said create:

Root ext4 / 10-20gb
Swap 8gb with 4gb ram
Home ext4 /home i made it 70gb

[richie231186]

The install is the same still despite apparently being partitioned correctly im starting to think there is just some sort of hardware bug with ubuntu.

[richie231186]

So the usb installer seems to be booting better now and i can even load into kubuntu by selecting try instead of install. So maybe the lockup on noot is not a hardware issue if its capable of booting. Its strange ive followed the basic guide on partition and install that works fine for everyone else using UEFI.

Here is the details a all the partitions and I think every thing is as it should be.

[Qqmike]

Well, it looks like what I feel it should look like.

Comments:
-- sda1 is clearly your ESP, or "System Partition," 100 MB, used to store the bootloader files for UEFI booting. Looks like Windows set this up for you. It's fine. Windows bootloader goes in there; if you install Kubuntu, the GRUB bootloader will go in there also.
-- gdisk indicated you have a good GPT (GUID Partition Table) to go along with UEFI booting. Your KDE Partitioning tool shows this indirectly as it shows no extended partition (indicating it is not MBR but is GPT).
-- Observation only: sda4 and sda5 are your partitions for Kubuntu (root / and /home, maybe?). Why are you using NTFS instead of ext4? Just a comment, as you probably know more about this than I do, and I'll leave your personal partitioning choices to you.

So maybe the lockup on noot is not a hardware issue if its capable of booting.

Just make sure your UEFI firmware setup is set up correctly, as I've been saying: turn OFF CSM, for example; turn ON UEFI; turn OFF Secure Boot; turn OFF Fast Boot in firmware. Of course, if you are also following advice from others, you may decide to turn ON Secure Boot (for Windows)--that is your choice, most experts I follow (SteveRiley here) indicate it is not necessary to turn it on and it can cause issues now and then.

And just always make sure you boot your live Kubuntu DVD/USB in UEFI mode by booting up, entering firmware setup, and selecting the UEFI version of your DVD/USB, as we've been saying.

Finally, remember that you always have the choice of trying everything with Kubuntu 14.04 instead of the latest, greatest, most-testing releases.

If you do install Kubuntu, using the Manual method, when it comes to "where to install GRUB," just select sda (it won't really matter as GRUB will go into the ESP sda1, in your case).

Installing Kubuntu using the Manual method, my take on it:
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...688#post377688

[Qqmike]

Root ext4 / 10-20gb
Swap 8gb with 4gb ram
Home ext4 /home i made it 70gb

That's OK (IMO). Experts here will tell you you probably won't need 8 GB swap, but whatever, I tend to go with too much swap since space is so cheap on HDDs. I don't know much about NTFS (except for Windows). For Kubuntu I (and others here) usually use ext4 at least for root (and usually for /home).

EDIT:

sda4 is your Kubuntu root: NTFS <-- Why NTFS versus ext4?
sda9 is your Kubuntu /home, right?: It is ext4.

[richie231186]

Ill have to recheck when i get home the ntfs should only be windows and recovery partitions as i selected ext4 for all partitions except swap

[richie231186]

Yes sda9 is /home sda7 is /root and there is swap.

ntfs4 would be the windows partition free space.

Would any of the Asus recovery partitions effect the install?
Should I try an install with use entire disk, even if only to see if it works?
I still can only boot the live usb installer 1 out of every 10 tries or so with no noticable difference in each attemp it seems maybe CPU lockup is happening but
it only throws that error if I try a non UEFI boot of installer, otherwise it just locks up.

[Qqmike]

Would any of the Asus recovery partitions effect the install?
Should I try an install with use entire disk, even if only to see if it works?

I do not think the ASUS Recovery partitions should affect the install. It is my understanding that such recovery partitions are there mainly for Windows, in case you must recover/re-install Windows. Kubuntu will not care about or notice such things--it only needs its root, home, and swap.

I still can only boot the live usb installer 1 out of every 10 tries or so with no noticable difference in each attemp it seems maybe CPU lockup is happening but
it only throws that error if I try a non UEFI boot of installer, otherwise it just locks up.

This is a puzzle, I agree. If you followed all the above suggestions, I don't see why the laptop will not properly boot from your live USB Kubuntu. I build my live USBs using Kubuntu 64-bit and using dd, as I explained somewhere above--I do not use Unetbootin or whatever-the-heck-they-are. Then you must properly configure your ASUS firmware setup (disable CSM, etc.). And then when you re-boot using the USB, you enter firmware and select the UEFI version of your USB (as it sounds like you are doing OK).

[Qqmike]

Windows--not Kubuntu or any Linux--is usually the PITA to deal with.