Basic installation question

DXP55 · 19 Aug 2018 at 19:46

After my main PC had a wobbly a while ago I cobbled together a backup PC - This is basically a AMD AM1M-A system so not supersonic. I have a 120gb SSD with W7 on it I used to test this PC but I need a operating system - Years ago I tried Linux Mint but couldn't get my head around it so I am trying again.

I downloaded Mint ISO 19 and burned it to DVD - I have a clean 120 gb SSD to put it on so off I went - Downloaded and installed - Opened Firefox and logged into OCUK fine and away it went - So I decided to eject the DVD and poof !! Linux was gone - tried to do a start up and got Bootmgr not found - hit ctrl-alt-delete - nothing

Today I started again - did a new ISO disc in 32bit and tried that - all working fine till I ejected the DVD - so now I am back to square one - Is there something easy I am missing - I am useless at software so if this isn't easy I will continue with W7 - something I don't want to do - I have read loads of Linux help threads but they are way above my head- If it doesn't plug and play I am up poo street.

Cheers DXP

droyden · 19 Aug 2018 at 21:43

Are you sure you are installing it?
It sounds like you are booting into the 'live CD' from the cd/dvd which only lives in memory.

Hades · 20 Aug 2018 at 01:47

As above are you actually installing it or just running off the live DVD?

But because you get a boot error when you try rebooting it I think something else may be happening instead. Is your 120gb drive the only drive in the PC? Or do you have both the W7 120gb SSD and also the 'blank' 120gb SSD in the PC at the same time?

jsmoke · 20 Aug 2018 at 04:46

There's a thing called live CD where instead of actually installing the OS onto the HD you load it into memory and run it live. This means as memory is cleared when reset you lose all the data on it.

When booting from the CD look for an option in the boot menu to install Mint onto the HD.

DXP55 · 20 Aug 2018 at 08:29

Good point working off disc - that is something I never thought of and the other thing is I didn't get any menu giving me any options on what to load. - When I looked at ssd it was showing 1.5% used - I thought out of 120gb that sounded right but perhaps my maths has gone rusty. The ISO is 1.8gb

The SSD is the only drive connected other than DVD player - I did notice in Bios that boot is DVD then SSD in order of boot.

Perhaps a fresh day might bring results.

Thanks

DXP55 · 20 Aug 2018 at 09:41

In a bit of a rush earlier as car had to go in for service.

When I put the disc in the dark screen came up and up in top left hand corner was upload icon and two more - so small I couldn't read or grasp what they were - after a few minutes it did a restart counting down from 7 to 0 sec - did that about three times so I assumed it was loading the disc but what do I know ?? It then came up Log in which didn't respond to any input then up came Linux home page and it seemed fine until as said I ejected the disc.

Next job now is to go back reading about Linux again and see if this problem has come up before -- I have found posts about bootmgr missing but that seems different to my problem and requires inputting stuff but even then there was no text boxes or any other box on screen.

Oh well can keep W7 but that should go back in another PC.

DXP55 · 20 Aug 2018 at 14:16

I knew it was going to be something stupidly simple - Thanks to those that said I could have been booting from the disk. It was working on the disc but on the home page is a icon saying "INSTALL LINUX MINT" Duh!!! - I thought I had - I did click it once but nothing happened and help forum said click twice - needed right click - Put all my details in and click install - going fine till it said remove disc and click restart- It's been going round in a circle now for 3 hours - close down - restart - list of errors which are small and not up long enough for me to read then restart - and so on and so on.

Just about to give up on it. - It's the frustration that gets you isn't it.

DXP55 · 20 Aug 2018 at 19:03

I have now thrown in the towel.
Downloaded another ISO file from a different server - burnt it to different make of DVD - installed it and it crashed again - installed it again then clicked button to do more testing - downloaded drivers and then restarted - took disc out and nothing - It will not boot so that's it - I have had enough - plugged in W7 ssd and will leave it at that - First time in years I have had a failed download.

Wife is pleased as I was wondering around like a bear with a sore ass.