Linux liveCD won't boot!

AWBbox · 13 Nov 2007 at 23:38

Or liveDVD rather. I'm trying to install sabayon linux onto my Dell Latitude D505. I have tried with different DVDs, burn speeds, re-downloaded. All that jazz and it still won't boot! It just says there are no bootable devices found. The same disks work on another computer and I only just installed windows on the laptop so I know it can boot of some disks. I could really use a hand here, I want to get back to a more enjoyable desktop environment!

Thank you!

Rich43 · 13 Nov 2007 at 23:47

Ubuntu work ok?

The Mad Rapper · 14 Nov 2007 at 16:58

The problem is most likely that your optical drive cannot read the disc you've created. Try either burning it again on another writer, if that doesn't work then try running a disc cleaning CD in your laptop optical drive.

The Mad Rapper · 14 Nov 2007 at 17:01

I've just had another thought.

If your laptop BIOS will allow you to boot from USB, copy all of the files from the disc to an external USB drive and boot the laptop with that connected.

It will work if your laptop allows USB boot

swinnie · 14 Nov 2007 at 18:24

Also make sure that you are burning the disc as an image, not as a data disk.

AWBbox · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:05

Ubuntu will get a little far, enough to hear the startup noise but then it will stop and the screen will go blank. I think I might try that USB option if I can find a device that has enough space. Do I just extract the contents of the .iso to the root of the drive? Also, will it matter that the USB partition is ntfs?

AWBbox · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:40

Update: The USB thing is weird, it just says L 99 99 99 99 (the 99's recurring into infinity) when the computer tries to boot from it.

The Mad Rapper · 15 Nov 2007 at 12:54

AWBbox said:
Do I just extract the contents of the .iso to the root of the drive? Also, will it matter that the USB partition is ntfs?

Create a proper Boot CD to start with, then copy those files to an external HDD which needs to be formatted in FAT32.

AWBbox · 15 Nov 2007 at 21:59

That doesn't work either, the computer just beeps loudly and says:

Non-System disk, press any key...
MBR Error 1
Press any key to boot from floppy...
MBR Error 2
Press any key to boot from floppy...
MBR Error 2
Press any key to boot from floppy...
MBR Error 2
Press any key to boot from floppy...

The Mad Rapper · 16 Nov 2007 at 14:29

Is it because the partition isn't marked as active? You need to have a bootable partition.

AWBbox · 17 Nov 2007 at 13:17

I used Acronis Disk Director to sort the USB drive. It had it marked as Primary and Active.

The Mad Rapper · 19 Nov 2007 at 15:40

AWBbox said:
I used Acronis Disk Director to sort the USB drive. It had it marked as Primary and Active.

I'm stumped then mate, sorry.

Hopefully someone else with more knowledge than me will read this and be able to assist.

Good luck.