Problems installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 from a USB flash drive.

GSDog · 28 Oct 2009 at 17:31

Hi all.

I want to install Ubuntu 9.10 onto my Samsung NC20 and I'm having some problems.

First thing I did was download Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 .iso (680MB file) from here;
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-netbook-remix/daily-live/current/

Then I downloaded and installed UNetbootin onto my Windows machine and followed the instructions here;
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

All went well and I put the USB stick into my netbook and booted it up.
I was then displayed a screen by UNetbootin giving me 3 options (Default, Help or OEM install) with a countdown of 10 secs. I chose default and it went through all the loading text, etc. and displayed the Ubuntu loading icon for a while, followed by more text - then the screen goes white and I can hear the Ubuntu login sound but all I see on the screen is solid changing colours. It goes from white, to red, to green, to blue, etc. and continues to do this until I turn the netbook off.

I've tried redownloading the .iso from different sources and also tried using the normal Ubuntu 9.10 .iso so it's definitely not a corrupt download.

Am I doing something wrong?!

EDIT: Here is a video of what is happening to explain it better. This is what happens after the Ubuntu loading icon, if you have your sound on you'll also hear the Ubuntu login sound.

braz2kuk · 28 Oct 2009 at 19:00

Hi not used ubuntu but i have Arch linux installed on my Asus 1005HA netbook and it uses the i915 module for the intel graphics, your problem looks like an xorg issue possibly is there anyway you can boot to a console and edit the xorg.conf and maybe use the vesa driver as opposed to what your currently using?

Im not sure what graphics chip your samsung has if you can tell me that would help.

GSDog · 28 Oct 2009 at 19:15

braz2kuk said:
Hi not used ubuntu but i have Arch linux installed on my Asus 1005HA netbook and it uses the i915 module for the intel graphics, your problem looks like an xorg issue possibly is there anyway you can boot to a console and edit the xorg.conf and maybe use the vesa driver as opposed to what your currently using?

Im not sure what graphics chip your samsung has if you can tell me that would help.

I have no idea. I don't know much about Ubuntu or Linux in general which is why I want to try it out.

This is actually a "Live CD" but on my USB flash drive, so Ubuntu isn't actually installed yet which is what I'm trying to do!

braz2kuk · 28 Oct 2009 at 19:19

Ok my suggestion would be to boot into a non graphical mode to install, i.e. install from a console, its straight forward you just follow it through, that way you should be able to get it to install, then boot just to a console once installed and i will help you out with sorting your xorg.conf as it sounds to me like ubuntu is trying to use a certain driver which your system is not liking, i had the same problem on my netbook, and because its a live cd you cant change the driver attributes without installing.

GSDog · 28 Oct 2009 at 19:34

braz2kuk said:
Ok my suggestion would be to boot into a non graphical mode to install, i.e. install from a console, its straight forward you just follow it through, that way you should be able to get it to install, then boot just to a console once installed and i will help you out with sorting your xorg.conf as it sounds to me like ubuntu is trying to use a certain driver which your system is not liking, i had the same problem on my netbook, and because its a live cd you cant change the driver attributes without installing.

Thanks, that makes sense. How do I boot into non graphical mode though? Is there a guide on how to do it?
I remember when I last used a Ubuntu Live CD about 2 years ago I got to a screen giving me several options to install it or boot into Live CD mode, etc. but I don't seem to be getting that screen this time.
I boot up the netbook from the USB flash drive and UNetbootin gives the options of choosing default, help or OEM-install (for manufacturers). Once I click on default or let the 10 second timer run it loads Ubuntu and goes straight into that multi coloured screen before I get to even view the login screen.

JonJ678 · 28 Oct 2009 at 19:50

There's a file you change on the usb stick to restore the normal ubuntu boot menu, I'll have a look around for it. It's an oddity of unetbootin.

Shortly to try to install the same thing onto my N110, so I'll be back if the same thing happens to me.

(optional) If you need to activate the original Ubuntu livecd boot menu, for example if you want to disable the framebuffer or read the Ubuntu livecd HELP screens and cheatcodes, please make these changes to your USB drive after your UNetbootin installation is completed:

1) Delete the SYSLINUX.CFG file or rename it to be SYSLINUX.OLD

2) Enter the ISOLINUX folder and rename the ISOLINUX.CFG file to be SYSLINUX.CFG. You may or may not need to rename ISOLINUX.BIN to SYSLINUX.BIN, but it won't hurt.

3) Move up to the top level and rename the ISOLINUX folder to be SYSLINUX

That took me far too long to find. Here's the source, it should facilitate installing without pretty graphics. Otherwise your option is the "alternate install" cd, which will definitely install and definitely leave you with a normal copy of ubuntu rather than the netbook remix. I spent a couple of hours today trying to turn one into the other with no luck, though I may have been missing something obvious.

Installed, can't reproduce your issue I'm afraid. It is lovely though, strongly recommend persevering.

uberchocolate · 18 Nov 2009 at 22:43

Sometimes when formatting your flash drive it can go bad. At this point, most people just throw it away. However, thats bad for the environment considering these drives have toxic chemicals in their components.

One thing to try if this ever happens to you is to follow the instructions in this article about recovering USB flash drives. It even provides the free software to do it. Just be sure to follow the instructions well and it will help a lot whenever that situations arises. You will have a fully functioning flash drive all over again without needing to buy a new one or polluting the biosphere

psd99 · 19 Nov 2009 at 00:19

If you can get into a safe graphics mode it will work. This mode comes up while u see that ubuntu floating type of screen. Bit like a windows boot manager screen one of the options is either recovery or safe graphics

It is for sure to do with your graphics card

dangerstat · 29 Nov 2009 at 13:10

braz2kuk said:
Hi not used ubuntu but i have Arch linux installed on my Asus 1005HA netbook and it uses the i915 module for the intel graphics, your problem looks like an xorg issue possibly is there anyway you can boot to a console and edit the xorg.conf and maybe use the vesa driver as opposed to what your currently using?

Im not sure what graphics chip your samsung has if you can tell me that would help.

Sorry in advance for the hijack. But braz2uk how are you finding Arch on the 1005HA, I'm going to get either the 1005HA/1008HA or the 1101HA this month and of course will be ditching Windoze from for a linux disto. Having not used Arch before (more of a Debian users tbh) how is it on your Asus?

Cheers

DSTAT

Lamo · 29 Nov 2009 at 21:16

I just tried to install Ubuntu UNR 9.10 on my Compaq mini 700 after creating the bootable flash drive with the same method as the OP. I managed to boot into the live interface and then choose the open to install Ubuntu 9.10 UNR.

I got through the options for choosing timezone and keyboard layout, then the install options and my username and password. i started the install and at that point I got the flashing colour screens.

I will repost if i fix this, in the mean time any ideas would be welcomed.

=================

Edit

=================

I followed these instructions thanks to JonJ678 and this fixed the issue first time. Now posting from Ubuntu UNR on my netbook.

(optional) If you need to activate the original Ubuntu livecd boot menu, for example if you want to disable the framebuffer or read the Ubuntu livecd HELP screens and cheatcodes, please make these changes to your USB drive after your UNetbootin installation is completed:

1) Delete the SYSLINUX.CFG file or rename it to be SYSLINUX.OLD

2) Enter the ISOLINUX folder and rename the ISOLINUX.CFG file to be SYSLINUX.CFG. You may or may not need to rename ISOLINUX.BIN to SYSLINUX.BIN, but it won't hurt.

3) Move up to the top level and rename the ISOLINUX folder to be SYSLINUX

JonJ678 · 30 Nov 2009 at 11:56

Glad to hear it

UNR has been boringly reliable since install for me. No issues whatsoever. Hope you like it

Lamo · 30 Nov 2009 at 12:21

JonJ678 said:
Glad to hear it

UNR has been boringly reliable since install for me. No issues whatsoever. Hope you like it

It seems very good, not had a good play with it yet, I was posting from an ethernet connection last night. It took me about an hour to get the wireless working. After the install it did try to install the Broadcom STA driver but it did not seem to do the job for me.

After I blacklisted the legacy bcm43xx driver and then created an ndiswrapper for the BCM4321 AG driver, a reboot later and wireless was back up and running.

The whole interface seems to be good, although it did take a bit of telling the misses that windows XP is not better than this. in the end i convinced her that this is a new version of windows

" Microsoft Windows Ubuntu"

craptakular · 30 Nov 2009 at 13:00

GSDog said:
Hi all.

I want to install Ubuntu 9.10 onto my Samsung NC20 and I'm having some problems.

First thing I did was download Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 .iso (680MB file) from here;
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-netbook-remix/daily-live/current/

Then I downloaded and installed UNetbootin onto my Windows machine and followed the instructions here;
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

All went well and I put the USB stick into my netbook and booted it up.
I was then displayed a screen by UNetbootin giving me 3 options (Default, Help or OEM install) with a countdown of 10 secs. I chose default and it went through all the loading text, etc. and displayed the Ubuntu loading icon for a while, followed by more text - then the screen goes white and I can hear the Ubuntu login sound but all I see on the screen is solid changing colours. It goes from white, to red, to green, to blue, etc. and continues to do this until I turn the netbook off.

I've tried redownloading the .iso from different sources and also tried using the normal Ubuntu 9.10 .iso so it's definitely not a corrupt download.

Am I doing something wrong?!

EDIT: Here is a video of what is happening to explain it better. This is what happens after the Ubuntu loading icon, if you have your sound on you'll also hear the Ubuntu login sound.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromImgFiles