Mint 10 won't boot [SOLVED]

[sesterlinux]

Hello, I'm a linux noob. The most experience I've had with Linux is dual-booting Ubuntu on my netbook last year. I'm interested in Mint so I thought using Mint4Win would be as easy as wubi was. Turns out, that's not so.

After installing, I restart my netbook. But the option to boot Mint doesn't even appear. My netbook just proceeds to Windows 7 as usual.

I tried booting from a USB, but all I got was the message "missing operating system". And then I get Windows 7 again. DX

Help? (Again, I need to stress: I'm a noob (a.k.a lifetime Windows user). Please don't use confusing jargon with me.) I really want to try Mint out

[AlbertP]

You have to use Unetbootin (from Linux, can be found in Software Manager) or Universal USB Installer (from Windows, http://www.pendrivelinux.com), to make a working Linux USB. Just copying the ISO file or its contents does not work.

And you may also need to format the USB stick FAT32, as some computers require this to boot. But most USB sticks are formatted with that filesystem by default.

[lmintnewb]

A MICROSOFT USER DARES TO COME HERE ? ! GET A ROPE !!!

Kidding, lol ... have XP on this comp too. ( see below )


Might want to read through some of the links I just posted in this other thread.

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=70559


Seems M$ is up to it's usual craptastic, sleazy ... greedy tricks. To try to keep the world safe from free software that's better than the junk they sell. Lotsa folks seem to be having problems installing linux alongside winblows 7.

Personally think it's another underhanded trick by M$ to try to discourage people from dual booting and finding out what linux can do for them. Do not be dissuaded in your quest to try Mint, it's a great OS and worth some trouble to use. Knowing that the problem is on M$'s end ... Not the minty magic development team's. I've only been messing with it a couple wks so far.

Would definitely say do your research beforehand so you'll be prepared in advance. Rather than blindsided with issues. If you run into issues or need some help. Although I'm a linux newb myself. I'm not the worlds worst tech person. Would definitely try to help ya get Mint up and running. M$ no doubt makes it much harder than it should be. But what else is new with them ? Read some of that stuff if you want. If you have problems I'll hang out for awhile and try to help.

Why not, can't seem to get anything done since I've discovered the Minty goodness and these D! forums. Though of course an honest effort would be much appreciated. I haven't done tech support in so long. All this trying to be helpful in the forums has reminded me how much it stinks, lol.

[sesterlinux]

You have to use Unetbootin (from Linux, can be found in Software Manager) or Universal USB Installer (from Windows, http://www.pendrivelinux.com), to make a working Linux USB. Just copying the ISO file or its contents does not work.

And you may also need to format the USB stick FAT32, as some computers require this to boot. But most USB sticks are formatted with that filesystem by default.

Already did those (Universal USB installer & FAT32 formatting), prior to posting this thread. Didn't work, unfortunately. Thanks for taking the trouble of replying anyway (and on the other thread too). Anything else I should try to do?

@lmintnewb: Thanks for the words of encouragement. DX Looked at the links you posted and couldn't understand. Grub? LOL, I should be the one with 'newb' in my username.

[AlbertP]

Try formatting the USB stick as NTFS, or if it still does not work FAT16. Do not format it as Ext2/3/4, it won't be bootable then.

And it is true, Windows 7 uses some dirty tricks to remove Linux bootloaders.

[lmintnewb]

sesterlinux

Seems like M$ made dual booting with win7 way more aggravation than it should be. Way I see it ya have a few choices though.

1. Spend some time reading up on it. Between the magic minty forum search bar and google. If you want to spend the time. Shouldn't take all that much. But would honestly take some time. Be easier for you to study up, than would for a dork like me to try to walk someone through it remotely.

bootloaders that "repair" themselves and get rid of software the system owner wanted instead ? Sounds more like a virus or malware, than a useful piece of software.

2. Make friends with that shy geeky kid at school that nobody else likes. Might set it up for ya and might make a good friend to boot.

3. Get an old laptop ... No shortage and if you look around and are a lil patient. Could no doubt get a good used one for not all that much $. Then install Minty goodness or whatever other flavor of linux in it's full strength and bone up on it. If you like it and stick with. Could come the day when you say ... forget about M$tinks and nix it. Or by that point you'd know exactly what you're doing and wouldn't have a problem getting linux and M$7 to live together.

Just based on reading up. Seems I've found yet one more reason to dislike M$ with this win7 junk they came up with. Technology is supposed to make people lives easier and work for them. M$ as is it's tradition, seems to like selling people expensive, buggy ... crappy software that works against the people using it.

Almost sounds like grounds for an anti-trust suit ( another one ). Micro$oft ought to be used to those by now.

[sesterlinux]

@AlbertP, I've tried formatting as NFTS. Universal USB installer warned me that my flash drive would be unbootable, but I went ahead with it. It didn't work, unfortunately. All I got (as usual) was "missing operating system". There was no option to format to FAT16. I tried exFAT. Again, the dreaded "missing operating system" message appears.

@lmintweb

1. I have read a teeny weeny bit on Linux before. Unfortunately, I can't invest too much time on it right now. I've important exams in 3 days (medical student). In fact, I've already wasted so much time trying to set up Mint. I'll try to "geek up" after the exams though.

2. LOL, we live in different parts of the world. In Malaysia, a veeeeeeery small number of people use Linux. And I'm in medical school, we don't really have Linux users here. The ones that do are using Ubuntu and are even more clueless about Linux than I am.

Sorry to say this about my fellow countrymen, but when we don't want to pay for something, we pirate it. So instead of looking for alternatives, people run cracked MicroSoftware. That's another reason why people don't really use Linux here.

3. I've considered bypassing the dual boot option and fully installing Mint, but I can't even get the USB to boot. The stupid "missing operating system" message will haunt me until I can get Mint. That is what's frustrating me right now. Is there something I'm missing? Should there be other files I have to download? DX

Does anyone have solid proof that MS is preventing us from installing alternative OS'es? I'd love to see them get sued for anti-competitive practices.

UPDATE

I can finally get to Windows Boot Manager, but it doesn't even list Mint as an option (I've already installed using Mint4Win). Only Window 7. Need more help. Please?

[AlbertP]

If you used Mint4Win, it should have installed the Grub bootloader. Make sure that you installed the bootloader on /dev/sda and not on a partition.

[sesterlinux]

If you used Mint4Win, it should have installed the Grub bootloader. Make sure that you installed the bootloader on /dev/sda and not on a partition.

Uh...uh...you've lost me. How do I do that?

[AlbertP]

I have never used Mint4Win, so can't tell you more about how to do it.

[sesterlinux]

I have never used Mint4Win, so can't tell you more about how to do it.

Too bad.

Ah well, I've already downloaded the ISO image two times. It still won't work out. I'm giving up on Mint

[lmintnewb]

Ah eventually you'll get the linux bug again. The proof of M$, it's fairly common knowledge if ya do some searching about dual booting with win7. Looks like M$ skipped a step and now windows machines are coming preinstalled with malware ( the win7 bootloader, lol.)

Guess they just decided to save everyone some time and load a boot sector virus on windows machines at the factory. As they know it's just a matter of time before all the systems using them get infected with something anyway.

Hopefully they do get class actioned or an anti-trust ( another of many anti-trust ) suits filed on them. For real, making things harder for people to dual boot and do whatever they wan't with "their computers" is not at all right.

Actually costing people a lot of time messing with something or repairing something they shouldn't have to. Not to mention it is unfair marketing. When they can set it up so that their crappy product is the only option people have to choose.

I mean I've seen ways to do it that looked totally sound. But trying to work with someone remotely and get it done would be a nightmare. I've helped people solve minor tech problems remotely and it was a massive pain. Setting up a dual boot when one of them is windows 7 I'm willing to admit my limitations. Not willing to go through that much aggravation for strangers.

I mean there are how to's and guides available on the net. Dual booting linux with windows 7 is by no means impossible, plenty of people are doing it. Though it'd take less time for someone with that goal to find the info themselves, than to try to help them with it remotely.

Definitely don't give up on linux (linux mint is good stuff too) eh. If for no other reason than cause a craptastic corp like M$ thinks they can keep you from trying it. Like ya said, it's understandable that someone would hold off until they have some free time.

[M_onkeyman]

You know, in the meantime, you could make a virtual hard drive in VirtualBox and install Linux Mint in there

[2Stoned]

I have never had any problems using dual-boot along with Win7 (so far ). I have Linux Mint 10 and Windows 7 and i use both, mint most of the time. I use windows only for video encoding/editing, office, some software that wont work with wine and from time to time games. I intalled Mint with the Linux Mint cd, i never used wubi that might be the issue? So delete the linux partition, fix the windows boot, delete grub using the windows cd and after that install linux again on the same partition this time using the cd or dvd.

There's no fun using Linux on a virtual machine!

[Halzen]

You know, I ran into boot issues, GRUB, tried Wubi and failed with it, etc when I first started in '09. I probably gave up on Linux a good three or four times between now and today. Learning Linux was a process, albeit an occasionally frustrating one - I learned more about the operating system each time I came back to it after a short "quitting" break. Now, Linux is the only operating system on my two machines, and I have even installed it on the computers of some of my friends and family.

If you do choose to come back to Linux after your exams or something, I have a couple of pointers to smoothen the ride for you a bit:

1. Stay away from WUBI or Mint4Win. It brings more trouble than its worth, and you're sacrificing one major plus of Linux (speed) for a perceived installation convenience. Instead, find a nice step-by-step guide for dual-booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu (there are plenty out there just a Google search away) and have that open on another computer (or printed out) while you work.

2. If you're not sure about something, or if you run into a problem, research it! Chances are there are a kablillion other people that have run into the same road block before, and almost all of the resulting threads get answers. Google is your friend, as well as the search functions on the Ubuntu and Linux Mint forums. Heck, a lot of people are on Mint and Ubuntu's IRC channels every day, asking or answering questions.

3. Don't give up! Your first month or so with Linux will usually involve a lot of weird errors and road blocks, but that's just part of the process - you find a problem, research it, fix it, and come out of it knowing more about your system. Before you know it, you'll know enough about Linux to have total control over your desktop, something that neither Windows nor Mac let you do easily.

[BManLazarus]

I'm probably not going to help much but, based on what 2Stoned and Hazen said, try installing Mint through a CD if possible. It seems like the reason you are having trouble is from using mint4win. If you want to try and install through using a USB, try using win32diskimager, that might help.

That's about all I could say, so hopefully I was able to help you in some way.

[sesterlinux]

I'd like to thank everyone who has tried to help (and even sent me a PM). My exams are over, and whaddya know, I finally got Mint installed (with Mint4Win though). Turns out it kept failing on me because I tried to use it from a USB. When I extracted the ISO onto my desktop and tried Mint4Win, it worked. DX Sad that it turned out to be such a simple thing.

I do want to try fully installing Linux, but my netbook doesn't have a CD/DVD drive for me to try installing from a CD.

Mint looks/feels fantastic so far. A few kinks here and there I need to fix, and I need to get used to it. But all in all, I like it.

Again, thanks to everyone for helping out.

[yuzhiwen]

Aha, this problem is solvedfinaly. It very cool, now I can boot it, oh yeah!