Problems with new lmde install

[lleiria]

The live CD, in a unetbootin usb, worked fine in an old Toshiba laptop (in this laptop I never reached a boot with julia 10), the installation was smooth, but stuck on the "Configuring bootloader" process. Had to abort. Any suggestions?

[seeley]

Hi!
Though I even could not boot from live CD, I would like to know: Could you choose a boot loader device, and if "yes", what did you choose:
sda (=MBR) or a root partition (sdaX)?
I'm asking that, because in the "old" LMDE - as I installed it - is was not possible to choose a location for the boot loader.
seeley

[lleiria]

I'm not sure, It was 5 AM but I think I could choose, and I left the default, sda, or sda1, I don't remember.
But I will make it again. Do you think I must choose sda4 (the mint partition)?

[wayne128]

Hi!
Though I even could not boot from live CD, I would like to know: Could you choose a boot loader device, and if "yes", what did you choose:
sda (=MBR) or a root partition (sdaX)?
I'm asking that, because in the "old" LMDE - as I installed it - is was not possible to choose a location for the boot loader.
seeley

I can choose to install boot code to partition

[seeley]

Hi lleiria!
To answer your question we should know some details:
1. You have Windows (installed first)?
2. Please open a Terminal / Konsole and run as root and post the output:

Code: Select all

parted -l print

(lowercase "L" like list)
or

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fdisk -l

3. You have another Mint installed?
4. Did you create partitions with an partition editor (GParted)?
seeley

[stardust63]

The same problem: when trying to install the new LMDE(32 bit edition) the bootloader configuration won´t succeed (on dev/sda,
dual boot with win7 alongside). I´ve hadn´t this problem with any other distribution I installed.
This is something absolutely unacceptable.

[seeley]

Hi!
Do you remember: Is it possible to choose "no boot loader"? (My live CD does not boot to the desktop, but I would like to know that).
seeley

[wilberfan]

One of those unhelpful "me too" replies? During the bootloader configuration step I got a system beep.

The progress bar continued to scan back-and-forth, but I had no disk activity lights--neither on the HDD or the thumb drive I'm installing from...

This is a box with multiple distros on it (Debian Testing, Arch, XP, Win7 ...) the existing bootloader was from yesterdays LMDE 64bit install (which worked perfectly, btw).

So odd that the 64bit install works (almost) perfectly (i had networking problems)--and the 32bit is just a mess! I love this distro--looking forward to some solutions!

[seeley]

Hi!
If you can choose "no boot loader" and install LMDE?
seeley

[lleiria]

Seeley,
No you can't install choosing no bootloader, you must install it on any of your partitions (In my cas, sda, sda1, sda3, sda4 or even sdb (the usb flash pen).
I have:
sda1 - ntfs windows
sda3 - swap
sda4 - linux mint

I chose sda on the first time, and it it stacked "configuring bootloader#. I then reinstalled and chose sda1, some result. It just stuck the install
Suggestions?

[seeley]

Hi!
NO!! sda1 was wrong! sda3 is wrong, too; sda4 would be okay in a triple boot case (after having a GRUB in the MBR).
If you want a dual boot Windows (first installed) - Mint one option is (I did this many times with success) to install GRUB to sda (MasterBootRecord). If the installation succeeds you can choose - after rebooting - between Windows an Mint.
Grub on sdb means you have to plug in sdb before you boot - no good choice.
I did not try another option - maybe one of our readers.
seeley

Edit:
Sorry, I can't boot from my new LMDE to Desktop.
Normally you can deselect boot loader device (remove check mark).

[lleiria]

I tried again. Choose sda to install grub and connected to ethernet to have net connectivity. But its no use. Install stops in "Configuring bootloader". And yes, seelley, it's possible to deselect the grub. I didn't do it, because I must have access to windows, it's my wife's computer.
Any ideas, please?

[lleiria]

I did an fdisk -l
result:

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Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0ff3d6a7

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        3832    30780508+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3            3833        4009     1419264   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda4            4009        4864     6868992   83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 2019 MB, 2019557376 bytes
63 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1009 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 3906 * 512 = 1999872 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000954d7

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1        1009     1970546    c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
mint@mint ~ $ 

Any ideas, please?

[seeley]

Hi!
At the moment, if you boot, you directly start Windows?
So, if you install LMDE on sda4 and disable boot loader, nothing happens with your MBR and you should be able to boot Windows.
But first you should save the MBR onto an USB stick (so, if necessary you could copy it back).
I once did it with success, but it is some years ago and today I don't find the solution (tomorrow!).
You could ask in an own thread e.g. "How to save MBR?" or wait until tomorrow (better ask - in any case).
After having saved MBR, you could install LMDE onto sda4 without GRUB and afterwards we could try to install GRUB, there are several
possibilities how to do that.
seeley

[willie42]

Hi!
At the moment, if you boot, you directly start Windows?
So, if you install LMDE on sda4 and disable boot loader, nothing happens with your MBR and you should be able to boot Windows.
But first you should save the MBR onto an USB stick (so, if necessary you could copy it back).
I once did it with success, but it is some years ago and today I don't find the solution (tomorrow!).
You could ask in an own thread e.g. "How to save MBR?" or wait until tomorrow (better ask - in any case).
After having saved MBR, you could install LMDE onto sda4 without GRUB and afterwards we could try to install GRUB, there are several
possibilities how to do that.
seeley

What version of Windows does he need the MBR for?

[lleiria]

Forgive me to ask, but if I don't install the bootloader, how do I run linux? the windows installed is xp.

[willie42]

Dont mean to step on on seeley's Thread but if needed it can be MBR can be fixed by the Windows XP CD in the repair Console. seeley's thread and he knows what hes doing so just go on his guidence.

[lleiria]

OK, after quiting the frozen installation, the mbr is already messed up. When I reboot, I got a Grub prompt and I don't know what to do with it. I can repair the mbr with the norton cd, but I preferred to go ahead and finish the bootloader instalation, so that I could have both systems. My wife will kill me if I don't

[gotjazz]

You could also just add mint to the windows bootloader using easybcd. I did that on my mother's computer in case some windows update in the future overwrites the mbr. In this case you could install grub on a partition and it'd be chainloaded by the windows bootloader

[caskale13c]

Seeley,
No you can't install choosing no bootloader, you must install it on any of your partitions (In my cas, sda, sda1, sda3, sda4 or even sdb (the usb flash pen).

I had no problem installing with no bootloader. I just unchecked the the box next to "Install Bootloader?" This was after failing twice to get the bootloader to install on my sda6 partition.

Troy