Can't manage Linux to boot

[LimakXRobczuk]

1. I am casual Linux user, but i know what I'm doing in general, i successfully installed Mint earlier on my Laptop and got already working on my PC.
2. I have BIOS setup properly, working Flash drive.
3. I tried to boot 'normally' and in compatibility mode.

Issue is that when i start Linux from installation media, screen flashes two times and then computer reboots.

I remember, that i had to add some option in grub to start Mint properly (but now i can't find it, because all problems are caused by noobs, who can't even access and setup bios properly or at least i can't explain my problem to google properly with my English). I remember that issue was with graphics.. maybe something with forcing software rendering or skipping checking something.

I tried nomodeset and nouveau.noaccel=1, the second option managed to display empty screen with blinking caret, no inputs, no outputs.

PS. I can boot Linux on my Laptop from my PCs drive. (but then my son can't play Minecraft on 'his' computer XD)

[LimakXRobczuk]

inxi -Fxxxzr output while booted from pc drive:

Code: Select all

System:
  Kernel: 5.11.0-25-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 5.0.5 wm: muffin 5.0.1 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 
  Distro: Linux Mint 20.2 Uma base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Micro-Star product: Please change product name 
  v: REV:1.0 serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 10 serial: N/A 
  Mobo: Micro-Star model: MS-16JA v: REV:1.0 serial: <filter> 
  UEFI [Legacy]: American Megatrends v: E16JAIMS.114 date: 02/22/2018 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT1 charge: 36.9 Wh condition: 38.1/42.4 Wh (90%) volts: 12.2/10.8 
  model: MSI Corp. MS-16JA type: Li-ion serial: N/A status: Unknown 
CPU:
  Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i7-7500U bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Amber Lake rev: 9 L1 cache: 128 KiB L2 cache: 4096 KiB 
  L3 cache: 4096 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 23199 
  Speed: 400 MHz min/max: 400/3500 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 400 2: 400 
  3: 827 4: 400 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 620 vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: i915 
  v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:5916 
  Device-2: NVIDIA GP107M [GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile] vendor: Micro-Star MSI 
  driver: nvidia v: 460.91.03 bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:1c8d 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting,nvidia 
  unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: GeForce GTX 1050/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 460.91.03 
  direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3 chip ID: 8086:9d71 
  Device-2: Creative Sound Blaster Play! 3 type: USB 
  driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid bus ID: 1-6:5 chip ID: 041e:324d 
  serial: <filter> 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.11.0-25-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168NGW [Stone Peak] driver: iwlwifi 
  v: kernel port: e000 bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 8086:24fb 
  IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Qualcomm Atheros QCA8171 Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Micro-Star MSI 
  driver: alx v: kernel port: d000 bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1969:10a1 
  IF: enp3s0 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 2.10 TiB used: 540.53 GiB (25.2%) 
  (data drive)
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: A-Data model: SU800 size: 953.87 GiB
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> rev: 8B temp: 19 C scheme: MBR 
  (systems drive)
  ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: A-Data model: SP900NS38 size: 238.47 GiB
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> rev: D temp: 40 C scheme: MBR
  (drive from pc)
  ID-3: /dev/sdc type: USB vendor: JMicron Tech model: Generic
  size: 953.87 GiB serial: <filter> rev: 0204 scheme: MBR 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 124.99 GiB used: 10.36 GiB (8.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdc6 
  ID-2: swap-1 size: 8.00 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sdc5 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 50.0 C mobo: 27.8 C gpu: nvidia temp: 51 C 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list 
  1: deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
  1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com uma main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
  2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
  3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
  4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
  5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
  6: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
Info:
  Processes: 214 Uptime: 12m Memory: 7.69 GiB used: 1.35 GiB (17.5%) 
  Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash 
  v: 5.0.16 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38 

[mikeflan]

can boot Linux on my Laptop from my PCs drive

Can I ask you to repost the whole question in a different, more concise way?
So you have a drive that boots fine in a laptop, but not in your desktop system when you move it over there?

Can you get any OS to boot on the desktop system? Can you get into the bios on the desktop system?

Issue is that when i start Linux from installation media, screen flashes two times and then computer reboots.

So here you are saying that your live boot will not boot? Is it a DVD or a USB? I guess it used to boot fine when you first install LM.

[Moonstone Man]

PS. I can boot Linux on my Laptop from my PCs drive. (but then my son can't play Minecraft on 'his' computer XD)

I'm with @mikeflan, I can't make head nor tail of what issue it is that you are facing. It would be most helpful if you left out past history, your rememberings and unrelated side comments, and tried to state only what the problem is that you need help with.

[Jo-con-Ël]

For me it is clear the problem

Issue is that when i start Linux from installation media, screen flashes two times and then computer reboots.

and

I tried nomodeset and nouveau.noaccel=1, the second option managed to display empty screen with blinking caret, no inputs, no outputs.

I think you were doing as indicated here but did not mention the way you've created the installation media, if ISO file was verified,.. neither you describe options present your UEFI/BIOS settings.

Get into UEFI/BIOS settings and please confirm boot mode (UEFI+CSM or Legacy BIOS) and if you have an option to choose the graphic card to boot by default and , in that case, the option preset: integrated (Intel), discrete (PCIe, Nvidia) or both (interchangeables). You can avoid problems on booting live media with boot mode Legacy only (CSM disabled) and boot with Intel graphic card (igpu or integrated) only.

If you don't have last option in UEFI/BIOS setting most sure your laptop (as mine) boot with both/interchageable graphics cards by default and that would be a problem depending on kernel instaled in Linux Live media and/or your firmware.

Meanwhile:

1)From boot menu (pressing F11 as soon as you power-on PC), choose your USB/DVD lIve and then in GRUB menu choose check integrity of installation media option.

2)If it is OK (most probably) then in GRUB menu try to start Mint

a)Editing default (first) option in GRUB menu pressing E or TAB key and then with intel.modeset=1 or i915.modeset=1 and nouveau.modeset=0 but always deleting quiet splash parameters in kernel line to see fails and, at least, where its stop on charging.

b)With compatibility mode option if you didn't try before (you did not mention it was the GRUB menu option and CSM is also Compatibilty Sopport Module in UEFI/Settings)

[LimakXRobczuk]

Get into UEFI/BIOS settings and please confirm boot mode (...)

Thank you for your understanding.

I always use Legacy boot mode and mbr partitioning.

Installation media (USB memory stick made with Rufus) is working fine on PC, anyway i checked integrity and all was fine.

I can't choose or disable graphic card on my laptop and i think that's what causing problems.

I always delete splash and quiet for booting Linux.

Of course i tried Compatibility Mode . I wrote all this to ensure that i tried every obvious solution.

I'm sure that one ot theese will help:
intel.modeset=1 i915.modeset=1 nouveau.modeset=0.
I just couldn't find with google how to express this options. I bet that i915.modeset=1 worked before.
I'll check now and confirm in a while.

[LimakXRobczuk]

Unfortunately these options didn't worked..
I'm loosing hope..

Maybe it was something with gfxmode, that worked last time.. Can't remember now.

I consider workaround with partition cloning or getting out HD from Laptop, then installing Linux on PC..

[Jo-con-Ël]

Unfortunately these options didn't worked..

Try to explain in detail what happen. if it is the same result all the time (1.e. a black screen with or without a blinking cursor on the left), or if hung (maybe you only have to wait is led are blinking on laptop)and you can see the final lines on screen.. Try Esc key if you can´t see nothing at all or Alt+Ctrl+ F1 if wait enough.

Please confirm you also did combine (put together) those parameters (i.e intel.modeset=1 nvidia.modeset=0). Usualy nomodeset is enough, but you can try to combine with others (nomodeset acpi=off noapic nolapic). It is easier to edit compatibility mode and delete parameter used in such mode.

Maybe it was something with gfxmode, that worked last time.. Can't remember now.

Using that gfxmode= parameters you are presuming the problem is on detecting laptop monitor capabilities. You can try native resolution (gfxmode=1920x1080x32 in my case and maybe yours) or lower resolution, even gfxmode=vesa. First I would get into grub shell from GRUB menu pressing c and see resolution detected with videoinfo or vbeinfo to be sure. Then write exit to go back to grub menu and make that change in kernel line.

I consider workaround with partition cloning or getting out HD from Laptop, then installing Linux on PC..

As you were able to boot using that PC (whatever it is) drive in your laptop it is a desperate way to install but may works as users said . Take into account that 5.11 kernel would not much with your laptop (even can´t see model in inxi) but at least you will have nvidia semiprivative driver installed.

[LimakXRobczuk]

Try to explain in datail what happen.

So i tried all options You provided both in "normal" and in compatibility mode. Every time screen flashes two times, some options caused auto reboot, some hung computer with cursor blinking, but I didn't take a notice what option caused what (a needed try that six times..).

I never get any output, to see at what point crash happens.

I'm using Linux on my laptop now, but is was pain to manage that:

1. Run Linux on PC, configure / mount point by label, reboot
2. Run LiveCD Linux on PC.
3. Copy Linux partition to flash drive with gparted.
4. Run Linux on laptop from PC's drive, as USB external disk.
5. Copy Linux partition from flash drive to laptop drive.
6. Configure GRUB on Laptop.

This worked (as I'm writing this post From Linux Mint 20.2 on my Laptop) and all settings, user profiles, applications (as GRUB customizer, gparted) was also copied which is quite nice.
But i don't know what would i do, if I haven't got access to another computer. I would be screwed....

[Larry78723]

Your last post is the first time you mentioned Grub Customizer, it should have been mentioned in your first post.

[LimakXRobczuk]

Your last post is the first time you mentioned Grub Customizer, it should have been mentioned in your first post.

Why? Grub Customizer have nothing to do, while i'm unable to run Live Installation Media..