mint 21 stops at login

[macglenn]

This sounds similar to another post with this exception 1. this is an all linux machine so no eufi boot. I installed to a usb. The only quibble during the install was a complaint that there was no eufi partition and so there might be problems. This has never been a problem before so I proceeded. I pulled out the install usb when requested. On the boot up the system stopped at the login prompt even though I requested an autologin. I tried my user name and then my password [remembered correctly] but it kept claiming there was an error in that information. Have I missed something? I have installed mint and others to usb before and haven't had this problem.
thanks
macglenn

[all41]

Do you see your username on the login screen?
If so try clicking the name before entering the password.

[SMG]

1. this is an all linux machine so no eufi boot.

What does this mean? Having a Linux-based distro on your computer doesn't have anything to do with whether your computer has UEFI firmware (most computers made in the last 10 years do have UEFI).

[pbear]

Please boot the installation USB and post your system information as seen by LM21. Among other things, this will confirm the boot mode.

[zcot]

stopped at the login prompt even though I requested an autologin. I tried my user name and then my password

The normal login prompt does not ask for a username, only a password based on what username is already selected. If there is more than one user, then you can select(click) one user. Or if the LightDM setup has been altered purposely, then it can allow the entering of a username.

If you installed after selecting full disk encryption then there will be an initial password prompt(not user name though), also regardless of whether or not autologin was selected this would a requirement for an encrypted setup. This is a popup shown before the real LightDM login screen.

[Cosmo.]

Among other things, this will confirm the boot mode.

And a possibly too small partition.

[macglenn]

Thanks for the various replies. I will post the System Report after this. But just to clarify in answer to various replies.
* I am getting stopped at the terminal screen and asked for a login. First the Mint Icon and then the black screen.
* I haven't run Windows on this machine ever and so I have been in to the setup to bypass UEFI
* I have installed other versions of Mint [and other OS] on USB successfully over the years both on to my hard drive and onto usb. I usually test drive on a usb before deciding whether to keep the version. I am installing on 64GB usb though I have run pgms from 32GB. This is the first time I have seen a complaint in the install program about a lack of UEFI partition.
I think that takes in everyone who has replied so far.
I will boot from the installation usb and come back with the system report.

System report of the install USB

Code: Select all

System:
  Kernel: 5.15.0-41-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.2.0 Desktop: MATE 1.26.0 wm: marco
    dm: LightDM Distro: Linux Mint 21 Vanessa base: Ubuntu 22.04 jammy
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: LENOVO product: 2522AY7 v: ThinkPad T410 serial: <superuser required>
    Chassis: type: 10 serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: LENOVO model: 2522AY7 serial: <superuser required> BIOS: LENOVO v: 6IET68WW (1.28 )
    date: 07/12/2010
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 21.5 Wh (52.3%) condition: 41.1/93.2 Wh (44.1%) volts: 11.5 min: 11.1
    model: SANYO 42T4799 serial: <filter> status: Not charging
CPU:
  Info: dual core model: Intel Core i5 M 520 bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Westmere rev: 5 cache:
    L1: 128 KiB L2: 512 KiB L3: 3 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 2744 high: 2909 min/max: 1199/2400 boost: enabled cores: 1: 2660 2: 2660
    3: 2749 4: 2909 bogomips: 19151
  Flags: ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Core Processor Integrated Graphics vendor: Lenovo driver: i915 v: kernel ports:
    active: LVDS-1 empty: DP-1, DP-2, DP-3, HDMI-A-1, HDMI-A-2, HDMI-A-3, VGA-1 bus-ID: 00:02.0
    chip-ID: 8086:0046
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.3 compositor: marco v: 1.26.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1280x800 s-dpi: 96
  Monitor-1: LVDS-1 model: Lenovo res: 1280x800 dpi: 107 diag: 358mm (14.1")
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics (ILK) v: 2.1 Mesa 22.0.1 direct render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 5 Series/3400 Series High Definition Audio vendor: Lenovo driver: snd_hda_intel
    v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:3b56
  Device-2: Logitech Logitech EasyCall Speakerphone type: USB driver: snd-usb-audio
    bus-ID: 1-1.2.2:7 chip-ID: 046d:0a06
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.15.0-41-generic running: yes
  Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 15.99.1 running: yes
  Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.48 running: yes
Network:
  Device-1: Intel 82577LM Gigabit Network vendor: Lenovo driver: e1000e v: kernel port: 1820
    bus-ID: 00:19.0 chip-ID: 8086:10ea
  IF: enp0s25 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
  Device-2: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 1 bus-ID: 03:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:4239
  IF: wlp3s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Cambridge Silicon Radio Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode) type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8
    bus-ID: 1-1.5.5:12 chip-ID: 0a12:0001
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: down bt-service: enabled,running rfk-block:
    hardware: no software: yes address: <filter>
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 1.26 TiB used: 207.94 GiB (16.2%)
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST320LM010-1KJ15C size: 298.09 GiB speed: 3.0 Gb/s
    serial: <filter>
  ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: Kingston model: DataTraveler 3.0 size: 57.8 GiB
    speed: 3.0 Gb/s serial: <filter>
  ID-3: /dev/sdc type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD My Passport 25E1 size: 931.48 GiB
    serial: <filter>
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 3.78 GiB used: 46.3 MiB (1.2%) fs: overlay source: ERR-102
  ID-2: /var/log size: 54.29 GiB used: 6.3 MiB (0.0%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb3
Swap:
  Alert: No swap data was found.
USB:
  Hub-1: 1-0:1 info: Full speed or root hub ports: 3 rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s chip-ID: 1d6b:0002
  Hub-2: 1-1:2 info: Intel Integrated Rate Matching Hub ports: 6 rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s
    chip-ID: 8087:0020
  Hub-3: 1-1.2:3 info: Texas Instruments TUSB2036 Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 speed: 12 Mb/s
    chip-ID: 0451:2036
  Device-1: 1-1.2.1:5 info: Logitech VoIP USB Dual RF Receiver type: Keyboard,Mouse
    driver: hid-generic,usbhid rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s chip-ID: 046d:c51c
  Device-2: 1-1.2.2:7 info: Logitech Logitech EasyCall Speakerphone type: Audio
    driver: snd-usb-audio rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s chip-ID: 046d:0a06
  Hub-4: 1-1.5:4 info: Lenovo ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 ports: 6 rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s
    chip-ID: 17ef:100a
  Device-1: 1-1.5.2:6 info: Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse model 1016 type: Mouse
    driver: hid-generic,usbhid rev: 1.1 speed: 1.5 Mb/s chip-ID: 045e:00a4
  Device-2: 1-1.5.4:8 info: Logitech Keyboard K120 type: Keyboard,HID driver: hid-generic,usbhid
    rev: 1.1 speed: 1.5 Mb/s chip-ID: 046d:c31c
  Device-3: 1-1.5.5:12 info: Cambridge Silicon Radio Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode) type: Bluetooth
    driver: btusb rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s chip-ID: 0a12:0001
  Hub-5: 1-1.5.6:9 info: Genesys Logic Hub ports: 4 rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s chip-ID: 05e3:0610
  Device-1: 1-1.5.6.4:13 info: Western Digital My Passport (WD20NMVW) type: Mass Storage
    driver: usb-storage rev: 2.1 speed: 480 Mb/s chip-ID: 1058:25e1
  Hub-6: 2-0:1 info: Full speed or root hub ports: 3 rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s chip-ID: 1d6b:0002
  Hub-7: 2-1:2 info: Intel Integrated Rate Matching Hub ports: 8 rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s
    chip-ID: 8087:0020
  Device-1: 2-1.1:3 info: Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3/G4/SE9 G2/50 type: Mass Storage
    driver: usb-storage rev: 2.1 speed: 480 Mb/s chip-ID: 0951:1666
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 48.0 C mobo: N/A
  Fan Speeds (RPM): fan-1: 3827
Repos:
  Packages: apt: 2053
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
    1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 21 _Vanessa_ - Release amd64 20220726]/ jammy main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
    1: deb http: //packages.linuxmint.com vanessa main upstream import backport
    2: deb http: //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy main restricted universe multiverse
    3: deb http: //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
    4: deb http: //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
    5: deb http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse
Info:
  Processes: 223 Uptime: 2m Memory: 7.57 GiB used: 916.3 MiB (11.8%) Init: systemd v: 249
  runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 11.2.0 alt: 11 Client: Unknown python3.10 client inxi: 3.3.13

[SMG]

* I haven't run Windows on this machine ever and so I have been in to the setup to bypass UEFI

That sounds like your computer has UEFI and you changed the setting to be the Legacy BIOS (emulation) mode instead of UEFI. That does seem to be a factor in issues people are seeing when installing LM21.

By the way, it is not possible to "bypass" the firmware. UEFI is firmware and it is the more modern replacement for BIOS.

[macglenn]

It is a long time back that I made the boot changes but what you say rings a bell. If I restore UEFI I will have to do some homework on accessing my system.

[macglenn]

Well, the answer is worse than that. Not finding any mention in the settings of legacy, UEFI, I did some homework.
Found a terminal command which would confirm what boot type you were using. No surprise. Legacy.
Found a page from Lenovo that eliminated my Thinkpad 410 from being able to update and add UEFI capability to the bios. Bios is 2010.
I do have some software that will prep a usb to have Linux installed on it. It includes a UEFI partition etc. but I don't know how to get the Mint installer to talk to this disk. The only option I can find in the installer is to format all which only triggers the UEFI error.
Any wisdom would be appreciated. Otherwise, I hang on until 2025 with the existing system.
thanks
Glenn

[SMG]

Found a page from Lenovo that eliminated my Thinkpad 410 from being able to update and add UEFI capability to the bios. Bios is 2010.
I do have some software that will prep a usb to have Linux installed on it. It includes a UEFI partition etc. but I don't know how to get the Mint installer to talk to this disk. The only option I can find in the installer is to format all which only triggers the UEFI error.

I have not been following all the topics over the past few days, but I thought I recalled seeing a way to work around this issue because others have either run into the same issue or something similar.

I did a quick search of the Installation & Boot section of this forum and found this.
Force Linux Mint 21 to install in LEGACY MODE
See if the info in it helps you. There may also be other topics which might help.

[pbear]

This is the first time I have seen a complaint in the install program about a lack of UEFI partition.

As indicated in the linked thread, what you did is fine, i.e., telling the installer to proceed without the EFI partition. It's a bug, but can be safely ignored.

By the way, I'm quite certain you have a plain old-fashioned BIOS system. For one thing, I've never heard of a UEFI-legacy machine from 2010. For another, when booted in legacy mode, the Machine stanza in the inxi report says UEFI [Legacy], where yours says BIOS.

Which brings us around to the login problem. My guess would be installer error (copy error or something like that). Did you try a do-over?

[zcot]

Was the iso verified? and/or the burned installer media(it's one of the selections on the initial grub-like screen).

The Kingston sdb looks like a 64GB stick, the target of the install? -but also appears to be the live session. That's probably a conflict of some sort.

Often when an iso is imaged to a stick that stick shows as the size of the iso, and is ISO1690 or whatever, read-only, and so in that case not installable to the same device. So then the bootloader would want to be installed to sdb, not sdb4(or whatever other partition), unless it would be possible to update to primary bootloader on that device to include the newly minted information on sdb4 or 5 or whatever, for grub chainloading.

You should clear the air on this stuff.

[macglenn]

Thanks but this is the 3rd attempt. The others used different usb which has worked multiple times in the past.. I will look at the suggestion elsewhere about a thread that might address my problem.

[AndyMH]

I have LM21 booting legacy on a T430, no issues apart from it complaining about no EFI partition. This was a 'something else' install to partitions already created for / and /home.

[macglenn]

To the question did I do a "do over?" If you mean did I try a brand new download, burn to usb, and attempt install the answer is "Yes" but I am willing to go through the steps again with all of this feedback in mind. I will get back with results.
thanks
macglenn

[macglenn]

Thanks to all those who replied. I have successfully installed Mint 21 to two separate USB. One MATE version and one XFCE. learned a lot on this journey. Some from the feedback and some from searching on my own. While I have two different techniques [explained later] which worked and which sprang from the information gained, I am not sure I have a big picture understanding of why the problem in the first place and why not. In any case to summarize:
1. I have a Lenovo Thinkpad 410. The machine is 2015 but the bio is 2010
2. I don't have a Legacy setting or a UEFI setting because such things didn't exist in 2010
3. Lenovo has bios updates for some models but not that far back.
4. When I went to install Mint21 on a USB I got an error message [for the first time] saying there is no UEFI partition and the install might fail. The install seemed to work without problem but when I came to boot the USB it stalled on the terminal screen asking for a login and password but accepted neither.
5 This happened on several attempts.
6 After much input from people here and from the net I tried two different techniques both of which produced a working copy despite the error message.
7. Method one. I formatted the USB in gparted before starting and included a swap partition. Including a swap partition is the only new part in my procedure. The Mint install recognized the various partitions and lit up the install button. This version worked.
8 Method two. I used a USB which was already successfully running a version of Linux [not Mint]. During the installation I agreed that existing info would be written over but I didn't ask it to reformat. My thinking was that if the program needed to see certain required partitions they would all be their. This method also worked.
What do I know? See the numbered list at the top. Do I really know what I did that made it work. Not really. But I have two techniques that are successful.
And finally, while not directly related to the problem as far as I know... a small rant. I purchased a new usb for this project. I asked for a "fast" one. It claimed it was a little faster than one I had that worked fine. One was usb 3 One usb 3.1 The install to the "supposed to be fast" usb took approx 5 hours. The install to the one that had already demonstrated it was sprightly despite claiming the same transfer rate? That took 20 minutes.
When you are already dealing with issues you don't want to wait 5 hours on a hot day for the failure to occur. I know which usb I will always buy in future
thanks to all who helped
macglenn

[SMG]

Glad to hear you have finally found success. To mark your topic solved, please go to your first post in this topic, click the pencil icon, and add [SOLVED] to the beginning of the title so others know you are no longer seeking help on this issue.