[SOLVED]Unable to install or even run Linux Mint on Asus X70io laptop

[NickByford]

Hi folks, as a veteran Windows developer and software engineer, I must confess to being a complete newbie with Linux.

I have however taken the plunge and installed Linux Mint on my old XP box. True, I need to whack in a bit more RAM to stop it running like a snail on Valium, but other than that, I can actually use it again

So impressed was I that I decided to install it on an Asus X70IO 32 bit laptop running Windows Vista. It's a machine that I got when some friends here upgraded, but it's running a French release of Vista and whilst I am getting to grips with French (I live in Normandy), I would prefer the machine to berate me in English.

So, using the 32 bit version of Mint I used to install on the XP machine, I set about installing on the Asus laptop.

I adjusted the BIOS boot settings to look at the DVD drive first, inserted the disc and off it went. All seemed to be going fine - but only for a few seconds, when the DVD stopped and up popped the (c) Microsoft Corporation with the little progress bar. I blinked a couple of times as I watched Windows start up. This was not off to a particularly good start.

I wasn't totally sure that the DVD drive worked, so I prepared a USB flash drive and adjusted the BIOS once again to go USB (external), DVD and then HDD, plugged in the USB and began again.

The USB blinked a few times but Windows booted ... again, dammit!!!

I discovered that the BIOS may have needed to be set to "Legacy", so tried that, but it doesn't exist. So I have fiddled as much as I can with the BIOS and know for a fact that the DVD works. I can only assume that the USB is okay, but regardless, the DVD should have worked.

It may have been a lost cause, but I tried several times to even get the live version of Mint running, but I just can't. Is there something I'm not doing that I should be doing or have I missed something?

I have spend hours ... no days ... researching on the internet to try and find the answer, but to no avail. I am at my wits end. So, I really hope someone can help, as I'm fast degenerating into a jibbering heap...

[michael louwe]

@ NickByford, .......

The likely problem is the Nvidia graphics card. Try the fix at ... https://linuxmint.com/rel_sonya_cinnamon.php

Your Asus laptop is Legacy BIOS, ie not UEFI. Nearly all pre-2012 OEM computers are Legacy BIOS. The UEFI "problems" came along with the 2012-released Win 8.

[NickByford]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm not getting that far. Mint will not boot at all let alone go into any of the install stages. Windows boots every time. I wish I could give you more information, but all I can see is a little action that suggests that the disc or drive is being accessed and then up pops windows - like a bad smell.

I have considered formatting the HDD, but I read somewhere that some PC's will not allow a boot up into anything other than Windows. So a formatting of the HDD may not work at all and could just leave me with a really big paperweight.

The surprising thing is, my main PC is running windows 7. 32 bit Mint boots perfectly well in that and runs really quickly too. However, this Asus machine just doesn't want to play the game.

[michael louwe]

@ NickByford, .......

Maybe the hard-drive or SATA setting in BIOS setup needs to be changed. Which setting was Win Vista installed with.? Eg Win Vista can use AHCI mode but Win XP SP1 cannot, ie Win XP SP1 can only use IDE mode.

[austin.texas]

Find out if your CPU on the old machine is PAE capable (check for the PAE flag).

Booting with non-PAE CPUs
To boot Linux Mint 18 on CPU which do not officially support PAE (Pentium M processors for instance), please use the "Start Linux Mint with PAE forced" option from the boot menu.

https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_sarah_cinnamon.php

[Pierre]

if you have set the BIOS to boot from the DVD drive & that failed to boot,
then that means that either the drive is a CD,, rather than DVD type drive,
or that the drive itself it faulty . .

but, since you then tried out the USB boot and that too failed,
then there is another issue at hand,, in where the BIOS won't boot from an external source.
- - does this machine have a Floppy Disk Drive as well ??.
the solution, that worked for myself in this scenario, was to boot from a floppy disk.

[michael louwe]

@ austin.texas

According to ... https://icecat.us/en/p/asus/90nvqy11415 ... 01561.html , his Asus's processor is PAE capable.

Seems, the Asus X70io laptop was only sold in France with the French Averty keyboard layout = very rare = not much info from Google Search.

[Neil Edmond]

I have no idea why the old Asus won't boot from DVD or USB, but in the past when I couldn't get a certain computer to boot live media, I pulled the HDD out, connected it to a computer that would boot the live media, installed Linux, popped the HDD back into the old machine, and done.

[markedward88]

read your post
since i do not know the exact specs of your laptop and also had problems installing lm the following is what I would do
go to easy linux tips project and read their section on the right version of lm to use which i believe will be in the lm 17 series probably mate or xfce
i believe that the lm 18 series is too new for your asus
use usb download mint 17 verify with 7zip install on usb with rufus portable if this works i believe you can upgrade to a more recent one or you can start at 17.3 mate or xfce
and see how things go
before doing install make sure all bios settings are correct mentioned in previous posts like ahci v ide it has to be ahci not ide for linux

[NickByford]

I don't know. I checked all the settings I could make any changes to and now I wonder whether the DVD drive isn't up the swanny, which would answer at least one of my questions! You have given me food for thought though.

I have just received a Win 7 disc, so will be upgrading to that first - at least the bugger will be in English

I will retry once that has completed and can check out all the hardware...

[dark]

Use rufus to burn iso to usb and then try booting from usb again.

[NickByford]

@Dark...
Did that. Didn't work.

Am installing Windows 7 to at least make the bugger talk to me in English (my French is nowhere near good enough). Will try again after that once I know whether the hardware is all working as it should. I have concerns as to whether the DVD drive is working properly, so I'll have to check that out and will feel a lot more confident with a machine whose dialogs are all using the same language as me.

@Markedward88
I think the 18.2 version should run on the laptop. It was the XP box I had concerns about, but that went fine. As I said above, I will try again once Win 7 is on board.

[markedward88]

you didn't indicate whether you read easy linux tips project i read them again and i believe that it could assist you find the source of your problem plus give you ideas that include a statement about special dvd and usb burning installation
i myself have found that picking the right lm version is really important
what are the basic specs such as cpu, memory installed, if you have a separate gpu installed also what kernel one uses therefore what version lm one uses could also impact whether or not one can even boot at all this i have experienced more than once over the last >3 years the older kernels sometimes support better older hardware and graphics stacks, etc.

https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... intxfceold
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... /burn-mint

[markedward88]

there is one thing i did when i couldn't install lm 18.1 on my new AW 13 I don't know if what I am going to suggest is even allowed so here goes
try to install ubuntu 14.04 or 16.04 and see if it installs properly if it does then that means it is not hardware but something about the lm version chosen or the way the usb or cd/dvd. anyway in my case ubuntu 16.04.2 installed perfectly because it had a newer kernel that included support for the hardware problems i had i had to wait till lm 18.2 came out and then it worked flawlessly
in your case i believe that 14.04 would be best if it installs with no problem then lm 17 is the one preferably 17.1 mate of xfce
if it doesn't work then try ubuntu 16.04.3 works then lm 18 is the right one
please read easy linux tips project i learned alot which has assisted me to improve performance of my laptops
one more point bios, driver etc updates might also be something to look at
there is a statement paraphrased that goes when something can't be figured out then maybe going back to the beginning and start over step by step

[michael louwe]

@ NickByford, .......

According to these links ... http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id= ... uage=en-us and
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id= ... uage=en-us ,
seems, it is quite common for Asus laptops preinstalled with Win Vista to give BIOS Boot problems. Try unplugging the internal hard-drive from the laptop, in order to be able to boot the Live LM DVD/USB. If the laptop allows hot-plugging(= SATA drives in AHCI mode), then replug the hard-drive and install LM alongside Windows.

Last resort may be to format the whole hard-drive, eg by using GParted, then do the install.

Seems, when Win Vista has been preinstalled by Asus on the internal HDD, Win Vista will "demand" to be booted first, irrespective of the BIOS Boot Order setting.

[NickByford]

@Michael Louwe

That's good to know. It will be interesting to see whether installing Windows 7 will make a difference. I had always intended to make this machine dual boot, but was trying to install LM just to get it into English. Installing Windows first is not optional, so getting rid of Vista might solve a lot of issues regarding the installation of LM.

What can I say, but thank you. Things are not always as simple and straightforward as one would like them to be and this has been no exception.

Having seen the Asus admission that they don't support Linux in any way, the boot order thing does not seem surprising at all.

So far, I must admit that whilst I initially thought that although the Asus is an older laptop, it's a laptop and that's a good thing. Now I'm beginning to see that I've opened a huge can of worms and most of them are escaping to run amok around my office...

[ClixTrix]

I downloaded the Asus X70io manual from Asus.

The procedure to boot a Recovery DVD uses the [ESC] key during startup to select the DVD drive (probably this system's method to select boot drive/partition). FYI...instructions are on page 14.

https://www.asus.com/supportonly/X70IO/HelpDesk_Manual/

[michael louwe]

@ ClixTrix,

Please refer to this link about Asus BIOS setup access key ... https://www.asus.com/my/support/FAQ/1008829/

The "Esc" key is for a one-time-only Boot Device selection, ie will not apply for the next boot. Not sure whether this feature can solve the OP's booting problem.

To change the 1st Boot Device proper, you need to go into BIOS setup with the "F2" key, which will apply through every boot until next changed.
... This Boot Order setting may be needed, eg the 1st Boot Device should be set to USB(or external) HDD if LM has been installed on an external USB hard-drive alongside Windows on the internal hard-drive; or for computers with 2 internal hard-drives.

[NickByford]

SUSSED!!!

In the BIOS, there is a HDD manager for booting. It appears as though the Asus looks upon a USB that's connected as a HDD, not exernal. That's the one that needed to be selected as the primary boot drive.

It's not exactly what I would call intuitive as I would have called the USB "External", but as soon as I saw the name of the USB device, I changed the selection and that cured the problem.

LM is now loading as we speak, alongside Win 7, which is what I had intended all along.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

Now how do I mark this as closed?

[austin.texas]

Now how do I mark this as closed?

I am glad you got it worked out !
Please go to your first post, click the EDIT (pencil) icon, and add [SOLVED] to the title