[SOLVED] "Replacing" Mint

[JerryF]

Thank you for the detailed support, JerryF!

I burned the DVD using Brasero (Xfburn failed). I also changed the boot order (F2 was the magic key).

When I tried to install Linux Mint 18.2, the first stumbling block was login name and password. Fortunately, I have another laptop available and was able to research the answer: login name = mint; just hit enter for password. Moved forward a little bit and the next stumbling block is "mint@mint ~ $" I have yet to figure the answer to that.

I am open to suggestions.

When you run a Live DVD or USB flash, you don't have to log in. It will count down (I think 10 seconds) and log on by itself. That will be the built-in root user.

[JerryF]

Even when I used a fresh (never used) DVD, Xfburn did not work. Below is the Xfburn error message that I seen several times now:

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Failure: SCSI error on write (32, 16): [5 24 00] Illegal request. Invalid field in cdb

I am not sure what to make of all of this. I am tempted to try and reinstall 17.3 as opposed to "upgrading" to 18.2; however, there is no guarantee that 17.3 will successfully install - especially if the issue is a proper burn.

I tried installing via USB by first changing the boot priority; unfortunately, none of the USB ports were recognized (based on the message I received: something to the effect of placing the load file in the correct place).

It looks as is Brasero burned the DVD ok. When you boot from the DVD, let it log in by itself. You don't need to type in anything. When it logs on by itself, it'll bring you to the desktop and then you can select 'Install Mint'.
Are you using rewritable DVDs?

[djk44883]

Have you tried writing the iOS to a modern usb flash drive instead of dated DVD? Previously mentioned image writing programs should create one quick & easy. You ought to find the a bit more reliable and no wage to just making new ones.

(I just tossed a stack of blank dvd-rw because I couldn't remember the last time I used one, but recall your agravation)

Doug

[Spearmint2]

Below is a result of the "lsblk -fm" command (I have no idea what it means):

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NAME FSTYPE LABEL MOUNTPOINT NAME SIZE OWNER GROUP MODE
sda sda 465.8G root disk brw-rw----
├─sda1 ├─sda1 271G root disk brw-rw----
├─sda2 ├─sda2 1K root disk brw-rw----
├─sda5 / ├─sda5 190.8G root disk brw-rw----
└─sda6 [SWAP] └─sda6 4G root disk brw-rw----
sdb sdb 29.8G root disk brw-rw----
└─sdb1 └─sdb1 29.8G root disk brw-rw----
sr0 sr0 1024M root cdrom brw-rw----

sr0 is the CD or DVD drive
sd = SCSI disk
a, b, c, = the drive letter
1,2,3 and so on = the partition number. An "a" drive is the "c" drive in windows, since windows reserves a and b drives for floppies still. In linux, a floppy drive starts with "fd" and follows the same convention as the "sd" drives. Therefore an "sda1" would denote scsi drive "first" or "a" and the first partition on it.

run this command in terminal and post results from any bootable DVD or USB.

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inxi -v2

It will give us information about your computer hardware.

Or for more info run this and post it, remove your WAN IP address for security reasons

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inxi -v7

[djk44883]

When you run a Live DVD or USB flash, you don't have to log in. It will count down (I think 10 seconds) and log on by itself. That will be the built-in root user.

I have encountered a login from a live USB in the past - graphical, never command prompt. It's been some time... I use dd to create my media, best I recall something about a remnant of a previous partition. Had to competently create a new table via gparted and rewrote the image and no login.

As I mentioned, it's been some time so this isn't specifically exact, but it does happen.

Doug

disclaimer: dd is not a recommended method to write ISO images to a USB flash. Although It's quick and easy... if you don't have more than just a clue you can destroy your system!

[JerryF]

I have encountered a login from a live USB in the past - graphical, never command prompt. It's been some time... I use dd to create my media, best I recall something about a remnant of a previous partition. Had to competently create a new table via gparted and rewrote the image and no login.

As I mentioned, it's been some time so this isn't specifically exact, but it does happen.

Doug

disclaimer: dd is not a recommended method to write ISO images to a USB flash. Although It's quick and easy... if you don't have more than just a clue you can destroy your system!

Every Live DVD or USB that I've used from 17.1 to 18.1 does not need a sign in username and password. You can create a user and a password, but it's not needed if you're going to use the DVD/USB for installation. It automatically logs in as the root user.

[Crusader]

It is great to know there is a helpful group out there!

It looks as is Brasero burned the DVD ok. When you boot from the DVD, let it log in by itself. You don't need to type in anything. When it logs on by itself, it'll bring you to the desktop and then you can select 'Install Mint'.
When you run a Live DVD or USB flash, you don't have to log in. It will count down (I think 10 seconds) and log on by itself. That will be the built-in root user.
Are you using rewritable DVDs?

I took your advice to heart, JerryF: the first time I fired up the laptop (after the reading the above advice), I let it sit for a good 20-30 minutes without touching (no accidental login). After a couple of minutes the screen went blank, but the ISO did not log in by itself. The second time, I gave it a good 45 minutes (if not more) - with the same results.

Yes, I am using a rewritable DVD.

Have you tried writing the iOS to a modern usb flash drive instead of dated DVD? Previously mentioned image writing programs should create one quick & easy. You ought to find the a bit more reliable and no wage to just making new ones.

I have used USB Image Writer to "burn" the ISO to a 32 gig USB 2.0 (I do not believe it qualifies as "modern"). I have tried installing Mint 18.2 using the USB; however, the system did not recognize any of the 3 USB ports on the laptop. May be worth trying again - especially in light of the DVD failure.

Spearmint2, below is the result of "inxi -v2" command. Please let me know if you need more information.

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System:    Host: a-UL80VT Kernel: 3.19.0-32-generic x86_64 (64 bit)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 2.8.8  Distro: Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa
Machine:   Mobo: ASUSTeK model: UL80VT v: 1.0
           Bios: American Megatrends v: 212 date: 01/13/2010
CPU:       Dual core Intel U7300 (-MCP-) speed/max: 800/1300 MHz
Graphics:  Card-1: Intel Mobile 4 Series Integrated Graphics Controller
           Card-2: NVIDIA GT218M [GeForce G210M]
           Display Server: X.Org 1.15.1 driver: nvidia
           Resolution: 1280x1024@60.0hz, 1280x1024@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce G210M/PCIe/SSE2
           GLX Version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 340.102
Network:   Card-1: Qualcomm Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express)
           driver: ath9k
           Card-2: Qualcomm Atheros AR8131 Gigabit Ethernet driver: atl1c
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 500.1GB (7.7% used) ID-1: model: ST500LT012
Info:      Processes: 157 Uptime: 3:14 Memory: 978.6/3918.1MB
           Client: Shell (bash) inxi: 2.2.28

I have encountered a login from a live USB in the past - graphical, never command prompt.

Mine is purely command prompt (think pre-Windows DOS).

Every Live DVD or USB that I've used from 17.1 to 18.1 does not need a sign in username and password. You can create a user and a password, but it's not needed if you're going to use the DVD/USB for installation. It automatically logs in as the root user.

Has yet to happen to me

[Spearmint2]

Your BIOS is out of date at 212 and now there's 214 available.

however, the system did not recognize any of the 3 USB ports on the laptop.

I have an old Compaq laptop around here that won't boot from an USB at all. It's only a couple years older than your "original?" BIOS indicates your laptop is.

https://www.asus.com/support/Download/3 ... 6GG7Rs/30/

What you are seeing is a TTY login screen. "DOS like" as you mentioned. Surprised you didn't get some error msg concerning why the graphical didn't appear instead. When you see that, try these commands and let us know what error msg you get.

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startx

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mdm

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ldm

Also try this key combo CTRL-ALT-F7 and change to F8 keyh if the F7 doesn't work.

For the login prompt, use mint and nothing for password, but if that doesn't work then try again and use mint for password too.

Here is your manual
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/nb/UL8 ... 1499385735

. I have tried installing Mint 18.2 using the USB; however, the system did not recognize any of the 3 USB ports on the laptop.

I see nothing indicating it can boot from USB. However it does seem to try and boot from it. In fact the only boot mention other than the windows drive, is to create a Recovery DVD to boot from. Computer is 2009 manufacture.

[djk44883]

(I do not believe it qualifies as "modern"). I have tried installing Mint 18.2 using the USB; however, the system did not recognize any of the 3 USB ports on the laptop.

I was implying dvd are kind of outdated when I threw modern in there (you'll seldom find a new system with an optical drive) As for your system not recognizing the USB ports - I'm presuming at boot time, since you have 18.2 on the flash drive. I searched "ASUS laptop boot usb" and these two looked informative. Just to be sure... this is what you're doing to boot from the usb?
http://www.ninjastik.com/support/asus-laptop-boot-usb/ http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?boa ... uage=en-us Note: I can't confirm any of this since I don't have an asus system, but it's similar to most.

Every Live DVD or USB that I've used from 17.1 to 18.1 does not need a sign in username and password. You can create a user and a password, but it's not needed if you're going to use the DVD/USB for installation. It automatically logs in as the root user.

Has yet to happen to me [/quote]

I suspect since the beginning of live-boots this is how it's suppose to work... yet as Crusader discovered, there are many out there searching for user/pass who encounter this phenomenon. grub counts down as you describe and you're left at the display manager greeter login.

Doug

[scdbackup]

Hi,

Crusader wrote:
> Failure: SCSI error on write (32, 16): [5 24 00] Illegal request. Invalid field in cdb

That's a strange message from the DVD burner drive.
It took the first two WRITE commands without protest, but accuses
the third one of being inappropriate.
If anything is wrong with the drive setup before writing, then it
should raise protest already when the WRITE command for block 0 is
issued.

The only plausible explanation why the same drive succeeds with
Brasero would be in the chosen Write Type. Drives at the edge of failure
often begin to show symptoms with either Track-At-Once (TAO) or
Session-At-Once (SAO).
Xfburn offers a choice in the "Burn image" windows as "Write mode"
underneath the "Speed" setting. You may try wether one of "TAO" or "SAO"
gives results like with Brasero. I'd expect that "Auto" means "SAO"
if an image file shall be burned. So try "TAO" first.

Other explanations are less deterministic: Mixed quality media,
bad luck incidentially with Xfburn but not with Brasero, ...
One would have to collect enough results in order to see a pattern.

If you want to investigate the problem further, then you could let
xorriso log the whole dialog betwen burn program or drive. E.g.

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xorriso -scsi_log on -as cdrecord -v dev=/dev/sr0 -eject linuxmint-17.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso 2>&1 | tee -i /tmp/xorriso.log

This will be very verbous. Thus the redirection of a copy of the messages
to file /tmp/xorriso.log .
After a failed run, it would be interesting to see the content of that file.

The many messages might slow down the burn run. (Not on my 3.5 GHz Xeon.)

Without "-scsi_log on" and "2>&1 ...", this would be a normal image burn
run from command line. Well usable instead of Xfburn or Brasero.


Have a nice day

Thomas

[JerryF]

...
Yes, I am using a rewritable DVD.

That may be part of the problem. If the DVD write session isn't closed properly, you may get glitches. I would highly recommend getting the DVD -R type.

This is what a newly written DVD -R should look like (with Show Hidden Files active):

Capture_009.jpg

Check your DVD to see if it looks like this.

Also, I took some video of my laptop booting from that Live DVD. I edited it to take out some of the time, but this is basically what should happen when you boot from it. It is a video that's saved to my Google shared drive.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BweXc ... nZzeU5PTDQ

[Crusader]

Again, thank you for the wonderful support! I was not available the past 2 days, hence the delayed response; may not be available the next few days also.

Spearmint 2: the "startx, mdm, and ldm" commands all yield the same results: the tty1 "DOS" prompt starts to which I respond with using "mint" as my login name and no password; after that I get the "mint@mint ~ $" command to which I don't know how to respond. A few minutes after that, the screen goes blank - and the rest is history. The CTRL-ALT-F7 combo doesn't do anything once tty1 has started. When used at the very beginning - during the boot, CTRL-ALT-F7 brings up the Mint menu (starting Mint), but then changes to tty1. CTRL-ALT-F8 doesn't do anything.

scdbackup: thanks for the detailed evaluation of Xfburn failure. I will look into it. It is rare that I use the DVD drive - and as time goes by, I am sure it will be used even less.

JerryF: thank you for your point about DVD-R and the video - that is really supportive!. I will buy some DVD-Rs (assuming they are still available) and see how it goes - may not happen this week.

Everyone: the past few posts, particularly from Spearmint2 and djk44883 point to one undeniable fact - laptop age. Based on the BIOS age of 7, it is probably 70 years old in human terms (?). Maybe my expectations are unrealistic - all the support notwithstanding.

Tentative Conclusion
Other than trying out the DVD-R option, I am tentatively thinking of living with the minor inconveniences of the system (I have more respect for the system - along with its short comings - now than when I first started this thread) - unless there is a really compelling reason to pursue this. It is important that I point out that, that thinking does not - in any way - take away from the fantastic support I have and continue to receive. The effort of each participant who chimed in with suggestion(s), is greatly appreciated!

I will post the DVD-R and other updates as they happen. One potential advantage of living with the present system is it may serve as an incentive (admittedly, later than sooner) to upgrade to a newer laptop.

[Spearmint2]

flash the BIOS with the last and latest version. It might just give you what is needed to finish the task.

[scdbackup]

Hi,

> Yes, I am using a rewritable DVD.

Sorry, i did not notice this statement on the first hand.
So, in order to leave no open gate for rumors:

If it is a DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, or a formatted DVD-RW, then there is no
difference in Xfburn's (actually libburn's) behavior between "TAO"
and "SAO".

If it is an unformatted DVD-RW then there is a difference.

In general if it is a DVD-RW, then there are three ways to burn it:
Disk-at-once (Xfburn: "SAO"), Incremental (Xfburn: "TAO"), or formatted
(Xfburn: any write mode).
I would have to tell a lengthy story in this case, about what they can
and how to test each of them. (Each should work, if all is well.)

Have a nice day

Thomas

[Crusader]

Update

• I flashed BIOS to 214 - the most recent version - even that doesn't support booting live OS from DVD.
  The system still does not recognize any of the USB ports - that eliminates the option of booting from USB.
  Changed from DVD-RW to DVD-R (used Brasero to install the image) - still doesn't boot from DVD-R: I get the same (DOS style) message asking for login name and password - even after several minutes. I tried logging in using "mint" as login name and no password - the result is as noted previously.
  Xfburn gave an error when I tried to burn the ISO image to DVD-R. The error message is the same as the one I got when trying to burn to DVD-RW (noted above). I am not sure what Xfburn has against me.

Looking Ahead
Given that the world hasn't come to an end - yet, I will continue to live with what I have - until such time I am ready to upgrade to a newer system.

My sincere thanks to everyone who pitched in to support me: God Bless You!

[itsme4401]

FWIW, I never tried this myself:
For USB start-up you may try: https://www.plop.at/en/whatisplop.html

[Crusader]

FWIW, I never tried this myself:
For USB start-up you may try: https://www.plop.at/en/whatisplop.html

Thank you for the suggestion, itsme4401. Upon trying to extract plopkexec-1.4.1.tar.gz to USB, it extracts, but I also get the message, "filesytem does not support symbolic links." It extracts to the hard drive without any errors - but it is of no use there since, as I understand it, this is for booting from USB/DVD. I am not sure what that means and the unknown/untested nature of the software is also something I should be careful about.

In fairness to the software author, I haven't studied the details he has provided. There are a good number of applications and I may very well have been using the wrong application.

[JerryF]

@Crusader,

1. Have you had a chance to compare your DVD to what mine looks like in a previous post? Are the folders and files the same?
2. Now that you have a newer BIOS, when trying to boot your DVD, try the Esc key and choose CD/DVD (using arrow keys and the enter key).
3. Also, when you used Brasero do burn the DVD, did you choose the last option, "Burn image"?

Capture_012.jpg

P.S. Does your BIOS look similar to this?

Asus BIOS.jpg

[Crusader]

@Crusader,

1. Have you had a chance to compare your DVD to what mine looks like in a previous post? Are the folders and files the same?
2. Now that you have a newer BIOS, when trying to boot your DVD, try the Esc key and choose CD/DVD (using arrow keys and the enter key).
3. Also, when you used Brasero do burn the DVD, did you choose the last option, "Burn image"?

1. I should have addressed this question earlier since I looked at it right after you posted the image. Yes, your and my DVDs look exactly alike. I also watched the video and I am using the same routine you are - unfortunately, with different results.
2. I tried this a few minutes ago and the result is no different from when I let the laptop boot in the order I have set it (CD/DVD first and then Hard Drive): the "DOS" login appears and when I don't do anything (hoping it will automatically boot), the screen goes blank with intermittent appearance of the flashing cursor - this goes on and on and on...
3. Yes, I use "Burn image" (last option) when burning the ISO image to DVD. Fortunately, the directions are pretty clear and hard to miss. The Brasero image you have is exactly what shows up on my screen when I start Brasero. I tried to post the image, but it looks like I need a url to post the image - something I am not sure about.

If needed, I will try and take a picture of BIOS the next time around; I ran the "inxi -v2" command on the Terminal and below are the results showing BIOS 214. Please note: the date of BIOS 214 when installed is slightly different from the one advertised by ASUS on its website.

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System:    Host: a-UL80VT Kernel: 3.19.0-32-generic x86_64 (64 bit)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 2.8.8  Distro: Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa
Machine:   Mobo: ASUSTeK model: UL80VT v: 1.0
           Bios: American Megatrends v: 214 date: 01/17/2011
CPU:       Dual core Intel U7300 (-MCP-) speed/max: 800/1300 MHz
Graphics:  Card-1: Intel Mobile 4 Series Integrated Graphics Controller
           Card-2: NVIDIA GT218M [GeForce G210M]
           Display Server: X.Org 1.15.1 driver: nvidia
           Resolution: 1280x1024@60.0hz, 1280x1024@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce G210M/PCIe/SSE2
           GLX Version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 340.102
Network:   Card-1: Qualcomm Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express)
           driver: ath9k
           Card-2: Qualcomm Atheros AR8131 Gigabit Ethernet driver: atl1c
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 500.1GB (8.0% used) ID-1: model: ST500LT012
Info:      Processes: 158 Uptime: 17 min Memory: 915.3/3918.1MB
           Client: Shell (bash) inxi: 2.2.28 

As always, your support is greatly appreciated!

[Spearmint2]

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Card-2: NVIDIA GT218M [GeForce G210M]
           Display Server: X.Org 1.15.1 driver: nvidia
           Resolution: 1280x1024@60.0hz, 1280x1024@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce G210M/PCIe/SSE2
           GLX Version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 340.102

Nvidia graphics chip used. Need to load Nvidia drivers, but first need to get video using "nomodeset".

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

Known issues
Can't boot? Use a previous release and upgrade instead

There are 4 different Linux Mint 17.x releases available:

Linux Mint 17 "Qiana" (kernel 3.13, xorg 1.15, mesa 10.1.3)
Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca" (kernel 3.13, xorg 1.15, mesa 10.1.3)
Linux Mint 17.2 "Rafaela" (kernel 3.16, xorg 1.15, mesa 10.1.3)
Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" (kernel 3.19, xorg 1.17, mesa 10.5.9)

Solving freezes with NVIDIA GeForce GPUs

Some NVIDIA GeForce cards don't work well with the open-source driver present in Linux Mint.
If Linux Mint freezes during boot time, use the "nomodeset" boot option as illustrated in the video below:

https://www.linuxmint.com/pictures/scre ... _bios.webm

Thanks to "nomodeset" you should be able to boot Linux Mint and install it on your computer.

After the installation, reboot the computer and hold SHIFT to force the boot menu to appear.

Add the "nomodeset" option as illustrated below:

https://www.linuxmint.com/pictures/scre ... _grub.webm

Once in Linux Mint, perform the following steps to install the NVIDIA drivers:

Run the Driver Manager
Choose the NVIDIA drivers and wait for them to be installed
Reboot the computer

With these drivers the system should now be stable and you no longer need to use "nomodeset".