Please Help!

fencritter

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Hello! I am completely new to Linux (currently running Windows 10). I'm trying to install it as the tutorial said but having some difficulty... I downloaded Ubuntu to a flash drive and tried inserting it and then restarting. I also tried shutting down completely, inserting the flash drive, and then starting up the laptop (it's a Lenovo Ideapad FLEX-14IWL). It still won't run the installation, or do anything. Am I doing anything wrong? Is my laptop just not compatible? Thanks for any advice!



(I apologize if I can't answer right away, my schedule's very full today!)
 


Well couple of things : we need as much information as possible - assume nothing.

So one way of installing Ubuntu is to "put" an ubuntu .iso or other Debian childling eg:

bash-5.0$ tree -L 1
.
├── KNOPPIX_V8.6-2019-08-08-EN.iso
├── System Volume Information
├── linuxmint-19.3-mate-64bit.iso
├── linuxmint-19.3-xfce-64bit.iso
├── lubuntu-18.04-alternate-i386.iso
├── rescatux-0.73.iso
└── slackware64-current-install-dvd.iso

onto a usb stick and then boot from that usb stick. Thats a basic outline..but you didn't say how you put the iso onto a usb stick. With ventoy , once you have run ventoy[https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/tag/v1.0.08beta1] script which formats usb ; you can then just drag and drop iso's. Above is list of iso's i have. other wise you have to use rufus,etcher or other to "properly" put iso onto stick.


Also to boot from a usb stick you have to make sure you can do that. Probably if your pc has Windows 10 it may very well have uefi and secure boot which means it won't let you boot anything (untill you change bios settings) except Windows
 
Also you don't mention the tutorial link , so we can't say it makes sense or not nor if you are going to wipe Windows (be careful not to wipe EFI partition if it has one) of going for a symbiotic approach with both Windows10 and Linux living happily together ?
 
I'm so sorry I wasn't more clear on my first post. I downloaded the file directly from ubuntu.com onto the flash drive, and I'm using their tutorial. I intended to wipe Windows and replace it with Ubuntu. Also, I'm afraid to say, but I don't understand how to do what you suggested; I'm a complete beginner. I'm interested and willing to learn, but at the moment I don't know much about any of this.
 
thats ok we were all beginners some time . You can't download direct onto a usb .Lets address wiping Windows - it may have a EFI partiton so don't just wipe every thing. Second take your time step by step; better to take it easy and understand than just rushing ahead.

on your link "Boot from usb" thats talking about the actual booting of PC from from a usb.
I didn't immediately see their explanation of "how to first prepare usb with an iso" .

If you are going to go for a Debian based Distro have you thought or looked at Mint. Quite a few on here recommend it (i'm a slackware user)

Anyway first leave Windows alone and lets use it to help first. so...
 
find search and type in "about" it should bring up specification ; or hit the key with the window icon on keyboard and R at same time. It will bring up run. IN text box type msinfo32 and then hit return. Look at specs. tell us is it 64 bit , or 32 . My wifes laptop shows: eg

processor : Celeron
BIOS mode : UEFI
 
As for preparing usb stick : go here : https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/tag/v1.0.08beta1

click on (choose save not open !) https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/download/v1.0.08beta1/ventoy-1.0.08b1-windows.zip

it will download a zip. You need to unzip it. Guess how we unzip file.zip in Linux its : just
$ unzip filename.zip
//thats why your going to like Linux

once unzipped you should get a directory called ventoy-1.0.08b1 look inside you should see:

ventoy-1.0.08b1
├── Ventoy2Disk.exe
├── boot
└── ventoy


Now put a 4-8 gig usb into PC ; detach everything like other usb's , external hd that might confuse you. Now double click that Ventoy2Disk.exe file. It should bring up a dialog , and recognise your usb. Follow instructions. if you get it right you will see that the usb stick now has a name Ventoy .

Now you can download an iso but we need to know whether its needs to be 64 bit or 32.

When we know choices will be (for Mint): https://www.linuxmint.com/release.php?id=36


Have a go and what ever happens just come back and report :^)
 
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It looks to be 64-bit (Is that what 'x64-based PC' means?). And where do I download them to? Straight to the usb stick or just into my downloads on Windows? Thank you so much for your advice and help!
 
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yes thats what i thought; Windows 10 PC's are now are usually 64 bit , use uefi and have a EFI partition that you should keep. Linux will use it and write whats it needs to .

You can download the iso to your Windows machine . Once your sub is formatted using Ventoy you can just drag and drop iso onto usb. Probably best to tackle one step at a time.

Did you manage to dowload and unzip ventoy?


before i forget on boot up press the esc key to see options .Boot options might be key board key F9 . You need to go into bios at some point and disable secure boot, you don't have to do that now. Make sure sureload goes to your PC and not "one drive" otherwise thats another smoke screen to deal with.What about your PC specs ? any luck. Do you want to try a light Desktop xfce ? For Tricia (64 bit xfce Desktop) Mint downloads are here :


Just click one any link under title Mirror. We will find the iso later, probably in Downloads
 
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@fencritter @captain-sensible

Howdy Fen and welcome to the wonderful world of Linux.

I have been using Linux Mint 19.3 for quite a while now and confident that you will have an easy transition from Windows 10 to LM 19.3.
Please do yourself a favor and take the time to digest what I am going to show you.
I will give you the steps to use to install LM 19.3 on your computer in two separate stages. Please remember that you must complete the first stage before beginning the second stage.
Stage one involves the downloading and putting LM 19.3 iso file onto a USB stick.
Stage two shows how to actually install LM 19.3 onto your computer.

First things first - Stage one. I will show plenty of screen shots to show just what you should be seeing with each step along the way with written notes to go with the pictures.

Let's begin with Stage one.
Please go to - https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=INCOH2&PC=IFJ1&PTAG=ICO-c9d0fc87&q=Linux Mint - and download Linux Mint 19.3. When the download is finished, you can find it in your 'Downloads' folder.

Annotation 2020-05-21 151731.jpg


At this point what you see is different from what Cap showed you. I prefer Balena Etcher to burn the iso file onto the USB stick. These next steps show how to do that.

Next go to Balena Etcher - https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=INCOH2&PC=IFJ1&PTAG=ICO-c9d0fc87&q=Balena Etcher - and download Balena Etcher and install it on your computer.


Annotation 2020-05-21 151203.jpg


When you get to this screen, click on 'I Agree'. The installation will then continue until finished installing.

Annotation 2020-05-21 151320.jpg


When it is completely installed, there should be an icon on your desktop that looks like this:

Annotation 2020-05-21 151605.jpg



The next step is to insert a USB stick in the computer.
Then you need to start Etcher by left clicking on the green icon on the desktop.

The next screen you see, should look like this:

Annotation 2020-05-21 164011.jpg


The next step is to click on 'Select image'. Go to your 'Download' folder and locate the LM 19.3 iso file and 'Open' it. The next picture you see should look like this:

Annotation 2020-05-21 151849.jpg


At this point you need to make sure that the USB device that shows up is the one that you want to install the LM 19.3 iso on. Once this is set, the next step is to click on 'Flash'.
At this point, Etcher will start 'burning' the iso file onto the USB stick.

Annotation 2020-05-21 151948.jpg


This step should finish in about 3 to 4 minutes. You will then see the screen that tells you that your burn is finished. Your USB stick now has Linux Mint 19.3 iso on it and ready to install on your computer.

Annotation 2020-05-21 152253.jpg


This ends Stage one.
If you have any questions about Stage one be sure to ask them now.

I will be back later with Stage two, which will show you the steps involved in installing LM 19.3 on your computer.

Old Geezer
TC
 
@70 Tango Charlie Thank you so much for the information! However I've already formatted my USB stick to Ventoy :) I would be interested to know the advantages/disadvantages of each method you guys have showed me. What I guess I mean is, how are they different?

@captain-sensible I downloaded the Linux Mint 19.3 you sent. It's in my downloads. Where do I go from here? Also I've attached my specs.
LENOVO Specs.png
 
basically all you do now is drag and drop the iso to the usb stick.
then its just a case of booting up from the usb. For that you will need to go into bios and disable secure boot enable legacy boot and look for boot devices and order.
if you can choose to boot from usb entries will be something like hd usb Kingston; then you will get splash screen. I have several iso on my ventoy usb and that is one advantage of ventoy over other methods
 

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had a quick look at specs its using uefi so it will have EFiI partition and you won't be able to boot usb until secure boot is disabled ; windows should still be able to boot with secure boot disabled
 
@70 Tango Charlie Thank you so much for the information! However I've already formatted my USB stick to Ventoy :) I would be interested to know the advantages/disadvantages of each method you guys have showed me. What I guess I mean is, how are they different?

@captain-sensible I downloaded the Linux Mint 19.3 you sent. It's in my downloads. Where do I go from here? Also I've attached my specs.
View attachment 6325
ventoy allows you with say a 14gig stick to drag and drop a few iso's and via the boot splash you can choose from any. With a Linux command of dd , or other methods to my knowledge its a case of one iso to one usb. in attached image you will see what i have on my 14gig stick. Also note iso's are as they were when they were downloaded.
 

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if you do manage to boot up Mint just play with it for now. There is an icon to install on the live OS but i would suggest ,we use gparted from the Mint OS to look at partitions as they are before anything is done.

Also if you can get to that stage we should ask ask for @70 Tango Charlie to come back since he and others here @Condobloke are Debian derivative experts i'm not . I only half half a clue on Slackware :^) Also slackware uses elilo for uefi and Mint uses grub ; which i only dabbled in.
 
@fencritter: I have the Flex 14IWL as well. You'll need to go into the BIOS settings and change your disk controller mode from RST to AHCI before you can hope to get anywhere at all. However, changing the controller mode will format your hard drive (to some extent). What I did was I backed up my entire hard drive (Lifewire has some tools listed, I would recommend using the dd tool because you can write the image back through Linux). Then I changed my controller mode, let Windows restart until it asked me to reset my PC, went through the reset process, and used the imaging program to write the hard drive image back.

To change your controller mode:
  1. Boot into the BIOS settings. See here for instructions on how to do that from Windows or you can shut down and press that little button next to your power button.
  2. Go to the Storage Devices submenu.
  3. Select the drive.
  4. Select the Controller Mode and change it to AHCI.
  5. Agree to the warning.
  6. Reboot (straight into Linux if you want).
  7. If necessary, reset Windows.
  8. Reflash Windows using either the same program you used to back it up or by running 'dd' from Linux.
Once you do get it changed to AHCI, keep in mind that updating the BIOS will reset the controller mode and you will have to go back into the setup and change the controller mode to AHCI again.
 
I'm successfully running Kubuntu on my laptop, so it's definitely compatible with Linux. My personal experience was basically that when I tried to install Linux the first time, it wouldn't detect my drive (since it was in RST mode). After I changed to AHCI mode, it worked perfectly (except I may have needed to go into the BIOS settings and change the boot order).
 
There's nothing wrong/better/worse with Ventoy, Etcher, or if you're on Linux already the oldest tool - dd. Pick one, use it, get to know it. Then later try another burn tool. Focus more on the task at hand and less on the endless arguments of one tool vs. another tool.

Sometimes, Windows and Linux can be odds with each other as to the firmware environment, and options in that environment. The only thing to avoid, in many cases is the fake hardware RAID (RST). For SATA avoid RST and use AHCI in Linux. I really don't care about Windows; it should have to live with what YOU want.
 

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