Download and install from USB

Dennis Burge

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I really need some help. I have watched several videos on this and spent 2 days trying to accomplish this task. I have a laptop with XP pro installed, it has dvd and usb. 64bit. I download Universal-USB-Installer-1.9.7.9..I download linuxmint-18.3-mate-64bit. I start the USB installer and select the linuxmint with correct usb drive. That all goes well. (USB thumb drive dir is boot, uui, initrd.lz,linuxmint--mate-64bit, vmlinuz.
On the old laptop I make the USB drive priority and insert usb stick and go. I see the stick blinking and the only thing on the screen is a flashing prompt in upper left corner. I have reformatted this stick and reattempted several times. What am I doing wrong? Please
 


@Dennis Burge

Hi Dennis and welcome to linux.org :)

I am from DownUnder it's my Saturday morning and I may be in and out a little, but if I am not around, someone else will pick up the ball and run with it ;)

First question is to check the verification of the Linux Mint .iso to see that it downloaded without compromise. You can also read what I not long ago wrote here as background - https://www.linux.org/threads/new-guy.15657/#post-49664 - the part on checksums, aka hashsums, that is.

In Windows XP, you could download a free tool that will allow you to check the checksum, if you follow, and SHA256 is the best to use.

http://www.labtestproject.com/files/win/sha256sum/sha256sum.exe

There is a step by step for that .exe's use here http://www.labtestproject.com/using_windows/step_by_step_using_sha256sum_on_windows_xp.html - it uses a Distro called Fedora as an example, but the same would apply with your Mint.

For Linux Mint, if you downloaded the .iso from their official website, then it offered you the opportunity to verify the download.

That is neither here nor there, but the 256 sum for your Linux Mint is

1ec518ec70d76d9634e22bb9e083546d812f869878a3262fc7ae47ecc5b23e40

... so that (bloody long:rolleyes:) number is what you need to match against your download.

If that matches, then you've got a good download, and we will employ other troubleshooting options, which may include, but not be limited to:
  • Using another USB stick
  • Using an alternative burning software to UUI, eg YUMI, Rufus, Unetbootin &c
  • Plan C none of the above, lol
Why don't you try the verification first and see how you go?

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
@Dennis Burge

Hi Dennis and welcome to linux.org :)

I am from DownUnder it's my Saturday morning and I may be in and out a little, but if I am not around, someone else will pick up the ball and run with it ;)

First question is to check the verification of the Linux Mint .iso to see that it downloaded without compromise. You can also read what I not long ago wrote here as background - https://www.linux.org/threads/new-guy.15657/#post-49664 - the part on checksums, aka hashsums, that is.

In Windows XP, you could download a free tool that will allow you to check the checksum, if you follow, and SHA256 is the best to use.

http://www.labtestproject.com/files/win/sha256sum/sha256sum.exe

There is a step by step for that .exe's use here http://www.labtestproject.com/using_windows/step_by_step_using_sha256sum_on_windows_xp.html - it uses a Distro called Fedora as an example, but the same would apply with your Mint.

For Linux Mint, if you downloaded the .iso from their official website, then it offered you the opportunity to verify the download.

That is neither here nor there, but the 256 sum for your Linux Mint is

1ec518ec70d76d9634e22bb9e083546d812f869878a3262fc7ae47ecc5b23e40

... so that (bloody long:rolleyes:) number is what you need to match against your download.

If that matches, then you've got a good download, and we will employ other troubleshooting options, which may include, but not be limited to:
  • Using another USB stick
  • Using an alternative burning software to UUI, eg YUMI, Rufus, Unetbootin &c
  • Plan C none of the above, lol
Why don't you try the verification first and see how you go?

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
That was great and I bloddy well liked it. LOL I will get on that soon and get back to you. Thank you so much.
 
We Seniors have to stick together, lol.

Thank us when we have you up & running, but it is appreciated :)

See you soon, Dennis

Wiz
 
We Seniors have to stick together, lol.

Thank us when we have you up & running, but it is appreciated :)

See you soon, Dennis

Wiz
This is Dennis again, I thought I would cut to the chase and just order the Live DVD. Linux Mint 18.3 Mate. Just got it, booted it up and got a message this my device needs x86x64CPU. Mine, I read, i686CPU. Have I rode the donkey? Can I download it or have to order another DVD?
 
Brief for now Dennis, have to fly out the door (hmm, Wizard ... fly .. oh well :rolleyes:)

i686 likely means the Windows OS (XP) may be a 32-bit version. Even though the laptop may support 64-bit architecture, many manufacturers install 32-bit Windows on them.

As long as the Windows is there, you can only put on a 32-bit Linux, that is my understanding.

So you could try to swap for a 32-bit Linux Mint with the store, or else download a 32-bit Linux Mint .iso and install that, and you can always put the store version on later if you choose to blow away Windows.

See you soon

Wizard
 
Last edited:
This is Dennis again, I thought I would cut to the chase and just order the Live DVD. Linux Mint 18.3 Mate. Just got it, booted it up and got a message this my device needs x86x64CPU. Mine, I read, i686CPU. Have I rode the donkey? Can I download it or have to order another DVD?

Hi Dennis, and a belated Welcome! I hope that this will be your only donkey ride (but "stuff happens"... or something like that). Your Linux DVD is indeed telling you the exact problem: i686 is a 32-bit CPU architecture, not 64-bit. If you have other newer computers, the DVD will likely boot up and run "live" or install just fine.

Linux Mint makes a 32-bit version though, so you can purchase another DVD, or you can download the 32-bit .iso file and burn your own DVD if you have a DVD-RW drive. It was not uncommon on older computers that they had "combo drives" where the CD part was rewriteable (RW) but DVD was read-only... so you could install Linux with that, but not burn the .iso file. It was also not uncommon back in those days that they would not boot up on USB drives yet. A possible work around for a situation like that is to download the Plop Boot Manager and burn it to a CD. Then, when booting on the Plop CD, it will let you install Linux from a USB drive. It's a bit cumbersome, but it gets the job done if you have these hardware limitations.

You do not mention how much RAM you have on that old computer. This is rather important, and I'd not recommend you purchase another DVD until you determine that (because I'm cheap and like to help others save money too). Linux Mint is a great system (I use it myself) but it may not run well, or at all, if you do not have enough memory. If you don't have much RAM, there are some other Linux distros that are better suited to older computers, or you might be able to buy more RAM to run Mint. Figuring these things out is usually easier by downloading and trying different Linux distros instead of shelling out the cash to find out... as long as you have the ability to download the big .iso files and get them into a bootable form for your system.

If you decide to try downloading again, you should follow Wizard's advice about "verifying" the download before you burn the .iso to DVD or USB. This is a simple step, but you'll need to get a free program to run in Windows that will assist you. We'll gladly help you along, whichever way you want to go from here.

Cheers
 
Brief for now Dennis, have to fly out the door (hmm, Wizard ... fly .. oh well :rolleyes:)

i686 likely means the Windows OS (XP) may be a 32-bit version. Even though the laptop may support 64-bit architecture, many manufactures installe 32-bit Windows on them.

As long as the Windows is there, you can only put on a 32-bit Linux, that is my understanding.

So you could try to swap for a 32-bit Linux Mint with the store, or else download a 32-bit Linux Mint .iso and install that, and you can always put the store version on later if you choose to blow away Windows.

See you soon

Wizard
I have downloaded both 32/64 on thumb drive with no success. That's why I ordered the DVD. Sys stats say this LT is 64bit. Anything I can double check?
 
I have downloaded both 32/64 on thumb drive with no success. That's why I ordered the DVD. Sys stats say this LT is 64bit. Anything I can double check?

Steve Gibson makes a lot of neat little apps... this one should tell you whether 32-bit or 64-bit.

If you don't want to download the small .exe file above, this article describes how to check from within Windows XP:

http://www.nwitimes.com/business/co...cle_5e04b81a-7088-523c-a1cc-081bc638c7fc.html
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/co...cle_5e04b81a-7088-523c-a1cc-081bc638c7fc.html
But from your description, I'm pretty sure the Mint DVD told you correctly. If not, you'll be the first time I've ever heard of it making that mistake.

What is the trouble with downloading? Or is it with the Universal USB Installer? Did you "verify" the downloads, as Wizard recommended?

Cheers
 
7
Steve Gibson makes a lot of neat little apps... this one should tell you whether 32-bit or 64-bit.

If you don't want to download the small .exe file above, this article describes how to check from within Windows XP:

http://www.nwitimes.com/business/co...cle_5e04b81a-7088-523c-a1cc-081bc638c7fc.html
But from your description, I'm pretty sure the Mint DVD told you correctly. If not, you'll be the first time I've ever heard of it making that mistake.

What is the trouble with downloading? Or is it with the Universal USB Installer? Did you "verify" the downloads, as Wizard recommended?

Cheers
Thanks for your help, I'll give it a go. Wiz did suggest that I should verify and on later trys I looked for and used the Verify ISO option. He suggested my thumb drive might have a problem. Again, thanks
 
Steve Gibson makes a lot of neat little apps... this one should tell you whether 32-bit or 64-bit.

If you don't want to download the small .exe file above, this article describes how to check from within Windows XP:

http://www.nwitimes.com/business/co...cle_5e04b81a-7088-523c-a1cc-081bc638c7fc.html
But from your description, I'm pretty sure the Mint DVD told you correctly. If not, you'll be the first time I've ever heard of it making that mistake.

What is the trouble with downloading? Or is it with the Universal USB Installer? Did you "verify" the downloads, as Wizard recommended?

Cheers
OK, just downloaded the "neat little app" you just suggested and you and Wiz are right.. 32 Bit..Guess I'll try to swap that DVD.
 
I have downloaded both 32/64 on thumb drive with no success. That's why I ordered the DVD. Sys stats say this LT is 64bit. Anything I can double check?
I have downloaded both 32/64 on thumb drive with no success. That's why I ordered the DVD. Sys stats say this LT is 64bit. Anything I can double check?

(reply to atanere) OK, just downloaded the "neat little app" you just suggested and you and Wiz are right.. 32 Bit..Guess I'll try to swap that DVD. Thanks Wiz
 
OK, just downloaded the "neat little app" you just suggested and you and Wiz are right.. 32 Bit..Guess I'll try to swap that DVD.

Okay, at least we're all getting on the same page, and this was a critical bit of information. So, we may can help to describe to you how to burn your own DVD (if your drive is a DVD-RW)... or we may can help figure out what's up with your USB stick. Although, as I mentioned above, there is a chance that your computer won't boot USB without help (the Plop Boot Manager).

It just takes some time to muddle through these details, and we know its difficult for new people... there is so much that is different than the Windows environment you're coming from. It stays a bit hard for awhile too as you start to learn some new terms and jargon, and different ways of doing things.

If you'd like to keep working with your own downloads.... let's make sure that you have a good fast connection to the internet.... yes? These .iso files are typically over 1 GB, and often approaching 2 GB (and sometimes even more). You need to have the capacity to retrieve large files like that.

Then, before burning to DVD or USB, let's get that "verify" thing going solidly for you. Wizard mentioned one program that will help you, and I'll offer another "neat little app" that you can get here. Whichever way you go, you want to become comfortable doing this task as you may end up needing to try a few different Linux distros before you find something that works well with your laptop. When you finally replace XP, you really want to be confident that you are using a reliable media to install Linux.... because if it's corrupted, who knows what can happen!
 
"Hello again. Well I am slowly getting along and I will try to update everything. First Wiz, I did go and get a new flash drive and that did give positive results.

I created a folder on my laptop entitled ISO. I downloaded Universal-USB-Installer-1.9.7.9. I then downloaded linuxmint-18-3-cinnamon-64bit. Then the two files sha256sum.txt.gpg, the other ending in .txt. All in the same folder.

This is what I got upon generating the SHA256 sum:

2026b8901f86f4711e2aaa35f5515407eebb7fb2c3cdd0359ffb6f6d0a368b9d *linuxmint-18.3-cinnamon-32bit.iso ecebdf9ac4697b6c2d7feffd1bc5430641bca67c7df122fa2914824dc8844b3a *linuxmint-18.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso 535dbb3ef4f7db6b9584d5093d6ae05a861f7f6e03fee487c76189bc5248de20 *linuxmint-18.3-kde-32bit.iso f110cfce59853eec018a2be0f23565d46b67848194e99f91ed701ea9be672420 *linuxmint-18.3-kde-64bit.iso 428d47c5ce54e949b0ba656a2c387d4536b9e0530bcc840784b456190411f11c *linuxmint-18.3-mate-32bit.iso 1ec518ec70d76d9634e22bb9e083546d812f869878a3262fc7ae47ecc5b23e40 *linuxmint-18.3-mate-64bit.iso ab75288d9ba54cd7f614a2aadae22df2157e297cc45af46ec146086864e02f08 *linuxmint-18.3-xfce-32bit.iso a78be201c766133d35a39b0555e00503f5fe47ff2bb17d6e27953397f44dcf09 *linuxmint-18.3-xfce-64bit.iso



From <https://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/linuxmint.com/stable/18.3/sha256sum.txt>



This is the txt file:

---BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1 iQIcBAABCgAGBQJaMVJPAAoJEDAPhGuiW64JzIIP/jbTQZPvbT/hhfE3xPgJfEOi AFUA//rq2Dw5nQk1QaskG/QC1+ZH9o81trd7bHwPkWpkKZG1GpJqSQm/l6hvk6mR sAY260PyYDR+abK3YVc5ElWaC04dNl/rMdaOgbx5wqE7YIlctADCMi+hiRGQT/LO xyNBOO7QfnueKPrynGLpUfVGLRssUVAMS2tDhAGcg2lCVq+jrNUKcYd3AWUyLaNV ndPZPJgyVtIfrcIG+kul0Il4/sfwGu9hsr937/CC8X7FoFMJOt7WFwpiT3f91UY/ /xtrZL8f4etQVqc5N/ifvUcej+y6GAZYbBKwF3oWSLBk3Hyjd3QmTyVtxSlJ+Hiy oGvQd8IYRRDT9AqCq3nH6HMPM9bnBHJ9R79HjXfePOCzpqF2tzUlIo8IgY0qxFEA pxwNt3lxACJCsJSzOeyG7GAXWNvbmPQN+s2JfLvQhUMe7MZ4Nld1bL5bmK+YnO3u 7WUjTSPJm6PpaxIloprGE0zImU8mBFLn0vMMgmpVBkovCsJN7ZHXbT2dZ/tKch0z R+PDhNVHw+Yrz+Fwttb5jG/EHEEAcz1qCaUOwt1c2sjtUmS/5R7PgclMqRikcam1 Vutme0IOE1hKUeimRJnWAZOtwgTvyoA42mE9cY+C94HOT74wLBd86zySnVPS8Kmq gOPjCqzP0M6gpFqsaC1q =tvuX -----END PGP SIGNATURE----



From <https://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/linuxmint.com/stable/18.3/sha256sum.txt.gpg>

This is done within the ISO folder and I don’t know what I am looking at! This is to verify ISO images.



I put the new flash drive in "E" drive on the laptop and initiated the USB installer. I input the folder containing Mint etc. All went well UNTIL:

I put the new flash drive in the XP lap top and booted from that drive and YES, got the countdown to take off! Up pops the Linus Logo and, and it just holds, nothing, no key response. Repeated several times with same result.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it. Hope you can help."
 
Hi Dennis and Wizard... just a little tidy up on the post above to change the author back to Dennis. Thanks Wizard for bringing the text over here. Of course you were right... the open forum is the place to carry on with this topic.

So, I get the Mint Team's effort to confirm the PGP signature (since their website got hacked last year).... but it is a bit of overkill and certainly makes it more complicated for new users like Dennis. And I have certainly had my own personal confusion in the last couple of days over 32-bit versus 64-bit, and what exactly i686 means.... and I still may not be out of the woods on this.

But let's just go for simple. (That's really my best speed anyway.)

I gave you this link up above (and Wizard gave you another link to a similar product). Choose one of these Windows programs and put it on your computer. They will help you to "verify" that the Linux .iso file that you downloaded is complete and not corrupted. Just forget all the PGP signature stuff. The programs used to verify are pretty simple and straightforward, but let us know if you have any questions (and which one you choose).

Now, back to that i686 stuff. If I read your post right, you installed the 64-bit Mint to your new flash drive, but it failed to boot properly. After you "verify" your 64-bit download was a good copy, you might try it again... and especially watch for the error about "only good on amd64 computers and yours is i686. But with or without the error, if it refuses to boot (and verifies as okay).... then verify the 32-bit version instead and put it on your USB stick, and then try to boot that one.

I think that catches us up for now. Sorry for the delay... working my 12-hr shifts this weekend (doesn't leave me enough beer time!). :D So let's see how you do now with verifying and creating the USB. BTW, I like the Universal USB installer too... its a nice product, and it has the option to enable "persistence" if you want that (but it takes longer and not really needed when you only want to install to hard drive).

Cheers
 
Hi Dennis and Wizard... just a little tidy up on the post above to change the author back to Dennis. Thanks Wizard for bringing the text over here. Of course you were right... the open forum is the place to carry on with this topic.

So, I get the Mint Team's effort to confirm the PGP signature (since their website got hacked last year).... but it is a bit of overkill and certainly makes it more complicated for new users like Dennis. And I have certainly had my own personal confusion in the last couple of days over 32-bit versus 64-bit, and what exactly i686 means.... and I still may not be out of the woods on this.

But let's just go for simple. (That's really my best speed anyway.)

I gave you this link up above (and Wizard gave you another link to a similar product). Choose one of these Windows programs and put it on your computer. They will help you to "verify" that the Linux .iso file that you downloaded is complete and not corrupted. Just forget all the PGP signature stuff. The programs used to verify are pretty simple and straightforward, but let us know if you have any questions (and which one you choose).

Now, back to that i686 stuff. If I read your post right, you installed the 64-bit Mint to your new flash drive, but it failed to boot properly. After you "verify" your 64-bit download was a good copy, you might try it again... and especially watch for the error about "only good on amd64 computers and yours is i686. But with or without the error, if it refuses to boot (and verifies as okay).... then verify the 32-bit version instead and put it on your USB stick, and then try to boot that one.

I think that catches us up for now. Sorry for the delay... working my 12-hr shifts this weekend (doesn't leave me enough beer time!). :D So let's see how you do now with verifying and creating the USB. BTW, I like the Universal USB installer too... its a nice product, and it has the option to enable "persistence" if you want that (but it takes longer and not really needed when you only want to install to hard drive).

Cheers
Thanks very much for the help. I will continue in all regards. Never give up.
 
Don't know if you will get this but I have done all I can and I have to quit. Thanks for trying.

Well, sometimes that happens, and we understand that. But is there anything we can do to help you along and help you to change your mind? We know it's difficult in the beginning, and we can slow down or be more detail oriented if it will help.

Cheers
Stan
 
Well, sometimes that happens, and we understand that. But is there anything we can do to help you along and help you to change your mind? We know it's difficult in the beginning, and we can slow down or be more detail oriented if it will help.

Cheers
Stan
Wow, Bummer!:(
 

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