Slow Hard drive.... unable to reach BIOS

You may need to tab or arrow down from the UEFi setting that is shown highlighted. Get into the options below so they are highlighted and see what you can do there.
 


Yes, sometimes if you hit Enter on things like that is may show further options on the right. I saw one option to Add Device and that might help too. I'm just not convinced the "Flash5" is your drive, though I may be wrong. It just looks odd, and it didn't show with your DVD and WDC hard drive as a boot option.

I googled that and all I come up with is flash drives lol
 
Well, it may be... but looks odd to me. I usually see a brand name. It shows available for boot override, but not in the regular boot priorities.

Is the GRUB error you showed from trying to boot on it?
 
By the way... don't try to run that "Easy Flash" utility again. That is not related to your USB... it is a tool to "flash your BIOS" (update it to a newer version from Asus).
 
Well, it may be... but looks odd to me. I usually see a brand name. It shows available for boot override, but not in the regular boot priorities.

Is the GRUB error you showed from trying to boot on it?

Yes and ok, I won't try it lol. Here are shots from options under UEFI. Looks to me like they are both disabled but.....

IMG_0355.JPG
IMG_0356.JPG
IMG_0357.JPG
 
OH, I have had that error at other times when starting up after having it off a short period of time....
 
Crikey you folks move too quickly :p I went to get my 3rd morning coffee (brain moves slowly on a Sunday morning, and any other day ending in "y")

Last I was here we were only up to the 7 screenshots.:eek:

Morning all.

it is a tool to "flash your BIOS" (update it to a newer version from Asus).

... and that may be an option to consider further.


Take a look at what I have been researching and see if it is of any help, and I note Christina's Aptio Setup Utility is 2010 v2.1.1208

https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1008277/

In this one above, note that partway through, the writer appears to have flashed his BIOS, because at one point he is using Version 2.14.1219 of Aptio (from 2011), and then subsequently he is using Version 2.15.1236 from 2012?

Then there is this one

https://superuser.com/questions/507...a-boot-option-does-that-mean-the-machine-cant

... and yes it is to do with a Zenbook, but uses Aptio Setup Utility.

Christina's shows UEFI disabled, and I am thinking between seeing if that has an option to enable, and perhaps switching to CSM (Compatibility Support Module, aka Legacy Mode there is a way to work around.

This one does not directly relate, perhaps, but features the Asus model she has, and key elements regarding BIOS changes

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=271789

Between them, and the ""add an option" for the USB, I believe the answer is lurking close by.

Christina, if I need to suggest to you, and not dumbing down in any way - take notes of settings before and after you change them, because I find myself wondering, where the frick was I??? So play it safe, eh?

Off for more coffee

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
Edit to the above - read in context, I see y'all have more posts, lol.

Wiz - later
 
Crikey you folks move too quickly :p I went to get my 3rd morning coffee (brain moves slowly on a Sunday morning, and any other day ending in "y")

Last I was here we were only up to the 7 screenshots.:eek:

Christina, if I need to suggest to you, and not dumbing down in any way - take notes of settings before and after you change them, because I find myself wondering, where the frick was I??? So play it safe, eh?

Off for more coffee

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz


You just go ahead and dumb it down alllllll you want. My son was the computer wiz and set me up. I am learning as I go and don't know much lol.
 
Ah, maybe we'll get something to work out. It's a shame that the DVD drive is not working... but since it's broke, you can disable it next time you're in the BIOS setup. It will speed up the hard drive boot time slightly.

Christina's shows UEFI disabled, and I am thinking between seeing if that has an option to enable, and perhaps switching to CSM (Compatibility Support Module, aka Legacy Mode there is a way to work around.

Wizard has a good point here (he usually does).... you may want to try to enable the UEFI boot to see if that will let you boot on your USB stick. And on that matter: What Linux do you have on the USB stick? Are you wanting to reinstall Ubuntu 16.04? Or do you have something else on there. And might you consider some other distros? The choice between UEFI and CSM may help or hinder booting some Linux systems, so we probably need to know what you're trying to get to boot.

Long day for me today. I'll be gone shortly but hope to have some time from work again tomorrow.
 
Ah, maybe we'll get something to work out. It's a shame that the DVD drive is not working... but since it's broke, you can disable it next time you're in the BIOS setup. It will speed up the hard drive boot time slightly.



Wizard has a good point here (he usually does).... you may want to try to enable the UEFI boot to see if that will let you boot on your USB stick. And on that matter: What Linux do you have on the USB stick? Are you wanting to reinstall Ubuntu 16.04? Or do you have something else on there. And might you consider some other distros? The choice between UEFI and CSM may help or hinder booting some Linux systems, so we probably need to know what you're trying to get to boot.

I have Ubuntu 16.04 on it but would be willing to try something else as long as it is just as easy.... yea, I am gonna call it quits for tonight also.... be back sometime tomorrow. Maybe I will be brave enough to do all this lol.
Thanks guys!
 
You're doing fine, Christina - the fact that we had not heard from you in a while is a case of no news is good news? :p

c u later

Cheers

Wiz
 
Last photograph Grub "Error 17".

Have you messed with your partitions or could the Hard Drive be failing?
 
Last photograph Grub "Error 17".

Have you messed with your partitions or could the Hard Drive be failing?

I wouldn't know how to mess with the partitions lol. Think hard drive is failing....
 
So, if hard drive is failing will it do any good to reinstall? Can the bad partitions be bypassed? Or would it be worth messing with?
 
So, if hard drive is failing will it do any good to reinstall? Can the bad partitions be bypassed? Or would it be worth messing with?

If the hard drive is failing then nothing you do will stop if from doing doing so. If you have a "normal" hard drive they only last an average of 5 years as they have moving parts in them. An SSD is a far better option as it hasn't any moving parts and they're fairly cheap if you shop around, yes more than a HDD but they last at least 10 years now.
Reading through things, I do not think it is BIOS problem as such, as I take it you've done a factory re-set and checked to see if any connections have come lose. If not then it is best to do so. I am not sure if this has a CMOS battery, if it has, then it would wise to change that and see if that cures things.

Looking at all the steps you've taken so far, a new hard drive and clean install would seem the way forward. There are two ways of looking at this, 1) you'd know for certain if it was the drive and if it solves all well and good and 2) you'll have a new hdd for spare or to put in. I have 2 SSDs for this reason.

This is just my opinion which others may disagree with:)
 
I am not sure if this has a CMOS battery, if it has, then it would wise to change that and see if that cures things.
Yeah, I kinda wanted her to go this route too, but if I found the right instructions on the web I don't think it will be an easy task on this laptop. I don't think it is the standard coin battery (CR2032) so it would require ordering the correct battery and disassembling the case. But the symptoms also are not really calling for a new battery right now (like losing system time accuracy).

Re-installing on the same hard drive may work better for awhile, and there are tools to help mark bad blocks or sectors to keep the system from using those and losing data. But if new bad blocks or sectors keep appearing, then the drive may not have much life left. So it's just a choice for you, @Christina, whether to give it another go or to replace the drive.

And on that note, what about that Windows drive you swapped with? You said it ran fine, right? Not that I want you to go back to Windows (and it may be an outdated version anyway). But what about putting that drive back in, and then installing Linux on it... and erasing Windows? Is that an option? Or do you need to save things on that drive? Just a thought...

Cheers
 
Yeah, I kinda wanted her to go this route too, but if I found the right instructions on the web I don't think it will be an easy task on this laptop. I don't think it is the standard coin battery (CR2032) so it would require ordering the correct battery and disassembling the case. But the symptoms also are not really calling for a new battery right now (like losing system time accuracy).

Re-installing on the same hard drive may work better for awhile, and there are tools to help mark bad blocks or sectors to keep the system from using those and losing data. But if new bad blocks or sectors keep appearing, then the drive may not have much life left. So it's just a choice for you, @Christina, whether to give it another go or to replace the drive.

And on that note, what about that Windows drive you swapped with? You said it ran fine, right? Not that I want you to go back to Windows (and it may be an outdated version anyway). But what about putting that drive back in, and then installing Linux on it... and erasing Windows? Is that an option? Or do you need to save things on that drive? Just a thought...

Cheers

The Windows drive is Windows 7, so yes, outdated lol but kinda hate to use it as it is a fine backup. No, nothing on it to have to save or anything...... main reason I don't want to erase it is that I have a craft business that I am planning to start back up and my Silhouette program that I need for the vinyl lettering won't work on Ubuntu so I saved the Windows hard drive to use when I go to craft shows....

I doubt this is a 'normal' hard drive if they only last about 5 years, I have been using it a lot longer than that and it is on 24/7 pretty much. My son ordered it before he passed..... that has been over 6 yrs there....

I think I will try a fresh install when I have a full day to do it and see if that works for a while longer, till I can get the money for a hard drive lol. What tools do I need to mark the bad sectors?
 
kinda hate to use it as it is a fine backup... and I saved the Windows hard drive to use when I go to craft shows
I get that... so keep your original plan and purpose for that drive. It's a good way for you to use it just like that.

I doubt this is a 'normal' hard drive if they only last about 5 years
Well, hard drive lifespan is not a very good science... you can read about average lifespans (4-5 years really is a pretty good average) but usage is also a factor. Just being turned on is not hard usage, like being used in a busy server. Real lifespans for average people may be quite different from the averages. You can have a brand new hard drive fail within days... I have personally had a few of those. And you can have hard drives last 15-20 years, or more. I am currently running two exact desktops bought in October 2009 with the release of Windows 7, and they have never had an issue now in almost 9 years (with mechanical hard drives). And I have some older drives that still work too (or they did last time I plugged them into anything... but they're kind of small now for normal use).

There are a number of tools for testing the hard drive, but these can be used after you re-install. Keep your USB handy though because some tests may need for the hard drive to be unmounted, and since that is your system drive you may need to boot on the USB again to run some of the tests. I've been looking at the badblocks command and smartmontools, but I don't use them often so I want to know more before advising you. Maybe others can jump in with more experience with these (or other) tools.

I think all hard drives develop bad sectors... this is not necessarily a fatal diagnosis. You may can get by for a long time yet. But you may want to keep an eye on the drive health and be sure you keep important things backed up more frequently.

Cheers
 
Maybe others can jump in with more experience with these (or other) tools.

At your service :rolleyes:

I have a Toshiba Satellite that warns me maybe once every 2 months that it may have a problem in the next 12 months. It has 43 Linux Distros on it currently, so I want to keep on top of its health (and have new Dells coming in Friday, lol).

BADBLOCKS

... is likely already installed, if you type it in Search (not filters) in Synaptic Package Manager, you will see it is incorporated under a package "e2fsprogs", which says in part

This package contains programs for creating, checking, and maintaining
ext2/3/4-based file systems. It also includes the "badblocks" program,
which can be used to scan for bad blocks on a disk or other storage device.

If it is there but not installed, you can install it with Synaptic, or else at Terminal

Code:
sudo apt-get install e2fsprogs

Once installed, run

Code:
sudo fdisk -l

#that's a lowercase "L"

This will generate output which includes the description on your Primary (root) Partition, that your Linux is on. It will say "Linux filesystem".

I am writing this from Peppermint 8, and my line says

/dev/sda16 398465024 429922303 31457280 15G Linux filesystem

I then type in and enter

Code:
sudo badblocks -v /dev/sda16 > badsectors.txt

#remember to use your own /dev/sda result

This can take some time, in my case, I could go get a cup of coffee :D:D

My output is as follows:

chris@Peppermint8-Study ~ $ sudo badblocks -v /dev/sda16 > badsectors.txt
Checking blocks 0 to 15728639
Checking for bad blocks (read-only test): done
Pass completed, 0 bad blocks found. (0/0/0 errors)

What we have done here is to stream the output of badblocks (the -v is for verbose) into a file we have created called badsectors.txt. It will be in your Home folder or partition.

chris@Peppermint8-Study ~ $ pwd
/home/chris
chris@Peppermint8-Study ~ $ ls
badsectors.txt DMZ-ubuntu Downloads Music Public Videos
Desktop Documents inxi_info.txt Pictures Templates

If I get Linux 's "cat" command to type the output of that file

Code:
chris@Peppermint8-Study ~ $ cat badsectors.txt
chris@Peppermint8-Study ~ $

... I am returned to the prompt, because there is nothing in the file. If I had bad sectors, they would be reported there.

If I want to do some housekeeping before going on, I can remove the empty file.

Code:
rm badsectors.txt


SMARTMONTOOLS

This will be in your Repositories (ie seen in Synaptic) but may not be installed. Install it through Synaptic or else at Terminal

Code:
sudo apt-get -y install smartmontools

The -y is optional, I use it when I am installing from my Repos, which I trust, it simply says yes to installing rather than listing then prompting me.

When installed, run (& again, here substitute your /dev/sdax)

- this, in my case:

Code:
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda16

The -H is for "health".

My output is

chris@Peppermint8-Study ~ $ sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda16
smartctl 6.5 2016-01-24 r4214 [x86_64-linux-4.13.0-45-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-16, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

You can read more on this command with

Code:
man smartctl

#OR

smartctl -h

So that's a couple to get you rolling with, and there are more if you need them.

This article I found

https://www.tecmint.com/check-linux-hard-disk-bad-sectors-bad-blocks/

is handy to bookmark, perhaps. I had used smartctl a couple of years ago, and it looks familiar. I found it with a Google search using keywords "linux hard drive health tools". I had not used "badblocks" until today, so I am no wiser than Stan, Doh.

Cheers

Wizard

EDITED added BTW
BTW - I see I got one of the quote tags mixed up, hope all is legible (bad Wizard)
 

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