[SOLVED] Blank Screen while installing (Ubunty 18.04.6 LTS) on a HP Notebook 15-bs2xx

santiagothemusician

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Hello
Thank you for letting me into the forum.
I apologize in advance if my query seems very random and all over the place, but I'm trying to summarize as best I can all the steps I've taken.


I made (and I've tried making various bootable USB's) on a HP laptop (i think purchased 2014) running 18.04.3 LTS using StartuDisk.
(I don't have Windows on any of the two computers.)

I have enabled USB boot on the target computer, and I get to the screen asking to "Install" or "Run Without Installing".

If I run "Try UBUNTU without installing" or "Install UBUNTU" or "OEM..." or "Check Disk for Defects", I get a black screen.

I only have these four options. (Some answers I found online gave me a fifth option, but I don't have that one.)


I found some resolutions including typing 'e' at this menu, then adding "nomodeset", that made no difference.
( https://askubuntu.com/questions/1029624/ubuntu-18-04-live-boot-leads-to-blank-screen )

I did also follow some steps on how to disable/enable things like Legacy Boot and boot orders etc. Some pages seemed to suggest that this was part of the problem. I couldn't find the instructions specific to my HP, so if anyone out there has HP specific suggestions, by all means.


The back story, and part of the other dozens of steps I've taken, is that the computer had jammed, and I had to cold reboot.
I came to screen that made me do a manual check of the disk, basically being asked about 1000x times y/n/repair etc.


I really just want to be able to mount the hard drive to save some files. If I could get to the point where I could mount it, and copy to a USB (or email myself), that's my best case scenario.
I'm not even sure how to get to a command prompt that has mount or cp (not to mention where I could mount a USB drive) under these circumstances.

Again, I apologize in advance for the randomness of my post. Thank you in advance for any suggestions / help.

kind regards
//Santiago , North Dakota
 


i don't think others have see your your post; i'm sure they will chip in once they do .

So clarify for me your laptop is working and the other one that you want to get files off , is that a tower?

There's different approaches . Possibly if thats the case yo ucould get a hd to usb adapter and plug that into your laptop . Depends on specs of laptop.


You could try other tools to get linux iso onto a usb , maybe the StartUdisk isn't cutting it ?
 
initialy it sounds like you have either a corrupt download or a bad burn of the install medium, if your running "Live" as a rescue drive, you don't have to worry about EFI or legacy, that is only for install. if your HP is 2014 or thereabout it should be 64 bit and the only issue i can think of would be the wi-fi when you install.. test the install medium on the other computer, if it doesn't boot then download again and re-burn using etcher or rufas [make sure to re-format your pen-drive fats 32 before you make a new burn

Bwiz
 
Hello
Thank you for your reply.
They're both laptops.

I've tried various version of Ubuntu on my USB stick, and gotten various errors that i tried trouble shooting and got nowhere with.
At this point , I'd like to focus on the 18.xx version, and why I can't pass this screen.

A few posts I read, suggested that the ISO's might be damaged.

Stupid question perhaps, but if it is so, where can one get the "for sure for sure" intact ISO files?

talk soon
//Santiago
initialy it sounds like you have either a corrupt download or a bad burn of the install medium, if your running "Live" as a rescue drive, you don't have to worry about EFI or legacy, that is only for install. if your HP is 2014 or thereabout it should be 64 bit and the only issue i can think of would be the wi-fi when you install.. test the install medium on the other computer, if it doesn't boot then download again and re-burn using etcher or rufas [make sure to re-format your pen-drive fats 32 before you make a new burn

Bwiz


Thank you for your input.

I tried the same USB on a DELL Laptop (probably purchased 2011 / 12 ) and this time it says
uncompression error
-- System halted_


Would this tell me that the USB is corrupt?


thanks for your input
//Santiago
 
very much sounds like it.. When i download I usualy use a local mirror site that I trust [one of the uk universities] you only need a quick blip when downloading to corrupt it. as you also have a dell [which is one of the most compatible machines for linux, I would say try again this time with Ubuntu 20.04.3 lts

Bwiz
 
Funny enough after formatting into FAT, then remaking the USB using the "potentially damaged UBUntu 18" file, now I get another screen I got a lot last night (that had another series of steps that didn't work):

( a long list of messages then)

[ end Kernel panic - not syncing : VFS unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0) ]

I'm now going to try redownloading the ISO file, (I'll try the Ubuntu 20.04.3 lts) and then I'll keep you posted.


(This is on the old Dell from 11/12, didn't try it on the computer I'm trying to revive)
thanks again for all your input
//Santiago
 
ok now a bit more advice on HP, put the new ios in the usb, switch on whilst you jiggle whichever key opens the fast boot menu [be quick you only have a few seconds], select the usb drive and enter
 
(tried both going in the way you just suggested as well as just going straight, and both lead me to the install menu.)


I formatted the USB, made the ISO USB using ubuntu 20.04.3 , tried it on my "dead" computer.

Ubuntu
Ubuntu (SAFE GRAPHICS)
OEM install (FOR MANUFACTURERS)
Boot from next volume
UEFI Firmware Settings


- - - - - -


still goes to blank screen, even adding 'nomodset', and it makes no difference :/
( https://askubuntu.com/questions/1029624/ubuntu-18-04-live-boot-leads-to-blank-screen )



Perhaps a stupid question, but would a USB CD-rom work to boot from? I have older Ubuntu's on CDROM.
Unfortunately, the only USB CD-rom reader I have is for a Mac. I don't suppose that's just a dead end in general?



(on my DELL, the old-old computer, using that same USB, all I saw was something like
"Can't allocate memory, memory error
Boot:
Can't allocate memory, memory error
Boot:"

and that kept repeating and repeating)


Thanks again for your input, and let me know any thoughts.
//Santiago
 
Welcome to Linux.org

Follow the steps to Verify the ISO.....the steps will be on the download page from Ububtu

Use either Balena Etcher or Rufus (as suggested by @captain-sensible) to put the iso file on your usb.


Then follow @brickwizard's advice above.
 
It was the USB drive that was damaged (i think) :/ i couldn't get Rufus to install, but Balena installed, and said "can't make ISO..something..something.." while formatting the USB drive.
I put in another one, and it worked.
I then tried it on the "dead" computer, chose "try without installing"

Then opened "disks" , and mounted the HD to some fictional mountpoint it offered . (something like "3be75a8d......" )
I then used nautilus to get to the /home/Santiago/Documents folder, put in another flash, copied, pasted, and now I'm happy.

(I might've had to do "sudo nautilus", I can't remember now)

Thank you all for your patients and time!

I can't believe computers are this sensitive though! This USB worked in every other sense, incl making it bootable through ubuntu's own tool!!

Anyways. This issue is solved, in my opinion.
Have nice one chaps :)
 
I never suspected the USB may have been shot, [sorry]
glad your now sorted
the only USB CD-rom reader I have is for a Mac
if needed it should work without problems , I have an old generic cd/dvd usb drive which I sometimes have to use when repairing / upgrading old machines

Bwiz
 
I never suspected the USB may have been shot, [sorry]
glad your now sorted

No worries mate. I wouldn't have guessed something like that, based on the age of the stick and the fact that IT WORKED IN EVERY OTHER SENSE OF THE WORD! hahaha.


Cheers for now :)
 
It could be a fake USB thumb drive. They'll report that they support 8 GB (for example) but really only support 2 GB. This is so common that there are tools to detect it. Just use a search engine for tools to detect 'real size of a USB thumb drive' or the likes.

Some are pretty fancy - which is kind of amusing. Basically, it'll let it appear like it's writing the full amount of data, but it's really using FIFO and you only have the last bits written.
 
Hello Forum,

with Dual Graphics Notebooks from HP there is a lot of trouble after installing Ubuntu. I have a HP Pavilion Dual Graphics notebook and would be grateful if you could post HWInfo64 report of a notebook (preferably with Intel processor) as HTML file in this forum.

Thanks a lot.
 
Hello Forum,

with Dual Graphics Notebooks from HP there is a lot of trouble after installing Ubuntu. I have a HP Pavilion Dual Graphics notebook and would be grateful if you could post HWInfo64 report of a notebook (preferably with Intel processor) as HTML file in this forum.

Thanks a lot.

You should start your own thread as the OP is likely long gone.

Also, this is a Linux forum. HWInfo64 is a Windows (and DOS) application.

See also:

 


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