Failed every time I tried to install Linux
- Thread starter rayl
- Start date
Here is the link
From here you can choose kde, lxde or xfce
From here you can choose kde, lxde or xfce
Alexzee,
I'll try my best to indicate where the install failed.
After I installed Slackware, I booted and it came up with a root login prompt.
At this point I had no regular user, and I came to find out -- I also had no sudo capability.
I ran the setup program and after I finished with the part where it installs gigabytes of stuff, I proceeded with the suggestion that I do some updates and/or upgrades.
This involved using Slackpkg with various parameters like "update", "install-new", "upgrade-all" (this one took an hour) and I did not do "clean-system".
The next thing I did was reboot.
When it showed all the stuff it loads on the screen, if it works correctly, the stuff on the screen begins with a large font, but then it switches to a really small one!
In this case (after upgrade-all), the screen went all the way to the login prompt in the large prompt and then my keyboard and mouse would not work!
If it were going to work, I would expect to finish the loading in the small font with a login prompt (like it does if I DON'T do the "upgrade-all"!!
Somewhere (I think it was on the screen after the "upgrade-all") I saw some words about not forgetting to deal with something about the kernel and there was something else, but I don't remember what.
I should have written all this crap down as it occurred, but I've been so discouraged by all the failures, I just gave up!
Anyway, thanks,
Ray
In your Dual Boot article, you mention "Porteus-KDE-v5.0.1-x86_64.iso" !!!
Did you mean for the VERSION to be "5.0.1" OR "5.01" ???
Brief guide for lazy multi booting on one hard drive, with windows, [minimal jargon] for Linux with graphical installation and test mode [Mint/Ubuntu/Mx & etc]
1] install windows
2] disable windows secure boot and fast boot/quick start
3] download and burn to your installation medium [DVD or USB drive]
4] turn off machine
5] insert USB to primary socket [on a laptop it is usually the one nearest the power supply]
6] switch in whist jiggling short boot menu key [varies by make of machine, often F9, F10 or F12]
7] from the boot menu, select USB and enter
8] when loaded, click the installation button and Linux should start installing
9] watch carefully and add information as requested
10] THIS IS THE IMPORTANT BIT when you come to the partitioning and where to install on the drive, select Installation alongside and when it asks about partitioning choose for the machine to make the partition
this is just an overview for most Linux distros with Graphical installation it is important you install windows first, or it will overwrite any other OS
1] install windows
2] disable windows secure boot and fast boot/quick start
3] download and burn to your installation medium [DVD or USB drive]
4] turn off machine
5] insert USB to primary socket [on a laptop it is usually the one nearest the power supply]
6] switch in whist jiggling short boot menu key [varies by make of machine, often F9, F10 or F12]
7] from the boot menu, select USB and enter
8] when loaded, click the installation button and Linux should start installing
9] watch carefully and add information as requested
10] THIS IS THE IMPORTANT BIT when you come to the partitioning and where to install on the drive, select Installation alongside and when it asks about partitioning choose for the machine to make the partition
this is just an overview for most Linux distros with Graphical installation it is important you install windows first, or it will overwrite any other OS
I already edited the tutorial, used 5.01(that one just an example it will work for 5.0, 5.01 or 5.1 even older version)
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Rayl motherboard doesn't support boot from USB
I'd give this a try.
It has a good how to guide.
Create a bootable DVD and install from that.
www.linuxliteos.com
www.linuxliteos.com
It has a good how to guide.
Create a bootable DVD and install from that.
Linux Lite - Simple, Fast, and User-Friendly
Linux Lite is a free easy to use linux based operating system that is suitable for people who are new to linux.
www.linuxliteos.com
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www.linuxliteos.com
I have tried to install linuxmint-22.2-mate, slackware64, Zorin-OS-18, Leap16.0 (online and offline), Fedora-KDE-Live-42 & 43, Manjaro-Xfce-25.0.10, archlinux-2025.11.01, debian-13-2.0 netinst.
I think that is all, but I may have missed some.
After all my trials and failures, I have come to this conclusion: My problem stems from my video -- I have a built-in to the MB NVIDIA GeForce 7100.
Just about all my attempts fail at a place which seems pretty close to be the same for all distros -- near the end of the loading of code from the DVD to the ram (in most cases), the screen has a lot of garbage on it -- nothing recognizable.
If I use one of the virtual ttys via Ctrl-Alt-Fn, I can login (at least in some cases. However, I don't have a graphical desktop which I need to follow the install guide for the particular distro, with the obvious exception of Slackware, which doesn't take you to a GUI, but instead it takes you to a shell login prompt.
In the BIOS setup, there is a capability to change the Video from "Integrated" to "PCIe". I was thinking maybe I could use that feature if I had a basic PCIe video card. They are inexpensive, but many of them use NVIDIA GPUs, which may present a problem.
Ray
When one boots into Slackware for the first time there isn't a regular user 'only' root.
A handful of things at first boot have to be configured as the root user.
-If a GUI is desired the run level has to be changed by editing the ( /etc/inittab ) config file and change the level from 3 to 4. This way you won't have to keep typing starx at the command line root prompt.
-An account for a user w/o root privileges has to be created. To do that you would use the useradd command and it will walk you through the process.
The mirrors file has to be configured by opening it ( /etc/slackpkg/mirrors ) and un-commenting the mirror closet to your country. This will ensure that only one mirror for your updates will be set.
-Additionally, the ( /etc/sbopkg/) config file has to be edited and configured so when Slackware get's an update and a new kernel your sbo packages won't get hosed at your next reboot.
After all the changes, edits to config files, account creation and a complete update and a fresh reboot : the font on the system will have to be adjusted.
The command su - is used in Slackware to become root. Sudo is not installed as this is how Pat designed it. You can of course install it as your leisure.
Code:
bash-5.1$ su -
Password:
If you waste your time cooking, you'll miss the next meal.
root@slackware:~# slackpkg install-new
Looking for NEW packages to install. Please wait... DONE
No packages match the pattern for install. Try:
/usr/sbin/slackpkg upgrade|reinstall
root@slackware:~#I'm sorry Rayl that your installation didn't go well for you.
I'd be happy to help you if you'd like to pursue it.
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Ray, G'day from DownUnder.
1. You could do a lot worse than take up Alex @Alexzee on his offer, ig you choose that course, start a new thread in Distribution Specific - Slackware and work with it from there. If you get it installed, you can come back to here and list the thread as Solved.
2. If you wish to explore another attempt with Debian, Ubuntu or Linux Mint, the following could bear fruit.
With your computer switched off, insert your Live DVD, power it on and boot from it in the boot order.
When the short menu for the distro chosen appears, it will likely have three or four lines. Arrow to, but don't enter, the line that says "Live" or "Try before you install".
Press e for enter, a number of lines showing the bootup parameters will appear.
Arrow down to the line that starts with
linux
Look in the line for any references that reflect the nVidia, and if there are any there, remove them, and replace with, or place in a blank part of the line
nomodeset
You can then probably press F10, and the machine will boot into the Live environment. With that, you can start the Installer and see if you can get it installed.
Let us know how you go.
Cheers
Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
1. You could do a lot worse than take up Alex @Alexzee on his offer, ig you choose that course, start a new thread in Distribution Specific - Slackware and work with it from there. If you get it installed, you can come back to here and list the thread as Solved.
2. If you wish to explore another attempt with Debian, Ubuntu or Linux Mint, the following could bear fruit.
With your computer switched off, insert your Live DVD, power it on and boot from it in the boot order.
When the short menu for the distro chosen appears, it will likely have three or four lines. Arrow to, but don't enter, the line that says "Live" or "Try before you install".
Press e for enter, a number of lines showing the bootup parameters will appear.
Arrow down to the line that starts with
linux
Look in the line for any references that reflect the nVidia, and if there are any there, remove them, and replace with, or place in a blank part of the line
nomodeset
You can then probably press F10, and the machine will boot into the Live environment. With that, you can start the Installer and see if you can get it installed.
Let us know how you go.
Cheers
Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
You have tried all the latest Linux which are good for new hardware, you have to consider that your hardware is old so it's better to try those Linux which are design to run on old hardware. I wish you give it a try at least once with porteus Linux or slax. But it is your choice what you want to do. I hope you get success with Slackware.
I just tried Linux Lit at the suggestion of @The Duck . It worked (in a manner of peaking).
What do I mean by that remark?
First, I wish to make clear that, at this point in my adventure, I wanted to minimize complexity, so I did the install from the DVD to the only disk in the system, a 120GB SSD I had lying around.
I did the complete install (not Live).
Here is what happens when I boot: I get a GUI login dialog on tty7. tty2 thru tty6 are available. tty1 is a blank screen.
When I supply my password to login, the screen fills with garbage. If I do Ctrl-Alt-Del-Enter, I get the GUI login dialog back.
If I then try to login again, I get a repeat of what I just described.
I do have another choice: If I switch to tty2 and login using the shell and then do this: sudo startx, I get a GUI desktop with a mouse in the middle. I seem to be able to do a lot with this GUI desktop. I tried "Install updates" and that went haywire.
My thinking was I probably need a correct drive for the NVIDA GeForce 7100 video hardware, but I could never figure out how to do that.
Now you see what I meant by (in a manner of peaking).
I'm pretty much convinced that I will never succeed until I get the right driver for my video.
Ray
You will have a better chance with a full distribution rather than a minimal one,
NVIDIA drivers are available for that card BUT make sure you download the correct one [ Linux 32 bit, intel/AMD- Arm 32 bit - or 64 bit am 86 /intel 64bit]
Installing is not rocket science BUT you must be methodical and do things in the right order, probably the best guide i have seen for newbies is...
NVIDIA drivers are available for that card BUT make sure you download the correct one [ Linux 32 bit, intel/AMD- Arm 32 bit - or 64 bit am 86 /intel 64bit]
Installing is not rocket science BUT you must be methodical and do things in the right order, probably the best guide i have seen for newbies is...
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I managed to get Linux Lite installed and working -- BUT it seems to be ONLY able to do 1 resolution -- I believe it is 640x480.
I don't see any way to get to one of the higher resolutions.
Ray
I FINALLY had success! I installed Linux Mint 13 (Maya) from a .iso I found on the web. It worked right after the install finished.
I believe I have the Cinnamon Desktop?
Your suggestion about using an older Linux since my hardware is older was good!
It fails when I try the update because the download URLs it has are probably no longer active, but I'm thinking "who cares"!
I installed on a 120 GB SSD that had nothing else on it.
My next adventure is to install on a 500 GB SSD that has Windows 7 on it.
If that works, then I'll put together the whole system which is a 500 GB SSD with both OS(s) on MB SATA 1 interface, a DVD on the MB SATA 2 interface and a 1 TB HDD on a PCIe adaptor card which has 2 interface connectors.
The 1 TB HDD will be used by both Win7 and Linux Mint for data storage.
Ray
No! It's NOT good. You're using very old software that has known security issues. If you're using this system online, you're potentially already compromised. This is not a good thing. It's quite the opposite.
Now, if it's offline (not connected to the web), it's all good. It's probably a waste of electricity, but at least you're not causing problems for the rest of the internet. Your goal should be to find a supported version of Linux that will work on your hardware. You've made it this far, so there's surely a version that'll work.
You might need to look into things like Tiny Core or the Puppy family, but there's a distro that will work AND be secure. What you're doing now is not just insecure for you, but also poses a problem for the rest of the internet.
Agreed. The OP also has Windows 7 still in place.
Between that and the end-of-life Linux, it is a recipe for disaster, unless the OP blocks access to the internet for both.
If I am not mistaken, @tpkusr , when he said
he was talking about Porteus and Slax, not an obsolete, unsupported distro of Linux.
Both Porteus and Slax are modern, current, supported distros, that just happen to be designed to also be able to run on older hardware with modest specifications.
I cannot empathasise this enough.
Wizard
Between that and the end-of-life Linux, it is a recipe for disaster, unless the OP blocks access to the internet for both.
If I am not mistaken, @tpkusr , when he said
he was talking about Porteus and Slax, not an obsolete, unsupported distro of Linux.
Both Porteus and Slax are modern, current, supported distros, that just happen to be designed to also be able to run on older hardware with modest specifications.
I cannot empathasise this enough.
Wizard
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