Installing halts at Grub.

[DiaNobb]

Try to run a light Linux distro on my old machine. Have tried several of them but they all have a same issue, stopping the installing procedure at Grub. The automatic boot count down runs down to 1 second and stays there. It does not boot automatically. And I do not know how to cope with this problem. Help, please?
DiaNobb

 

[Brickwizard]

What is this old machine?

 

[DiaNobb]

Thanks.
The hardware of the old machine:
Acer M5700,
MB : G45T AM2 V:1.0
CPU: Intel Core2 Quad and cooling fan
RAM: DDR2 800 SDRAM 4G (2x2)
PSU: UFO AB450 (450W)
Have tried half a dozen of light Linux distros, Xfce, antiX, Puppy Linux, Peppermint and others, they all present the same issue: not boot.
DiaNobb

 

[Brickwizard]

they all present the same issue: not boot.

I had a similar problem on a 2000 Aspire [yours is 2008/2010] in theory it should be 64 bit, but some budget machines around that time still had 32 bit motherboards, also check the boot options, it may not be USB bootable in which case use a DVD-r and burn at the lowest speed, again around this time EUFI was still being introduced by many manufacturers of budget machines so you may need to use legacy boot.

 

[Brickwizard]

to continue,
normal method for ACER

• Insert USB into drive (or optical disc into drive).
• Switch the device on and open the temporary boot menu (method will depend on the make and model of your computer). for acer its usually jiggle one of the following as you switch on F12 , Esc or F2F2

Look down the list and find USB click on it and enter, after a few seconds (depending on your choice of distribution) it will load a “live” session to RAM.

taken from How Do I Install Linux (A General Guide) • Linux Tips​

 

[Brickwizard]

if all else fails, there is but one distribution you probably have never heard of called Emmasbuntis it was developed for the Emmas charity original to revive machines from the late 1990's for donation to third world schools, it has come a long way since then, the latest 64 bit build is huge, but contains most drivers for any machine with 64 bit capabilities and a lot of specialist software. once you are sure if your machine is 32 or 64 choose from the list at

Télécharger la distribution – Emmabuntüs

emmabuntus.org

 

[DiaNobb]

I had a similar problem on a 2000 Aspire [yours is 2008/2010] in theory it should be 64 bit, but some budget machines around that time still had 32 bit motherboards, also check the boot options, it may not be USB bootable in which case use a DVD-r and burn at the lowest speed, again around this time EUFI was still being introduced by many manufacturers of budget machines so you may need to use legacy boot.

Thanks.
"... it should be 64 bit,..." The CPU on my board is Intel Core2 Quad, supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.
"...EUFI was still being introduced ...." Checked all 6 pages of BIOS and did not see any EUFI.
"... use a DVD-r and burn at the lowest speed," Yes, some of the ISO files for download are marked with a CD or DVD disc. Wonder if that means for burning on CD or DVD only.
How about the reliability and accountability of USB Image Writer? Most people say that they use Etcher or Rufus for creating USB live bootables. Have not yet read anyone says that he/she uses USB Image Writer for creating the USB live bootables.
All the USB live bootable I have mentioned above are created with USB Image Writer. One of the USB live bootables I created with USB Image Writer requires grub when it is booted on the PC.
Thanks.
DiaNobb

My PC cannot burn any CD or DVD. Besides the BIOS, the PC is really a bare metal. I took apart the desktops, three of them, Acer Aspire M5700, dumped everything of the machines but some useful parts, motherboards, CPU with fans, 3 sticks of RAM, HDDs, keybords, mouses, CD/DVD burner, and vga cables, but only one motherboard usable now. Put the usable parts together as a PC (without case) and fix them on a wooden board and have the wooden board fixed to one end of my workbench. Plan to use it for running music, 6 to 7 hours a day when I am working in the room. Use it this way for sack of cooling (my room temperature is 27~28 C year round). There is no any OS. The CD/DVD burner is useless.

 

[Brickwizard]

it should be 64 bit,..." The CPU on my board is Intel Core2 Quad, supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

yes it should, but as I said some manufacturers were still using 32 bit motherboards at that time

How about the reliability and accountability of USB Image Writer

is this the image writer in an existing Linux installation ? then it should work without error

Yes, some of the ISO files for download are marked with a CD or DVD disc.

as long as its an ISO file you can burn it to a DVD or write it to a USB it should work either way

this will be a bit of a flyer, try LMDE7 up to the beginning of this year I was running it on a 2010 dell T series [core2 duo]

Tutorial Thread 'Basic checks if Linux fails to install'

Nov 9, 2025

Why Linux fails to load/install direct to HDD, common reasons

1] Corrupt download [check SHA sum]
2] bad burn to installation medium [try again] [if you used Rufus then try Balena Etcher or Ventoy]
2A] if optical drive burn at slow speed [no more than x3]
3] Wind 8.2 and higher quick start/fast boot or secure boot not disabled [after disabling do a full power re-boot not a restart]
3A ] check that boot from USB/Optical drive is enabled in your BIOS?UEFI
4] defective pen-drive/DVD
5] hardware fault,
5A] If old style HDD run integrity check
5B]if SATA SSD check for hidden...

• Brickwizard
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Getting Started

• 

 

[DiaNobb]

yes it should, but as I said some manufacturers were still using 32 bit motherboards at that time

is this the image writer in an existing Linux installation ? then it should work without error

as long as its an ISO file you can burn it to a DVD or write it to a USB it should work either way

this will be a bit of a flyer, try LMDE7 up to the beginning of this year I was running it on a 2010 dell T series [core2 duo]

Tutorial Thread 'Basic checks if Linux fails to install'

Nov 9, 2025

Why Linux fails to load/install direct to HDD, common reasons

1] Corrupt download [check SHA sum]
2] bad burn to installation medium [try again] [if you used Rufus then try Balena Etcher or Ventoy]
2A] if optical drive burn at slow speed [no more than x3]
3] Wind 8.2 and higher quick start/fast boot or secure boot not disabled [after disabling do a full power re-boot not a restart]
3A ] check that boot from USB/Optical drive is enabled in your BIOS?UEFI
4] defective pen-drive/DVD
5] hardware fault,
5A] If old style HDD run integrity check
5B]if SATA SSD check for hidden...

• Brickwizard
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Getting Started

• 

Thanks.
"but as I said some manufacturers were still using 32 bit motherboards at that time" Are you saying that the motherboard is 32 bit with 64 CPC on it? And the CPU's capability is limited by the motherboard?
"is this the image writer in an existing Linux installation ? then it should work without error"
Yes, it is. Yeah, it should work without error. But, people say on the internet that they burn live bootables with Balena Etcher or Rufus.
"as long as its an ISO file you can burn it to a DVD or write it to a USB it should work either way" Therefore, there is no ISO file must be use on CD/DVD and not on USB stick?
" try LMDE7" Just took a look at the ISO file on Linux Mint. Its ISO file is 3G, larger file and heavier OS than Mint Xfce and many other light Linux distros. Wonder if my hardware has the ability to run LMDE7.

My PC cannot burn any CD or DVD. Besides the BIOS, the PC is really a bare metal. I took apart the desktops, three of them, Acer Aspire M5700, dumped everything of the machines but some useful parts, motherboards, CPU with fans, 3 sticks of RAM, HDDs, keybords, mouses, CD/DVD burner, and vga cables, but only one motherboard usable now. Put the usable parts together as a PC (without case) and fix them on a wooden board and have the wooden board fixed to one end of my workbench. Plan to use it for running music, 6 to 7 hours a day when I am working in the room. Use it this way for sack of cooling (my room temperature is 27~28 C year round). There is no any OS. The CD/DVD burner is useless.

Many thanks.
DiaNobb

 

[Brickwizard]

but as I said some manufacturers were still using 32 bit motherboards at that time" Are you saying that the motherboard is 32 bit with 64 CPC on it? And the CPU's capability is limited by the motherboard?

Yes,common practice up to around 2010 on budget and some business machines to keep cost down

Yes, it is. Yeah, it should work without error. But, people say on the internet that they burn live bootables with Balena Etcher or Rufus.

Linux ISO writer and Balena are best on Linux, Rufus is best on Windows machines

" try LMDE7" Just took a look at the ISO file on Linux Mint. Its ISO file is 3G, larger file and heavier OS than Mint Xfce and many other light Linux distros. Wonder if my hardware has the ability to run LMDE7.

as i said LMDE7 up to the beginning of this year I was running it on a 2010 dell T series [core2 duo]

My PC cannot burn any CD or DVD. Besides the BIOS, the PC is really a bare metal. I

Have you checked the BIOS/UEFI yet to see if it is USB compatible, if yes go through the link I of common gave you earlier of comon reasons Linux fails

 

[KGIII]

I have a dumb question...

How long are you waiting for the OS to load? It can take a bit, especially on older hardware. We're talking minutes and minutes for it to boot.

 

[Trml]

"but as I said some manufacturers were still using 32 bit motherboards at that time" Are you saying that the motherboard is 32 bit with 64 CPC on it? And the CPU's capability is limited by the motherboard?

There is a difference between the running Linux kernel and the boot. The running kernel may still be able to use 64bit instructions, but the bootloader (grub) needs to support 32bit (legacy mode). There are some requirements for 64bit, e.g. regarding RAM addressing, but the Linux kernel is generally able to run in 64bit mode if these are met.

What I would do is look for a distro that explicitly supports 32bit, like the one @Brickwizard mentioned, try that and once it boots, try their 64bit image (because they may use the same grub).

 

[bob466]

You could try mintstick...https://pkgs.org/download/mintstick

 

[theLegionWithin]

Have tried half a dozen of light Linux distros, Xfce, antiX, Puppy Linux, Peppermint and others, they all present the same issue: not boot.

at that point I'd be curious to see what happens if you install an non-linux OS - like, good ol' dos. does it have boot issues too? if so, it's probably not a linux issue but a hardware problem.

alternately, try using different installation media.

 

[MikeRocor]

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds to me like it's not the -installing- that fails at grub so much as the -booting- that fails at grub.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head.

If it shows grub (from the USB stick) then it seems likely that it -can- boot from USB. Does it display a menu of available boot selections? If so, then perhaps the OS wasn't installed in the place where grub.cfg says it should be. If not, then perhaps grub.cfg isn't in the expected place.

If there's not something unusual about that MOBO, I would think a Core2 quad with 4 GB of RAM would do for a light linux distro.

 

[tpkusr]

Try to run a light Linux distro on my old machine. Have tried several of them but they all have a same issue, stopping the installing procedure at Grub. The automatic boot count down runs down to 1 second and stays there. It does not boot automatically.

If you provide us with an image of where it is stuck, I think it would be helpful.

 

[bob466]

When I see this...

I hit Enter...do you ?

 

[DiaNobb]

I have a dumb question...

How long are you waiting for the OS to load? It can take a bit, especially on older hardware. We're talking minutes and minutes for it to boot.

Thanks.
How about 10 or 20 minutes? I even tested for 20 minutes just wanted to see if it would show anything even a letter or sign. Nothing.
DiaNobb

 

[DiaNobb]

There is a difference between the running Linux kernel and the boot. The running kernel may still be able to use 64bit instructions, but the bootloader (grub) needs to support 32bit (legacy mode). There are some requirements for 64bit, e.g. regarding RAM addressing, but the Linux kernel is generally able to run in 64bit mode if these are met.

What I would do is look for a distro that explicitly supports 32bit, like the one @Brickwizard mentioned, try that and once it boots, try their 64bit image (because they may use the same grub).

Thanks.
1. Have no idea about the kernel and grub and 32bit/64but....
2. The following is what I have experienced:
2a. I first used LXLE to see if it would run. Created a live bootable USB with Rufus in Windows 10. Yes, it ran as a live bootable system. Then, I installed it on a HDD. The install type was erase the hard disk and install LXLE. Everything went on well and used it for a week. I changed the HDD to a better one, and formatted the USB stick by USB Stick Format in Linux Mint 22.1 Cinnamon and created the live bootable USB with USB Image Writer in Cinnamon, then tried to install on the better HDD, but it did not boot the bootable. Tried again and again a dozen time, did not boot. Dispayed the grub and automatic boot counted down to 1 second, and stayed there. The prompter was prompting in the upper left corner.
Created the live bootable again with Rugus, no boot any more. The situation was the same.
This LXLE is 32bit.
2b. Downloaded Linux Mint 21 Xfce ISO file from Mint, changed USB stick, formatted it by USB Stick Formater in Cinnamon 22.1, created a live bootable with USB Image Writer in Cinnamon 22.1, then tried to boot this live system on the old hardware. It booted and installed on the hard drive. Ran it for a week or so. Everything went on well. I wanted to change Xfce 21 to Xfce22, and repeated the same process. It did not boot this time, and did not boot every light distro I tried on this hardware.
This Xfce is 64bit.
Again, thanks.
DiaNobb

 

[DiaNobb]

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds to me like it's not the -installing- that fails at grub so much as the -booting- that fails at grub.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head.

If it shows grub (from the USB stick) then it seems likely that it -can- boot from USB. Does it display a menu of available boot selections? If so, then perhaps the OS wasn't installed in the place where grub.cfg says it should be. If not, then perhaps grub.cfg isn't in the expected place.

If there's not something unusual about that MOBO, I would think a Core2 quad with 4 GB of RAM would do for a light linux distro.

Thanks!
"If so, then perhaps the OS wasn't installed in the place where grub.cfg says it should be. If not, then perhaps grub.cfg isn't in the expected place." This is way beyond my comprehension, I am a newbie.
"If it shows grub (from the USB stick) then it seems likely that it -can- boot from USB. Does it display a menu of available boot selections?" Yes. There were several or many options in the frame. But I never read any of them.
Appreciate!
DiaNobb