Installation on HP laptop

[CaperAsh]

After some difficulty today with 2 different new machines, managed to get a DVD to boot up to run installation routine but, although I can see the Windows 10 partition in the Drives (under Trash), the installation script does not see another OS. The options given are a complete disk overwrite or 'Other' which involves complex partition managing given there are seemingly about 6 partitions already and am unfamiliar with the command structure on the installation disk partition manager. I find the long paragraph in the Help Manual about this insufficient to understand what am getting into.


Probably, will have to take this laptop back as well.


In any case, fwliw, I wanted to record this difficulty. The model is an HP EliteBook 2540p. Maybe it's just me, but it seems to be getting more difficult to install Linux OS on newer computers (unless you just scrub the drive, which I might just decide to do since haven't used Windows in many years now...)

[torreydale]

There are a slew of webpages addressing the missing option you're referring to.  Here is one of them:  http://www.askaswiss.com/2017/01/how-to-...-boot.html.

The section of the manual that covers partitioning (ie. the Something Else option) is prefaced with the phrase "FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY."

[bitsnpcs]

unless you just scrub the drive, which I might just decide to do since haven't used Windows in many years now...

Here is video I made recently of installing LinuxLite procedure, it was the same when I installed to hard drive on each computer. I had not used Linux until I used LL. Virtualbox is being run in LinuxLite 3.2, which is the only OS on the computer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ImD9C5wilk

I made the intro/outro mix on LinuxLite too.

[CaperAsh]

THanks for the vid. I have installed LL (and others) many times without problems. But working with the new laptops the past two days has stumped me. On your vid you do a complete disk wipe which I didn't want to do at first but lacked the skills to try to partition using the installation script. I did use the Swiss Guy page linked in this or the other thread and created a partition from within Win 10 but it made no difference: when using either the usb or the external dvd disk the installation hangs up after 2-3 minutes with the yellow screen and feather on it. I have gone into the BIOS several times and enabled legacy etc. but obviously something is missing. It's not a problem with the usb or the dvd since they run fine on my old laptop.

HA! I tried one last time and now the USB has managed to make it. Items on the screen super small to start with (I altered them). Now will see if can figure out the partitioning business manually since again the script did not 'see' that there is Windows already on there and again I would like to try to keep it, at least for a while (though have not used Windows in many years now)

[CaperAsh]

Well, on consideration that perhaps this would be my one shot at getting in there I did a full install with disk wipe. It all went well. Then updated. Then rebooted. Now the screen is hung up again with the lovely feather. So I have no Win 10 and no Linux on this machine. Oh well....

[firenice03]

I believe hitting escape (esc) at the splash will display the "goings on" processing in the background.. Perhaps this will point out whats failing on boot..??...
- - If I'm mistaken and not esc maybe a F key??

Additionally the make/model of pc maybe helpful.. This was posted on the other thread (https://www.freecinema2022.gq/forums/insta.../#msg30709)

Also, is this 3.4 32bit or 64bit you have installed??

[CaperAsh]

It's a 64 bit, but I should be in a different thread since moved onto a Lenovo Yoga. I read they were more Linux-friendly, but this is also a new one with the new Bios (and new acronym) system. I have had the same issue with several distros though - first I install them, then update, then reboot, then it freezes, and if I try to re-install or install another one again, it freezes so am left with no OS at all and no ability to install one -  so at this point am pretty certain that it's a hardware or firmware-setting issue for which I can't get help. I will try some more detailed googling for this specific model number, but since it's new, chances are that the issues haven't been worked through yet to come up easily. Yes, older models might provide same solutions, but also many older models won't. It all takes a lot of time to work through.

[firenice03]

Dependent of Yoga Model - May want to look here.. https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Linux-Discu...-p/3336715
Some issues with a RAID controller and BIOS updates... If RAID you want to see if there is a RAID to AHCI option in bios..

Similarly:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/799083/in...nvme-drive
With a link to: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Linux-Discu...true#M7814

Google Search for Lenovo Yoga ubuntu 16.04 yields the above and more
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=ch...untu+16.04&*

[firenice03]

Looking at the other thread..
Specific to the 710.. Some specific threads that maybe more related to graphics...

http://askubuntu.com/questions/819900/un...o-yoga-710

https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Linux-Discu...-p/3361544
The only issue I've seen is that I had to restart once when Ubuntu startup failed. On second restart, all is ok.

https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Linux-Discu...-p/3361544

[CaperAsh]

I haven't worked through this yet but these two links seem germane. Also, although targeted specifically to the Lenovo Yoga, it appears this might be more of an Intel 7 chipset issue, indicated by the fact that similar installation problems are effecting many different computer models and Linux distros. There is also a kernal panic issue which some have fixed by writing in code (and I also noticed kernel panic in some of the Advanced/Repair routines text on the screen (super small!) until those routines also froze (in both LL and Manjaro).

It seems there are several levels to work through that the Manual might spell out a little better:

1. Need to learn how to make usb for installation and/or buy a little external DVD (assuming you have new model without internal DVD)
2. Need to be able to go in and get to Legacy in order to boot into your usb or external DVD.
3. If your installation script doesn't read that there is Win 10 already there and you want to keep it, you have to learn how to work through the partition routines. (In my case there were already about 6 partitions. It is complicated. Furthermore, Win 10 would not let me make more than 100GB (out of 250) available for Linux which is mainly why I decided to junk it.)
4. Assuming you have made an installation, then you get into further level of problems, which I am trying to deal with. Some people find their wifi is not working properly (which I had day before yesterday with HP Elite 17" model), some people find they cannot boot up without freezing (my issue with 3 different distros, LL and Manjaro). And now I cannot even run an installation disk at all in order to start over, meaning have no computer.

It seems that some sort of overview like this could be provided in the Manual which helps people who are not technically savvy to navigate through various problems, should they have them. This suggestion is the main point of this post.

Also a general caveat (it seems): Generally not a great idea to buy a spanking new laptop.

I will work through the pages below and report back on any progress.


https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/forums/v3_1...958/page/3


http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/...-6500u-cpu


It seems that the subject/topic is shifting now into installation with intel 7 cpu's. Mine is a i7/7th gen.